Adult film star, OnlyFans favourite and now TV star, Matthew Camp has become a poster boy for sex positivity. Here he talks about the need to shed our inhibitions around intimacy and how the world is becoming more tolerant, but also more dangerous for the queer community
Words Jake Wright Photography Taylor Miller Fashion Joseph Kocharian
MATTHEW CAMP ISN’T YOUR AVERAGE ADULT MOVIE STAR.
The former go-go dancer never fails to deliver the content that his fanbase craves, whether that’s his 675,000 Instagram followers or his legion of OnlyFans subscribers. Although there may be plenty of people making money online from their image, what sets Camp apart is that he’s consistently shown the world that his interest goes deeper than appearances. An avid thinker, he has become a key voice in the sex-positive movement, which aims to quell the stigma and bring down the rigid pillars that often surround the topic of queer sex. And, in the same vein as other adult performers like François Sagat, Camp’s work has often veered towards more art-house projects.
Two years ago, he paid the price for his unapologetic attitude to sexuality when he was the victim of a homophobic arson attack on his home in Poughkeepsie, New York. Since this life-changing experience, he’s been on a mission to spread love and positivity. During our interview, Camp speaks in a humble and grateful manner about his notoriety. It’s obvious that he takes nothing for granted.
Growing up in a community of Jehovah’s Witnesses, Camp felt an immediate disconnect with the world around him. As a kid, he stared in wonder at those praying and having the kind of religious awakenings that had eluded him. When Camp realised that he was gay, it really clicked just how messed-up his religion was. “A lot of the books and literature that Jehovah’s Witnesses have show people dying from Aids on a disco floor — which are very graphic images, especially for children,” he says. It’s a message that he feels is portrayed as a deterrent — a form of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ even, with undoubtedly serious implications for young minds.
Aged 21, Camp traded the west coast of Santa Clara, California, for the freedom that New York offered a gay man. There he found a world where he could express himself openly. The performer became a popular face on the queer club scene as a go-go dancer, as he embraced the freedom those safe spaces offered. “I think the most advanced phones we had at the time were Blackberries, so p
