Is ModelMayhem.com Homophobic?

Yesterday, I was informed by ModelMayhem.com that they were suspending my membership on their website.  Apparently the moderators of this website have deemed my work as too "mature" for their standards.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this website, it is a public forum for those associated with the fashion industry; models, photographers, stylists, MUAs etc. It is an online resource for both professionals and amateurs alike and serves to provide a mechanism for passive promotion.

I have been a member of this site for many years. During this time period, moderators of ModelMayhem have repeatedly perused my portfolio there and deemed some of my images as “Mature” and have flagged them as such.  Unfortunately, we do not seem to agree on the definition of what is actually mature.

I have studied many portfolios of my heterosexual counterparts on ModelMayhem and have often been caught aback by some truly hardcore pornographic images of women. There are many, many images of women on ModelMayhem that graphically display female genitalia in a disturbingly lewd manner. In studying these images, it has caused me to wonder why the moderators who were so quick to deem my images of males as too “mature” for their standards.

To be fair, I take pride in representing men in a highly sensual manner. But I also take great care in doing so with a careful eye toward not portraying them in a pornographic way. I study and then capture their masculinity respectfully. Many of my images that ModelMayhem chose to identify as "mature", were images that did not even display the genitalia of these male models, and in my viewpoint, were not mature whatsoever – but artistic and editorial in nature.

It is true that everyone has their opinion of what is art, versus what is pornography. So it occurs to me that the moderators who were so quick to judge my work with men as “adult”, and turn a blind eye to images of women that I construed as “porn”, must certainly be viewing the work through a heterosexual lens. One is called to wonder if there is perhaps a double standard here; pussy = art, penis = porn?

The following links will illustrate my point of what ModelMayhem deems to be “art”: (Caution, some of these images are VERY graphic...)

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/351988

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/1094738

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/5578490

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/4740966

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/93891

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/1319665

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/5342209

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/5408288

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/6114188

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/6286331

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/6448624

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/8337717

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/2357467

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/2161835

http://www.modelmayhem.com/portfolio/pic/8153099

ModelMayhem is a resource to an industry (Fashion) that has a sizeable percentage of gay professionals. So it is alarming to me to consider that there might be a significant degree of homophobia lurking within the individuals behind that website.

Is ModelMayhem.com homophobic??

Below are the screen captures of the portfolio that I had once posted on ModelMayhem.com.

You be the judge.

I welcome your feedback.