It’s a love letter, because it would be impossible to write anything else about this site. 

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Porn is a tricky business, pretty much all the way around. Performers face undeserved ridicule and scorn, counterbalanced by heaps of praise and compliments, and physical demands that even the most dedicated gymrats would be hard pressed to meet. Producers and directors deal with models who can be emotional and unreliable, locations that try to extort money or shut down productions altogether, and consumers who would rather lift their product than pay even the most modest amount of money for it.  Blogs and review sites tear down any bit of work and effort put into imaginative or different productions, and heap praise almost exclusively on the performers (instead of the producers, directors, and technical professionals that make new scenework a reality) in scenes they do like. It’s hard to imagine what would motivate someone to try harder to do something better, when it seems like all one faces are obstacles.

We’re lucky then, as an audience, that the team behind Cockyboys has managed to put on their blinders and do something different anyway, without care or concern for those who would make it harder for them.

While on its face, Cockyboys.com is yet another gay porn site featuring sexy, young guys of the twink and twunk varieties (terms I believe I’ve read are loathed by the professionals behind the site, but which still help you form a picture of exactly what I’m describing) getting naked and getting off, there is far more to this kingdom than likely meets the eye.

Last month Cockyboys launched an entirely revamped user experience, pretty much unlike any other adult site I’ve ever used. It feels graphic and modern with a focus on beautiful images and streamlined navigation.  It reads properly on mobile, tablet, and desktop, though it’s most enjoyable with a great big screen.  It’s simple to log in and be watching something in just seconds.  This is due in part to the seemingly infinite back catalog representation so cleverly implemented here. There’s a TON of ‘new release’ tags to be found on the home page, but there’s also a lot of very smartly indexed scenes from the Cockyboys archives presented with winky headers like “Blondes Do It Best” and “Size Matters.”

In addition to the new individual scenes and model spotlights, Cockyboys does full-length features (referred to within the site as episodic ‘mini-series‘) like nobody else. Virtually every major studio produces longer-form scenes that share some common location or theme and are bundled together as one full-length ‘feature’ with separate parts or chapters. This is a way to include a lot of  performers without having to worry about the hassles of narrative storytelling the way you might in a proper feature film (think Lord of the Rings: huge cast, single main narrative (ring goes into mountain) with some vignettes, basically one long story broken up into separate but consecutive films – versus something like Valentine’s Day: huge celebrity cast, too many narratives, and many overlapping stories presented as one single film).  Most studios are cranking out endless variations of gay porn Valentine’s Day, incorporating many of their top performers in very tangentially related scenes. Cockyboys has (one assumes, consciously) moved towards creating more singular narratives, broken up into episodes, focused on telling one overall story. The sex (because it is porn) is ever-present, but often pushed forward naturally within the story, as opposed to “and now: fucking!” which is how traditional scenes seem to unfold.

Also within the new site, it’s difficult to ignore how much it seems like Cockyboys really wants to know what you think. There’s a focus on comments and feedback that seems entirely absent from many adult sites, that uses social media-style language like “join the conversation,” and “how can we help you?” and the almost over the top title of “customer happiness representative,” to describe their service reps.  The site’s voice is consistently team-based, first-person plural and feels inclusive and genuine. Clicking around their support page, you honestly feel like if you had a problem (even a silly one like “help I don’t know how to computer”) someone at CBHQ would really be worried you weren’t getting your money’s worth. That’s rare.

There’s an undeniable focus too, on presenting their models as individuals with personalities and thoughts that are as significant as their sex parts. Instead of the usual high-gloss dick/balls/hole photos offered in adult sites, Cockyboys offers myriad opportunities to ‘get to know’ their guys, even directing you towards their personal social media accounts.

It isn’t difficult for me to say that Cockyboys is worth your (modest) investment. It is. If you spend money on porn, you ought to spend it places like this.

But it is difficult for me to box this up as another simple porn site, when so much else is happening here. My biggest complaint about the (occasionally mind-numbing) amount of porn that I watch is that often seems joyless. It’s filmed in a way that makes the models seem like they’re working, and the directors seem like they’re just trying to get the job done. Hit the marks – kissing/oral/anal/cumshot – and pack it up. I’m constantly left wondering how two (or more!) often breathtakingly beautiful men can be doing something so pleasurable and have it read as so labored and without fun. Why would you want to pay for that?

Part of what I try to bring to Manhunt Daily is an exploration of alternative adult entertainment, which often includes homemade scenes and public stunts. I seek those things out because they are joyful and pleasurable and positive to the people creating them. Don’t believe me? Watch this kid fuck his fleshlight – or this guy jack off in front of his neighbor’s door – or Micah Brandt’s ridiculous, sex-based workout. That is real pleasure and real joy in sexuality and it is simple and comfortable for me to share that with them.

Now imagine those things, but with production values, graphics, editing, and a team of people who are dedicated to proving gay sex is joyful and not limited to the confines of the kissing/oral/anal/cumshot routine.  That’s what Jake Jaxson and his family have done for you. They have enabled a kind of sex positivity that isn’t mired in overly loud shame-refutation or disease-stigma-fighting or social media name calling. They aren’t making an in your face point about the beauty of pleasure.

They’re simply showing you how good it can be.

 

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Edited to Add: I just found out that MHD readers are getting hooked up with a special discount from Cockyboys. They were super pleased about this reivew and have agreed to give you guys 50% off if you use the Manhunt Daily link to join! Woo!