Arts & Entertainment
‘Big Brother’ star bares all
Former reality show competitor-turned-porn god at Secrets Friday
(Photo courtesy of Unzipped via Steven Daigle)
It’s no secret at all. Steven Daigle — the gay rodeo star whose burst of fame came on the reality-TV show “Big Brother” in 2008 — is today one of the hottest stars in the gay male adult film industry.
A top star for king-of-gay-porn Chi Chi LaRue, Steven is also winner of the GayVN award for “the most rented title” of 2010, “Steven Daigle XXXposed.”
He makes his Washington premiere appearance live and nude tonight at Secrets, “so his many fans can see him, not just on video, but this time up close and very personal — it’s a real coup for Secrets,” says the club’s promoter Jon Royce.
“Without sounding cocky,” Daigle says, “the success of that first video, ‘Steven Daigle XXXposed,’ was because of me, because I brought a mainstream name to the film, because of being on ‘Big Brother.'”
There are other signs of his popularity too. Topco Sales even sells a dildo molded from his unit.
“He came into the molding session with a great attitude and ready to do anything we asked of him in order to get the best possible mold,” says Topco’s Miranda Lancaster.
“What I go through for my fans,” Daigle says. “I hope you enjoy it.”
The replica became rather famous in August when Daigle and his then boyfriend, fellow porn star Trent Locke, appeared live on a Manhunt video chat.
Locke and Daigle unfortunately came to blows recently, and definitely not in a good way. It happened Oct. 18 at the Abbey, the West Hollywood gay bar where Steven gathered with friends for a viewing party to watch his appearance on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta,” the hit reality show now in its third season on the Bravo cable channel.
According to TMZ, Locke (who was named by his porn name, Ryan Purdy) approached Steven and started a fight, which turned ugly and bloody. It was Daigle, however, not Locke, who was arrested. Held by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department overnight on $20,000 bail, he was charged with one count of misdemeanor battery. Conviction means up to one year behind bars.
But there may be more to the story. Daigle’s mug shot, which TMZ posted, shows he clearly took a beating. Nevertheless TMZ reported that Locke was rushed to the hospital.
Royce says “any domestic violence is unfortunate” and when he heard the news of Steven’s arrest, he “immediately crossed him off my list for bringing him to Secrets.” But then Royce watched the news and read interviews about what happened and changed his mind.
“I decided to let the case take its course and not make any judgments based on headlines,” he says.
Locke, meanwhile, voiced remorse, saying on his website, “I love Steven Daigle and am so upset and deeply embarrassed that things happened the way they did,” expressing “so much respect” still for Daigle.
“I feel lost, confused, and afraid,” he wrote.
This is the second time Locke has accused a boyfriend of domestic violence.
Royce says that in person “Steven is genuine, not a fake nice person, but real, who will mix and mingle with his fans in the crowd, sign autographs, take pictures, and have a really good time with everybody” at Secrets tonight (which also just happens to be Royce’s birthday party). Long-time adult industry impresario Royce — a D.C. native who returned here, and runs MightyMen.com, after years spent in Los Angeles — has booked porn stars on a monthly basis for Secrets’ shows since he brought in Falcon mega-star Matthew Rush in 2009.
Rush, a biracial bodybuilder and winner of the 2010 Grabby Award for Best Versatile Performer, appeared in his first post-Falcon work in a 2009 video and photo shoot produced by Royce, who has also brought in other porn stars to Secrets, and boasts he helped discover two of the club’s current dancers, Redmond Fox and Jessie Lee.
Secrets, Royce says, is a key venue on the porn industry circuit because it is only one of three U.S. clubs that can legally feature entirely unclad performers. Another is Atlanta and in the third city, Pittsburgh, he says that the law is being changed to ban nudity there.
“So Secrets is a really great place, because porn stars like Steven can be naked,” which Royce says is what it’s all about: “You see them naked in videos, so why would you want to see them with their pants on in a club?”
It was Daigle’s shirtless appearance on the CBS TV show “Big Brother” in its 10th summer season three nights a week in 2008 when he first caught the eye of Royce, who says the show is a big favorite for gay viewers, including LaRue.
