Fledgling gay porn performer Roman Ragazzi was "outed" on May 4 in a "Page Six" article in The New York Post. Prior to the article's publication, Ragazzi resigned his administrative position at the Israeli consulate.
The motive and circumstances surrounding the outing are still unclear, but information unearthed by producer/ director/ performer Collin O'Neal, who discovered and represents Ragazzi, point to retribution, international porn intrigue, and questionable identities, among other things.
Ragazzi is an exclusive performer for Collin O'Neal Productions and Raging Stallion Studios. His first movies will be released over the next few weeks.
According to a Raging Stallion press statement, Ragazzi "is eager to get fully behind his new career as an erotic superstar."
His first film is Collin O'Neal's Miami, due out on May 11. His second feature — his first for Raging Stallion — is Michael Brandon's Tailpipes, which will be released on June 15. Ragazzi will also star in Chris Ward's giant military epic, Grunts, set for filming this summer.
Ward, President of Raging Stallion Studios, commented on the controversy. "Roman is really in the hot seat right now. He is getting lots of mainstream media exposure which is almost all negative. There is a great deal of pornophobia and homophobia in the reporting.
"I am proud of Roman for standing up for his own sexual identity. He is a proud, sex-positive gay man who has earned my respect and admiration. On the upside for Roman, he will make a lot more money working for us than he did for the consulate!"
Roman Ragazzi will be available to meet fans at IML in Chicago (May 26) and at Gay Pride in San Francisco (June 24).
Roman Ragazzi, Collin O'Neal photo by Jon Duede/ GAYVNawards.com
