ALEX MECUM: PORN’S HUMBLE HERO
He’s happily married, cares not for accolades, and has a compassionate, humanist heart. Interview and photography by James Franklin
He’s happily married, cares not for accolades, and has a compassionate, humanist heart.
DNA: What brought you to porn?
Alex Mecum: I was a university student and didn’t like the idea of student loans. The winter semester of 2015 was especially hard. I’d quit my full-time work and took up a bunch of part-time jobs to keep afloat. That, on top of maintaining a relationship and attending to my studies, was a lot of work and I was not prepared for the time after finals when I would lose my jobs for the summer. I had money in savings but I hated spending more than I made so I was definitely on a downward trend. I had interest in doing porn. I was somewhat of an exhibitionist, during the semester my boyfriend had filmed for Sean Cody, and I had meddled a little a couple of years prior doing a few solo videos. My agent found me on Twitter and suggested filming. I automatically voiced my interest.
In 2017 You won XBIZ Awards Gay Performer Of The Year. How did you feel when they called your name? Honestly, I was quite indifferent. I had no idea my name was called or that I was even nominated. Because of that, I was completely oblivious to the award. I think the award would be better suited for people who place more value in it. I don’t really care about awards.
You recently married Carter Dane, another porn performer. How does that work for you with both?
Do you mean that it could be difficult to be in the same industry because of some sort of jealousy due to having sex with other people or that we could start to view each other as competition?
Yes, let’s discuss that.
For the sex part, we both view sex as a human need that can be used for different things. It could be used in a purely selfish way where another person is merely a means to gratify an animistic desire. Sex can be a way to submit to power or to show power, it can be an expression of art or passion, or a means to increase intimacy. Sex can be used to express anything. Carter and I share the type of sex that we don’t get with other people, so we aren’t sharing anything and there’s no reason for jealously. And the competitiveness?
As I said before about awards, I don’t generally feel competitive. We’re not in a race to cure cancer. Sex is just sex. You moved to Canada to be with Carter. How did you find that socially and professionally? Well, I thought I’d get my permanent residency a lot faster than has been the case! Filming in the States is still my primary livelihood so I’m just in Canada as a visitor. I also have a job telecommuting to the States so I do have something driving me forward in my career of choice. Eventually, I’d love to work full-time and have teams to work with here in Canada. My social and professional life have definitely suffered because of the move but I know it will have an end once I can be here as a resident.
In the USA at the moment, LGBTIQ rights and women’s rights are being restricted by government. Care to comment?
As Hillary Clinton said, “Women’s rights are human rights.” Minorities will always have to fight for the right to equal treatment, even if the majority of people have no malicious intent. We can easily be over looked, especially non-visible minorities. Women, however, make up about half the population and to see women receiving different treatment in the eyes of the law is blatant and wilful ignorance. When societies adopt laws that treat women differently to men you can be sure that minorities are going to suffer, too. This is why I find Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s life work so inspiring.
Does your status as a public figure give you a voice to support our community?
I don’t know if I use my platform to the fullest extent that I could. Most of the time I think of social media as a means to gratify my narcissism, and filming porn doesn’t automatically lend itself to changing the perceptions of the majority. I do what little I can to be supportive to those who I see are in need. I do not believe that arguing with people over social media does any good. Proactive pursuit of good is the only real value we can add to bettering our communities.
Tell us about your work with the Rainbow Railroad. (www.rainbowrailroad.com)
This is one of the places where Carter and I really did use our platform for the proactive pursuit of good. Rainbow Railroad is an organization that helps LGBTIQ-identifying people living in areas of the world with state sponsored violence against them. This is for those people who really have no hope. It is disheartening to hear of any person that has to live in fear of their life because of their sexuality. Carter and I held a fundraiser to support Rainbow Railroad. It was nice to feel we were a part of supporting an organisation that does so much good.
Are you out all the time or are you more of a homebody?
I don’t go to bars or clubs a lot. In my mind that’s an extension of work. I reserve “going out” to when I’m in other cities that hire me to entertain. I’m not a night person. I enjoy helping people with their work, baking things, going on hikes with friends…
Do you travel a lot, working in porn?
Oh, too much! The past month, I’ve been in five different countries, entertained at nine different events, filmed four scenes, and gotten into way too much trouble!
How do you feel about self-promoting fan sites, where perfomers control their own content?
It’s great! It allows the performer to take their power of expression and promotion into their own hands. However, I don’t think most of them would be where they are without the porn studios who gave them a name in the first place. Barebacking is the norm in porn. Are you concerned about STIs, especially as both you and your husband are in the industry?
Yes, I’ve been tested for every shoot I’ve been on. Sex always has a certain amount of risk and we have to weigh the pros and cons but, with filming, at least testing is regulated and consistent. Hooking up [in life] carries a greater amount of risk because people can always lie about the results or the date they got tested. Many STIs also have an incubation period where they are not detectable for a certain amount of time. Because of that, I think filming has a much lesser amount of risk than other encounters. People are people, not a status. What are the best parts of the porn industry and what parts bother you? The best part is getting to work with so many people who come from different walks of life. The worst part is if I get into a mood where I’m completely concentrating on myself and forget about those around me. What common assumption do people make about you? Hmmm... I’ve had people introduce themselves to me by just grabbing my junk, which I find inappropriate. I interpret that as an assumption that I am an object to them. I can’t say that it is unwarranted as porn typically portrays this sort of behaviour as normal. Most of us gain our first real gay sex education from porn.
Is there anyone in the industry, past or present, who inspires you?
I wouldn’t say there’s just one person who inspires me. Carter inspired me to value connection with my scene partner no matter how long we are together. He has a way of being able to connect with others that I actually really love. That ability is inspiring to me.
What do you do to relax and decompress?
I relax by working on something. I tend to get anxious if I don’t have a project. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It could be creating a macramé plant hanger, knitting a blanket or baking some bread. There are very few times when I want to just sit down and do nothing unless I want to sleep. I drive Carter nuts sometimes because I can’t sit and watch a show for more than an hour before I get restless.
Where do you see yourself in
10 years?
I see myself as a computer nerd in my forties with the mentality of a 70-year-old.
Can we get some basic stats: age, height, weight, dick size, cut/uncut.
[Laughs] I don’t think there is any other community where dick size is considered a “basic stat”. Most guys have never measured theirs. I definitely have! I’m 31-years-old, 182cms
[6-foot], 90kgs [200lbs], and my dick is cut and 8.5 inches long.
When societies adopt laws that treat women differently to men you can be sure that minorities are going to suffer, too.