LOS ANGELES—He has a weekly sex advice column. He penned a book called Boyslut. And now he appears in the new NakedSword Originals hit Dirty Words. It’s hard to image Zachary Zane ever felt anything but comfort in his sexual skin, but his own story is perhaps more surprising than the escapades he writes about.
“I grew up in Los Angeles, in the Valley—which explains my ever-so-slight Valley girl accent—to a liberal Jewish family. I was a little neurotic kid with diagnosed OCD, which my psychiatrist declared ‘severe.’ I actually had so much shame surrounding sex, nudity, and watching porn as a kid and teenager. At 8 years old, I once cried in my therapist’s office because I kept imagining him naked and convinced myself I was a ‘bad person,’” Zane recalls. “Because of this, I started watching internet porn at 15, which was way later than my friends, who all started watching porn at 11. It took years to overcome my sexual shame, but I finally did. That is what Boyslut: A Memoir and Manifesto is all about!”
After college, Zane worked as a smoking cessation researcher and counselor at Massachusetts General Hospital. He thought he was going to get a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
“However, I realized that, for such a seemingly altruistic profession, academics are cutthroat and steal your work. I would also end up writing grants every day until I died. So, I freaked out and decided not to apply,” he says. “Instead, I started writing during my free time at work and published a piece on how challenging it was dating as a bisexual man, but how I found love and acceptance dating a bisexual woman. The piece went viral, and outlets started reaching out to me to write more bisexual content.”
At the time, Zane bemoaned the dearth of bisexual content online.
“Essentially, when you Googled ‘bisexual man,’ what came up were studies about bisexual men having and spreading HIV, ‘10 Things to Never Say to a Bisexual Person,’ or ‘10 Myths About Bisexuality.’ Essentially, it was content attempting to prove to gay and straight people that bisexual people exist. But there wasn’t much content about bisexuality for actual bisexuals, like how to date while bisexual, overcome biphobia, address bisexual health disparities, find a bi community, when it’s appropriate to label yourself as bi, and so on.
“So I became the internet’s ‘Bi Guy,’ addressing all these issues. I didn’t love being pigeonholed, though, so I slowly expanded out from there, talking about queer male sexuality, then queer sexuality for all genders, and then grew to write about all things sex and relationships for all genders and sexualities.”
Since then, Zane has built his influence with an impressive resume: His work has appeared in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Cosmo, NBC, GQ and Playboy, among other outlets. He had a biweekly column at Bisexual.org titled “Good Bi Love,” and was a contributing editor at Pride.com, HIV Plus magazine and The Advocate. He was also an associate digital editor for OUT magazine. He has a weekly sex advice column at Men’s Health titled “Sexplain It,” and co-authored the book Men’s Health Best Sex Ever: 200 Frank, Funny & Friendly Answers About Getting It On.
“I feel like I have such a larger impact writing for Men’s Health than I ever did writing for OUT, The Advocate, or Pride.com. A lot of closeted men don’t feel comfortable reading the content on gay-specific sites, but they are open to reading content on Men’s Health. So, I’ve been able to reach and help elder millennials, Gen X and boomers come out and embrace their bisexuality. I don’t think I would have reached that audience writing elsewhere.”
Zane has also spoken across the country at universities and on panels, and been featured as an expert on multiple podcasts—including one by someone who inspired him.
“Thank God for Dan Savage. That man paved the way for me to become a sex columnist, and his work has literally helped millions of people over countless years,” Zane says. “But there wasn’t a Dan Savage for the bisexuals, someone who dove into the nitty-gritty of bi identity. I wish there were someone like that when I was struggling with my sexual orientation in my teenage years and early twenties. Now, I’m in my mid-thirties, and I’m proud to say I’ve become the person I wish I had while growing up.”
That pride shines through in Boyslut. Published last year, the series of essays was named a 2024 Lambda Literary Award Finalist.
“My goal, in a nutshell, is to help my readers overcome at least some aspects of sexual shame. You’ll notice I write with a lot of humor and levity—I want to make this a fun and enticing read. Sex is often written about so seriously, but I think by using humor, I can lower people’s emotional guards and actually get my message across better,” Zane says. “Boyslut is also my love letter to the bisexual community—to help them feel seen and understood and realize they are not alone. There is a burgeoning bisexual community that’s out there; you just gotta find it.”
An announcement about the book got the attention of Ben Rush, the awarding winning producer, director and writer at Falcon | NakedSword.
“The book sounded really compelling—and the author is quite handsome—so naturally, I reached out to see how we might work together. Zachary sent me an advanced readers copy of the book, which confirmed my hunch: He’s a fresh, original voice tackling subjects that should be more conversational. His style is relatable and matter of fact.”
After developing a rapport by phone, text and social media, the two had dinner when Zane was back in L.A. visiting his family.
