I caught up with Jacen Zhu to talk about activism, advocacy, and aspirations.
Finding his voice
“I don’t think that I do fully realise it…” replies Jacen, when I ask him when he realised he had a talent for activism and advocacy. “A lot of the time, I’m just speaking from where I’m at currently in life.”
“I find it rare that models speak up about their experiences to better the industry. It’s unfortunate because lots of guys want to be part of this world but have no clue about the reality of this industry.”
“It wasn’t until recently that my truth was advocating for others. I went to the United States Conference on AIDS and had black queer men tell me how they’re Undetectable and how the message of Undetectable Man – a character created in collaboration with PrEP Squad DC – spoke to them, giving them license to live authentically as Undetectable. That really meant a lot to me.“
A teacher and a leader
“I find myself in a constant state of educating people, which I don’t mind…” confirms Jacen, when I ask him if he ever gets to stop being an educator. “It speaks volumes to the lack of awareness people have around HIV/AIDS.”
“I typically have the discussion with scene partners, co-workers, and strangers because I dislike misinformation regarding HIV/AIDS. In my opinion, it’s important to engage as much as possible to debunk fake news.”
“Because I’m so open with my HIV status, people feel comfortable to direct message me on social media about their experiences and to ask for my insight. I’m humble, but I have to acknowledge to myself and to them that I’m not a medical professional.”
The freedom of fan-subscription sites
“I believe I would have been outspoken, regardless of whether or not that limited my opportunities for work…” says Jacen, when I ask him whether fan-subscription sites have empowered him to speak his mind on issues that matter. “I can’t stay silent when I believe injustice is running amok.”
“However, JustFor.Fans has given me the opportunity to create my own content – to create content that I’m happy with. I’m grateful to JustFor.Fans for building a site that creates a safe place for talent.”
“I prefer to film with guys who aren’t performers – it delivers a more authentic connection. Most of the guys that I film with are from hook-up apps or Twitter. The process of finding guys to film with is a 24/7 job – getting them comfortable with the idea of filming and protecting their anonymity.”
The future
“I plan to add more content on JustFor.Fans – especially with black men…” says Jacen, when I ask him what the coming months hold for him.
“I want to film with Tim Kruger’s Timtales.”
“I also want to get back to work with Takedown Tina and Undetectable Man.”
Follow Jacen Zhu on JusFor.Fans
Interesting read
Sounds like a good guy. Appears to be real, articulate & definitely hot.
What a cute and fucking hot guy! Simply perfect!!
Totally agree. He’s super-impressive – from every angle. Gareth.
always thought he was hot
This is a black life that surely matters.
Absolutely gorgeous in sll aspects. Natural beauty. Can never understand when one is so graced with such natural beauty, one needs to resort to tattoos. It’s like graffiti on gorgeous landscape.
Wow, intelligent, thoughtful, and hot!
Would love having sex with him he’s hot dark chocolate mmmmm