SAN FRANCISCO - Anyone watching the events at the GAYVN Awards show Saturday night may have noticed there was a continuing drama between Brent Corrigan and Michael Lucas as each took the stage at various times during the evening. The drama continued after the awards and into the next morning, involving the San Francisco Police Department.
It continues still in cyberspace.
To add clarity to the swirl of rumors and gossip:
No one was arrested, although the case is under investigation and charges may still be pending, according to a San Francisco police spokeswoman.
No one was hurt or beaten up.
No awards were changed or taken away by the GAYVN team.
Michael Lucas has been on a campaign against under-aged models for years, since at least 2005, when the Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection warned the gay adult industry that Corrigan admitted he forged his identification just before his 17th birthday and worked for Cobra Video before he was of a legal age. Corrigan testified under oath about the forged documents during the murder trial of Harlow Cuadra, who was convicted in March of killing Cobra owner Bryan Kocis.
At the GAYVN awards show rehearsals on Saturday afternoon, Lucas complained to the show producers and lead sponsor NakedSword chief executive officer Tim Valenti about Corrigan appearing on stage to present an award.
"I thought the controversy about Brent Corrigan had died down a while ago because he gave his big apology to the industry long ago, and said he was being influenced by others at a young age," GAYVN editor Harker Jones said. "But I did understand the protests."
Jones took the concern to Darren Roberts, CEO of GAYVN publisher AVN Media Network. Because AVN's policy has been to protect the industry from people who have hurt companies and the adult industry's reputation in the past, Roberts told Jones to remove Corrigan from the presenters list.
Jones informed both Corrigan and co-host Greg Sherrell, who made the change in the program. Nevertheless, Corrigan's name was called when it came time to present the awards he was scheduled to present.
"I wasn't sure what to do, so I just went on up," Corrigan told GAYVN.com.
Lucas, who was one of the night's Hall of Fame inductees, told GAYVN, "When I saw him up there, I was furious. I was outraged! I didn't think he should have even have been nominated, and he should not have been a presenter."
Corrigan's multiple nominations - including for Performer of the Year, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor - were allowed to stand. By the end of the evening, Corrigan had been awarded Best Bottom. In addition, movies produced by his company Prodigy Pictures picked up awards: Just the Sex 1 and 2 together were named Best Twink Film, and the Best Pro/Am Feature award went to Brent Corrigan's Summit (co-produced with Dirty Bird Pictures.
"We always want to keep the integrity of the awards above board and without reproach," Jones said.
After ASACP executive director Joan Irvine spoke about the adult industry fighting against child pornography, Lucas took the stage without warning.
"Shame on the judges who nominated and awarded Brent Corrigan," he told the audience. "On a night we honor ASACP, there should be no forgiveness for the companies and individuals who put the industry in danger by supporting this."
Later, he told GAYVN.com, "People said that I did that for publicity, but I have to tell you that every time I speak out like that I lose customers. It doesn't help me to speak out like that and have people boo at you and face this hostility."
Lucas also said fellow porn stars told him to "watch his back," but he didn't feel threatened ... until later, at a post-party just outside the VIP room, when Corrigan's boyfriend bumped into him.
"I said, ‘Excuse me?' because I didn't know who this was," Lucas told GAYVN.com. "Then, he started calling me names. He called me a ‘fucking pussy' and said ‘You have a horse face.' And then Brent Corrigan came up and security came up and just told us to stay away from each other.
"I could see the veins on [Corrigan's] neck pulsing. He was angry, and then the boyfriend said, ‘I will fucking kill you' and said he would throw acid on my face and ruin my career."
Lucas said that's when he left the club and called his lawyer, then the police. He said the San Francisco Police took a complaint, but because Corrigan and his boyfriend were partying somewhere in the city, there was little the police could do right then.
"We were out partying because I was very happy to win something, so we were out late, but I didn't think anything of what happened earlier," Corrigan told GAYVN.com. "I didn't hear any threats, except that Michael Lucas said he would ‘haunt us until I was out of the industry.'"
Lucas told GAYVN.com he couldn't sleep that night and called police again at 6:45 a.m. Sunday morning. Officers rousted Corrigan and his boyfriend shortly afterward.
"We were in bed naked and we just fell asleep," Corrigan said. "First the phone rang, and then police came in and handcuffed my boyfriend. I couldn't believe what was happening."
Lucas stood outside the hotel door and identified both Corrigan and his boyfriend, Corrigan and Lucas told GAYVN.com. Police took statements from all sides and provided a case number to all parties. On Monday, a San Francisco police spokeswoman said it is possible the complaint will go to the district attorney's office, but she could not confirm whether any further action would be taken.
On Monday, Corrigan defined the incident as jealous retaliation.
"Michael Lucas could not stand to walk away from the awards with just one accolade, he had to pull tricks and play the bitter card to make it all about him," Corrigan wrote on his blog.
Corrigan, now 22, said he thinks men 18-21 are "too young to get into this business." He said he now advises young men and studios not to make decisions before everyone understands potential ramifications. He told GAYVN.com he regretted doing bareback films and won't do them anymore.
Meanwhile, Lucas published his account on his blog, as well.
"I don't care what he is saying now," Lucas told GAYVN.com. "From a producer's standpoint, it is my biggest nightmare to have someone forge documents like he did, and he shouldn't be accepted into the industry. He wasn't forced into [performing underage] like slavery, and what he says now is like a man saying to a girl, ‘I love you' while he is raping her.
"Now Brent Corrigan is 22 and old enough to be responsible and be careful about the people he is hanging around with, and he shouldn't be around violent people," Lucas added. "There is no point of forgiveness for him for what he has done. The adult industry has a terrible reputation, and it is things like he did that makes it worse and gives people a reason to attack us all."
ASACP executive director Joan Irvine weighed in on that issue, as well.
“I appreciate Michael Lucas’ concern for ASACP and the industry that he expressed during the GAYVN Awards show,” she noted in a prepared statement released Tuesday. “Michael demonstrated the industry’s outrage when an underage actor slips into legitimate adult movies, as this threatens the industry and shows a disregard for ASACP and the industry’s child protection effort.
“Brent is now over 18 and has the right to engage in whatever legal business he chooses,” Irvine added.