“Zachary is very open and very comfortable in his skin. He has a wonderfully sexy confidence that is healthy, but not at all off-putting or arrogant. That, plus his natural charm and writing talent, really stood out to me,” says Rush. “I think his relatability is key. He offers practical advice and shares his experiences openly, which is, in my opinion, what people respond to. He takes the shame out of sex by making his opinions and knowledge accessible. He never talks down to his readers, and he embraces all lifestyles and orientations.”
In the meantime, Zane researched Rush, watching hits like Overdrive and the Bred & Breakfast series. “Quickly, I learned that the wit in his writing translated to a wit in real life,” says Zane. Soon, a new project was born. Sex is fun, and so is the quippy romp Dirty Words—a playful fusion of pop culture and porn.
“Zachary has been doing some short-form video sex tips for Falcon | NakedSword, and we were on the phone discussing the content. While we were chatting, the idea came to me. What if people could get a glimpse of Zachary’s world?” Rush says. “He’s recognized on the street quite a bit, and people always want to ask questions about their sex lives. What if porn stars, despite their profession, had their own questions about positions, health and sexuality? I called [President and CEO] Tim Valenti immediately, as he’s always open to innovative and thought-provoking material, and he greenlit the project on the spot.”
Zane shared a list of his favorite porn stars, which Rush says is essentially how the movie was cast.
“In fact, Michael Boston flew from L.A. to New York for only two days just to be part of Zachary’s porn fantasy. Once we had a cast locked in, I began writing the script. The goal was to come up with something fun and campy, with Zachary’s fantastic sense of humor woven in. We then reviewed the conceit and the dialogue together, and Dirty Words came to life.”
The project casts Zane as himself on a trip to Fire Island, where he encounters a bevy of porn stars eager to get his advice and put in into action, In addition to Boston, Dirty Words stars Braxton Cruz, Beaux Banks, Travis Connor, Oliver Hunt, Harold Lopez, Alexander Muller, Axel Rockham and Matty West—who “was in the middle of reading my book; he had started reading it before he was cast in the film,” says Zane. “When he saw me, he was so excited and told me how Boyslut positively impacted his life. He then had me sign his copy. It was life intimating art!”
The film is directed by Marc MacNamara, while Rush wrote the screenplay.
“I found this film to be particularly interesting because it puts a current pop culture figure smack in the middle of the adult entertainment industry in a way that’s honest and authentic. Zachary plays a larger-than-life version of himself, so I hope viewers will feel a stronger connection to this material, the same way they feel connected to his advice and stories,” says Rush.
“Zachary is a joy to have around in real life and at work. He’s observant and extremely focused, but he also injects his humor into the process. I’m looking into hiring him to be my emotional support sex writer on all future projects. We had so much fun during the shoot…we laughed constantly.”
Initially, Rush cast Zane in a non-sex role, but the columnist expressed a desire to be a sexual performer in the film. “He was surprised by that response, but I wanted to be a star! I also saw the stacked cast and had a crush on half the performers and wanted to fuck them.”
But a few days later, Zane called Rush after a change of heart.
“I was a little overzealous. The main reason why is that I have a nonfiction erotica zine on Substack, also called Boyslut, where I share real sex stories. My readers masturbate to the idea of me, the fantasy of me. They’ve definitely built me up in their heads as this fuck machine, a rock star. Don’t get me wrong—I’m a sex writer and educator, and I do think I’m pretty good at sex, but I will never be as good as what they’ve built me up to be in their minds. In other words, seeing me fuck may ruin the fantasy.”
Zane notes that he may change his mind one day, and looks forward to future collaborations with NakedSword—including potentially writing his own screenplay. Rush is on board, and wants to create more unique projects like Dirty Words.
“Like Zachary’s writing, this kind of collaboration normalizes open conversations about sex, sexuality, gender and identity. For example, the marketing campaign for this project brings adult content to a mainstream audience in way that you don’t typically see. Through the lens of a prescriptive, how-to perspective, the hardcore moments become more meaningful. Zachary’s comfort level with the material essentially gives audiences permission to embrace who they are and enjoy sex unapologetically.”
And that’s something Zane wants everyone to embrace, no matter what stage of life or sexual discovery they find themselves in.
“Porn has helped me safely discover a range of sexual acts, scenarios, and kinks that turn me on—things I wouldn’t have ever thought to even explore,” he says. But he also offers a word of advice: “While you can and should enjoy porn—and there’s nothing shameful about watching and enjoying it—remember that porn is a fantasy. I shouldn’t be comparing myself to these men with rock-hard abs and nine-inch dicks that never (seemingly) go soft. Similarly, most women aren’t going to squirt buckets or orgasm through penetration alone. So enjoy porn, get off to it, but also educate yourself about having more real sex.”