Royce claims to have never missed an episode of the series, which has 13 people on a soundstage, isolated and filmed 24/7.
Daigle competed well but was voted off the show in its third episode. He returned for the season finale and at a wrap party he met LaRue, who almost immediately laid out an open invitation for Steven to begin appearing in gay porn videos.
In fact Steven’s mainstream appeal, partly due to his cowboy looks as a gay rodeo bull-riding champion, begins with his all-American-boy rearing in small-town Opelousas in south-central Louisiana.
Born in 1973, at age 8 he moved with his parents to the outskirts of Houston, where he lived at home for a time after high school working odd jobs including a stint in environmental clean-up work. At 21, he began to appear in rodeos “just as a hobby,” he says, “for fun on weekends.” He soon was riding bulls and appearing in rodeos in other cities.
Only at age 26 did he start his undergraduate study, earning a degree in agriculture and marketing at the city’s Sam Houston State University. Next he completed his master’s in applied geography at the University of North Texas in Denton, a college town near Dallas, after moving there and coming out at age 30. He soon discovered the world of gay rodeo with friends.
He owned a horse and was a natural in the saddle and at riding bulls bareback. Soon he was ranked No. 1 in bull riding and also won an international steer-riding competition. That’s when “Big Brother” producers asked the gay rodeo association to recommend someone to join the cast of 13 in the 2008 production. In the year that followed his appearance on the show he continued to work as a geographic information systems analyst for a large engineering firm with offices in Dallas. But LaRue’s offer to work in gay porn – and her motto, “save a horse, ride a cowboy” – was still in the back of his mind.
He knew that drag diva and porn promoter LaRue (AKA Larry David Paciotti), director of all-time gay-sex video best-sellers and the owner of her own production company Channel 1 Releasing, could make things happen. Inducted into the GayVN Hall of Fame, in 2008 she also opened her adult boutique, Chi Chi LaRue’s, on Santa Monica Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood, where she sells everything from 2,000 video titles to sex toys and candles.
“We were friends,” Daigle says, “and she wasn’t bugging me, and at first it was just a joke, but then I thought my job might be ending, since the economy was so hard and lay-offs were impending, so I called and asked her ‘Are you serious about this?’ and she said yes.”
So they negotiated a deal and he shot three videos.
LaRue called “XXXposed,” “the high point in my directing. Steven took to being watched like a seasoned pro.”
In the second video, “Steven Daigle Stalked,” he is stalked by Grabby (adult video awards) winner Adam Killian “into a dungeon,” Daigle says, “and we have a big orgy that begins as a three-way and then a lot more guys join in,” this time letting Daigle show his video versatility. Since then he has appeared in more than 30 scenes for different DVDs and on Internet sites, most recently for Chi Chi LaRue in “Raising The Bar,” which he describes as a web series with nine episodes about five friends who get together every week for a new episode and have sex with each other and with others who join in. Go to HYPERLINK “http://stevenexposed.com/”stevenexposed.com for more information.
He’s single now and lives in San Diego, but travels widely having made appearances and shot scenes in Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, Toronto and London. He’s looking forward to Secrets and says club events are fun.
“It’s the opportunity to meet my fans and hang out with them, sign autographs and show people that you’re a real person,” he says. “They’re the reason we exist, because if it weren’t for our fans we wouldn’t be making movies.”
For Royce, this is a potential money-shot for Secrets but also a chance for Daigle’s fans to connect with him in person.
“He is a big prize for the gay male porn industry, one of the most high-profile in the business, and he has the smarts to do what it takes in this industry,” Royce says.
“You don’t do 30 videos unless you’re a hot commodity,” Royce says. “The public speaks and Steven has come out a winner.”
Arts & Entertainment
Teyana Taylor, Erin Doherty have big night at Golden Globes
“Heated Rivalry” stars Connor Storie and Hudson Williams among presenters
Honoring Tinseltown’s finest actors and actresses in film and television, the 83rd annual Golden Globes awards had a myriad of memorable LGBTQ moments from throughout the show.
