Over this column’s long history, the line between celebrity and porn has been blurred beyond recognition.  While prostitution and porn are not necessarily the same thing, there is an indisputable connection.  Last week, the offices of the largest gay escort website, Rentboy.com, were raided in New York City and seven employees were arrested.  But this raid wasn’t solely carried out by the NYPD.  The website was being investigated by the Department of Homeland Security.  Huh?  Is ISIS trying to infiltrate the US through hot male hookers?  Was Bin Laden the Al-Qaeda equivalent of Heidi Fleiss?  Maybe they’re housing a sleeper cell!  The official complaint was filed by special agent Susan Ruiz, and she spends an inordinate amount of time defining terms such as twink, scat, fisting, and out rate.  Here’s an example: “I have learned that a sling, also known as a ‘sex sling’, is a device that allows two people to have sex while one is suspended.”  If nothing else, we’ve surely enriched Ruiz’s education.

Ironically, this bust comes a week after Rentboy launched a scholarship program.  In announcing the Cash4Class Fund, Rentboy‘s CEO (one of the people arrested, FYI) said, “This isn’t about the adult industry educating its own cohort group. The fact of the matter is that large numbers of students are already turning to sex work to help pay for tuition, room and board, and long-term student loan bills.”  Admittedly, the scholarship amount was a paltry $1,500 – barely enough to pay for books…or a mildly effective defense attorney!