LAURENCE C SMITH

Age 36, Melbourne

Ú LAURENCE.CS This straight stripper’s comfort zone is performing for gay men. I’ve been a straight male entertainer and model, stripping for and entertaining gay men over the past 10 years. I’ve worked in gay strip clubs and performed in male burlesque shows here and internationally.

I’m often asked why I dance for men. I grew up around a lot of gay mates who felt alienated and struggled for acceptance. I was always there for them. I wanted to show my mates and the community that it’s okay to be gay. Being straight and entertaining gay men is a way of showing that it’s not straight men who don’t accept them, it’s narrow minded men. I embrace and celebrate the gay community… and have fun with it.

I love what I do. There is nothing more satisfying and rewarding than seeing a man smile and forget about his problems for a couple of hours. Gay men appreciate and respect you so much more than women. I find women a lot more confronting.

I have definitely had moments being turned on while on the job, too. There’s nothing sexier than dancing with another attractive man, your sweaty bodies rubbing against each other and making all his fantasies a reality even if just for a moment. When he is whispering in my ear about all the things he wants to do to me… it’s only natural.

I’m married. I strip for gay men, my wife strips for straight men. There are days when I come home after a night of dancing and she jokes, “Hey baby, your home. So there was no hot guy you were gonna run away with tonight?” I laugh and say, “Not this week.” I think she thinks that because I enjoy dancing so much this could be an actual possibility, but it’s all just a bit of harmless fun. I have a plethora of gay mates and gay family members, so she knows that’s my comfort zone.