Model Sues Over "Gay Attention"

One would think that a guy who has photos taken of him that look like they are right out of an Under Gear catalog or an issue of Out magazine - see below and judge for yourself - would realize that he might find himself gaining the attention of gays who, after all, are the most discerning of anyone when it comes to enjoying a nice looking male. Not so, model Ben Massing, who is suing Genre and photographer Rick Day to court, claiming invasion of privacy. I find it somewhat hard to believe that Day did not secure a release from Massing to use his photos. If such is the case, then I'm not sue what grounds Massing has to stand on. In any event, here are some highlights from Queerity:

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Ladies and gentleman, meet the new Josh Peters. You remember our former Morning Goods selection, who complained about "finding myself on these stupid gay sites"? Now Genre magazine is facing a similar scenario with straight model, aspiring actor, University of Central Florida student, and former Queerty Morning Goods choice Benjamin Massing, who was featured in the magazine's March/April issue and says the "cruel and vulgar" shot has subjected him to unwanted advances and harassment from gay men. So he's taking Genre and photographer Rick Day to court, claiming invasion of privacy.

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Supposedly, Massing wanted the photos for his personal portfolio, and never expected to see them published. Except, as is the case with most model-photographer relationships, if Massing signed a standard release form, he's got no case, since he would have signed off on allowing photographer Day to use the pictures.

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Of course, this isn't really a case about Massing being displeased that his photo was published. It's that his photo was published in a gay magazine, and that the gay readers liked what they saw.