The prestigious A-list event had first time winners like LGBTQ ally Teyana Taylor, taking home the award for Best Supporting Female Actor – Motion Picture for her mesmerizing portrayal of Perfidia Beverly Hills in “One Battle After Another.”
Addressing the audience she said: “To my brown sisters and little brown girls watching tonight, our softness is not a liability. Our depth is not too much. Our light does not need permission to shine. We belong in every room we walk into, our voices matter, and our dreams deserve space. Thank you so much, everybody.”
Another first-time winner was Rhea Seehorn, who won Best Female Actor in a Drama Series for her portrayal as Carol, a queer woman in the Apple TV+ series “Pluribus.”
Created by Vince Gilligan, known for“Breaking Bad”and “Better Call Saul,” Seehorn said it was important “to honor getting the chance to play anybody from the LGBTQ community,” adding that she loves that this is not “the remarkable thing” about Carol.
“It is part of who she is as a human being, and her relationship with her wife that she’s lost is given so much weight because it is a partnership of love,” she said backstage in the pressroom.
“Vince is not trying to make a political statement. He’s actually just trying to say something about being human and what real love is. And so, it makes me very proud that it just happens to be a queer woman.”
Also, lesbian actress Erin Doherty was thrilled to be a first-time winner, receiving the award for best performance by a female actor in a supporting role on television, for Netflix’s “Adolescence.”
“I didn’t want to assume, but I feel like we all know therapists,” Doherty said. “Life can be tough. Mental health is everything. Thank you to therapists, and it was an honor to play one.”
Doherty received the accolade from the stars of the gay Canadian hockey series, “Heated Rivalry,” Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie. Experiencing an overnight success, the dynamic duo were first time attendees and presenters at the Globes.
In a fun comedy bit, Storrie, who was pretending to be shy on stage, said: “It’s a little nerve-wracking here, being at our first Golden Globes!” Williams replied: “Just take a deep breath and picture everyone in the audience … you know,” referring to the idea that in order to get over stage fright, you have to picture the audience with no clothes on.
“I don’t really know if that works since everyone’s seen us … you know,” Storrie quipped. Williams then asked if he thought everyone in the Hilton Ballroom had seen their show.
Storrie replied, “That’s a maybe, but their trainers have and their moms have and their daughters have!”
“Rivalry” is based on the gay romance book series by Rachel Reid called “Game Changers.” Earlier in the week, the Washington Blade caught up with Williams, who said it was “truly a dream come true” to be at the Globes. “I had no idea the show would be received so warmly, it has made my heart happy.”
Another phenomenon that won at the Globes was Netflix’s hit animated film, “KPop Demon Hunters,” which received three Golden Globe nominations, including best animated film, cinematic and box office achievement and best original song for “Golden,” with gay co-songwriter Mark Sonnenblick.
A controversial moment in the show was when presenter/comedian/LGBTQ activist Wanda Sykes presented the award for best stand-up comedy performance on TV. “Shoutout to the Golden Globes for having me. You know there’s some people pissed off that a queer Black woman is up here doing the job of two mediocre white guys.”
As she made jokes about each of the nominees, Sykes had a few terse words to say to Ricky Gervais, who was not present. The British comedian got in trouble for his jokes about the transgender community in his 2022 Netflix special.
“I love you for not being here. If you win, I get to accept the award on your behalf, and you’re going to thank God and the trans community.”
While Gervais did win for his stand-up comedy special, “Mortality.” Sykes had a swift reply, asking Taylor if she could borrow her (acceptance) speech.
“Because [Ricky] would like to thank God and the trans community.”
Photos
PHOTOS: ‘ICE Out For Good’ Sunday protests
Northern Virginia demonstrations among nationwide protest
“ICE Out For Good” demonstrations were held in the Northern Virginia municipalities of Haymarket, Annandale and Arlington, among others, on Sunday, Jan. 12.
Nearly 1,200 similar actions were scheduled nationwide over the weekend, according to a statement from organizers.
