SAN FRANCISCO—Adult star Jesse Jackman and TitanMen Vice President Keith Webb have collaborated on a new movie for Titan Media, and it sound like they're going to knock one out of the park. The new title, Out!, is about a closeted gay baseball player who finally opens up about his sexuality.
While Out! is an adult movie, it's also a dramatic exploration of pressing social issues. According to Titan Media, realistic interview segments that covers topics like the difficulties of growing up as a closeted gay athlete, the challenges of being gay in professional sports, and the ways that LGBT public figures can be encouraging to the fans who look up to them.
The plotline follows A.J. Benson, a hall-of-fame catcher and current manager of the three-time world champion San Francisco Titans baseball team. His sexuality has been the subject of public speculation for years, but the tabloids have recently raised the rumors to a fever pitch. Encouraged by his close friend and batting coach, Dave Decker, A.J. decides to come out and put the rumors to rest. The former Olympian is reluctant but ultimately decides his openness could help gay, lesbian, and transgender athletes everywhere.
“I’m so excited about an athlete coming out story!” says Jesse Jackman, who plays A.J. in the film. “When I was a college athlete (and still closeted), I watched a lot of porn. If I’d seen a movie in which one of the characters came out, I might have been inspired to do the same. Maybe I’m hoping for too much, but perhaps that’ll happen for someone who watches OUT!—some nervous, closeted collegiate athlete—and it’ll help him become a more complete, comfortable person. This film will push a lot of erotic buttons for people, but it can also be a great social statement.”
Webb shared his enthusiam, saying, “We wanted to highlight and celebrate the growing acceptance of openly gay athletes in professional sports. One of the biggest stigmas holding back gay athletes from coming out is the fear of losing corporate sponsorships. All that is now changing with companies like Nike and Adidas making very public statements in support of openly gay athletes. Jesse’s recent article in Huffington Post’s Queer Voices section sums up the fears and frustration of closeted gay athletes very well.”
The companion website OutBaseball.com includes additional material such as behind-the-scenes photos and videos, the original production script, and links to resources where gay athletes at all levels can find community and support.
Production began in July of 2015 with TitanMen director Jasun Mark at the helm. The film’s cast features no less than five TitanMen exclusive performers (Jackman, Dallas Steele, Nick Prescott, Diesel Washington, and Eric Nero), joined by industry veteran Luke Adams and Jesse’s real-life husband Dirk Caber. Out! Releases online at TitanMen.com on March 2—during baseball’s spring training season, of course!
