Dmitry Osten: From Moscow, with love.

I caught up with Dmitry Osten to find out what life is like for a gay porn star living in Russia.

The origin story

“I was just browsing the internet and saw an ad for Lucas Entertainment…” explains Dmitry, when I ask him how he got his start in the industry. “I applied, and got my first job in Berlin.”

“It was a lovely start to my career in porn. That’s also the reason why my surname is Osten. It means Eastern – coming from Russia to Germany.”

“I knew that Michael Lucas was from Russia – that’s common knowledge here in the gay community. I wouldn’t say that I’d been following his career, but I was interested to work for his studio – it was an awesome time.”

“Michael gave me some good advice, he told me that I needed to be more muscular to work in porn. At the time, I was very skinny. I started going to the gym and working on my physique. I became more confident and happier with myself. It’s always good to try and improve yourself if you feel like you want to make a change.”

“I’m still living in Moscow – it’s my home. Most Russian guys who are working in porn feel more comfortable outside of Russia. In other places, it’s more open culturally and it’s easier to be who you are.”

“I’ve never been ashamed to be from Moscow. I don’t mind speaking out and being vocal about issues that are important to me. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll move.”

The issues

“Russia is not the worst country on the LGBTQ rights – look at Saudi Arabia, Iran, Nigeria, and other countries like that…” says Dmitry, when I ask him about homophobia in Russia. “We have big LGBTQ communities in cities like Moscow, Petersburg, and Yekaterinburg. It’s not on the scale of Europe or the US, but at least it’s something.”

“Russian people aren’t particularly homophobic, but there’s a need for scapegoats. People aren’t raised on liberal ideas.”

“Russia’s LGBTQ community has never become a socio-political movement. Some people in our community don’t care, others are afraid. It’s easier to discuss gay rights in the kitchens of Moscow than to protest on the streets.”

“Then there’s the question of what’s happening in Chechnya. Chechnya is like a country within a country – with a dictator in command of it. What’s happening there is a genocide of the LGBTQ community – people are fleeing and people are being killed. The scary thing is that the Russian government allows this to happen and isn’t trying to stop it. When education is replaced by religion, we end up with a situation like Chechnya.”

The sex work

“Russia hasn’t decriminalised sex work, so that makes it very difficult for everyone…” explains Dmitry, reflecting on his experiences as an escort.

“A friend of mine is a doctor in an LGBTQ clinic. He says that about 30 percent of sex workers are testing positive for HIV – they’re not on treatment and are often concealing their status. Often, these are guys who have moved to Moscow from poorer regions or neighbouring countries. They don’t have a lot of information about sexual health, and they don’t know about PrEP. That’s worrying.”

“I talk a lot about sexual health, but the escorts that I talk to are often dealing with a lot of fear – they don’t know what to do. We don’t have any support available for people in this business.”

“Drugs are also a big problem for sex workers, and our community in general. Guys who are working as escorts can have their lives ruined by drugs. Being a sex worker is a difficult job – often, people who get into it are prone to depression, social isolation, and have experienced difficulties in relationships.”

The fetish

​​​​​​​​​​​​​”I always joke about living in a police state, and my uniform fetish is a bit like a power play…” explains Dmitry, when I ask him about his uniform fetish and why uniforms are such a turn-on for so many men.

“I think in the world of fetish, a uniform fetish is among the most common – a bit like having a foot fetish, or being into water-sports, and that kind of thing.”

“The first porn films I watched featured guys in uniforms. It always gets me more excited when it’s filmed by amateurs and feels a bit realistic.”

The future

“At the moment, I’m focusing on my photography and hoping to work on some new projects…” says Dmitry, when I ask him what the next few months have in store.

“I’ve got some new work in porn coming out pretty soon. I’m also planning to travel to India.”

“It should be an exciting year for me.”

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