Demonstrations in D.C. against ICE included a protest march on Friday and a march around the White House on Saturday.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
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Theater
Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions
A chance to enjoy historical dramas for free before they’re completed
The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions: A First Look – 2026
Jan. 16 & 17
Ford’s Theatre
511 Tenth St., N.W.
FREE
Fords.org
When Ford’s Theatre debuted its new plays festival, “A First Look,” in 2023, it was unclear whether people would come for the staged readings.
“Before the pandemic if you announced the reading of a play, 12 people might show up,” says José Carrasquillo, director of artistic programming at Ford’s Theatre. “Since then, we’ve experienced comparatively massive turnout. Maybe because it’s cheap, or because of the very newness of the works.”
This year’s fourth edition showcases readings of three pieces currently in varied stages of development. The free, two-day festival offers audiences a chance to encounter historical dramas long before they’re completed and fully produced. None are finished, nor have they been read publicly. And befitting the venue’s provenance, the works are steeped in history.
The festival kicks off with “Springs” by playwright Jeanne Sakata and directed by Jessica Kubzansky. Commissioned by The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions, it’s the both epic and personal story of Sakata’s Japanese American family including her grandfather’s experience in an internment camp.
“Sakata’s immigrant grandfather was an exceptionally skilled farmer who helped to stave off starvation in the camp. Still, he never gave up on the idea that he belonged in America. It’s very much a story of today,” says Carrasquillo.
Unlike “Springs,” the festival’s two other works weren’t commissioned by Ford’s. But they both fit the history brief and likely will benefit from the exposure and workshopping.
“Providence Spring,” by California based playwright Richard Helesen and directed by Holly Twyford, portrays Clara Barton (played by local favorite Erin Weaver) as a hero beyond the Red Cross whose then-radical initiatives included cataloguing the Civil War dead, many pulled from mass graves.
Directed by Reginald L. Douglas, “Young John Lewis: Prodigy of Protest” explores a slice from the life of the legendary civil rights activist and longtime congressman. With book and lyrics by Psalmayene 24 and music by Kokayi this collaboratively staged reading between Ford’s and Mosaic Theater is slated to premiere fully produced at Mosaic as a 90-minute musical in the spring of 2026.
“When I was hired at Ford’s in 2018, we began discussing hiring writers who do historical drama,” says Carrasquillo. “Our intention was resolute, but we didn’t do it right away. It took getting through the pandemic to revisit the idea.”
At the same time, the racial reckoning spurred Ford’s to hire playwrights of color to tell stories that had previously been forgotten or ignored.
For Carrasquillo, who is gay, the impulse to commission was crystalized when he saw the film “Hidden Figures,” a true story about “three brilliant African-American women — at NASA during the Space Race, overcoming racial and gender discrimination to make crucial contributions to America’s spaceflight success.” He says, “the film floored me. How many stories like this are there that we don’t know about?”
One of the festival’s happiest experiences, he adds, was the commission of playwright Chess Jakobs’s “The American Five” and its subsequent success. It’s the story of Martin Luther King Jr. and his inner circle, including Bayard Rustin (MLK’s brilliant, unsung gay adviser) leading up to the 1963 March on Washington. The play later premiered fully produced in Ford’s 2025 season.
Increasingly, the readings at Ford’s have become popular with both artists and audiences.
At Ford’s, Carrasquillo wears many hats. In addition to selecting plays and organizing workshops, he serves as an in-house dramaturg for some of the nascent works. But he’s not alone. Also helming the festival are senior artistic advisor Sheldon Epps, and The Ford’s Theatre Legacy Commissions advisor Sydné Mahone.
Because the plays are in development, comments from directors, dramaturgs, and the audience are considered and may become part of the playwrights’ rewrites and changes. If and when the play resurfaces fully produced, audience members might find their suggestion in the completed work.
Is this year’s festival queer influenced? Yes, both by those involved and the topics explored.
Carrasquillo explains, “While Sakata’s “Springs” is primarily about immigration, its message is relevant to the queer community. Civil rights are being taken away from us. We need this playwright’s story to know what has happened and what can happen to any of us.
“Many of Ford’s legacy commissions underscore the importance of civil rights in our country and that’s important to all of us. Queer and not queer.”
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Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions
Kennedy Center renaming triggers backlash
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