New Mexico State House Candidate Attacked for Gay Porn Past

LOS ANGELES—Roger Montoya, a local artist in Velarde, New Mexico, who was named one of CNN’s “Heroes” for 2019, is now running for a seat in his state’s legislature. But last week, he found himself under attack by the state’s Republican Party over his brief career in gay porn more than 30 years ago. Montoya, who is HIV-positive, abandoned a professional dance career in New York City after losing his partner to AIDS, and has been a community activist in his small New Mexico community ever since. According to a report by The Santa Fe New Mexican newspaper, Montoya was named one of the year 2000’s “10 who made a difference” by that newspaper, for his volunteer work, and initiative in organizing an HIV support group. But a recent report on a conservative website in New Mexico revealed that in the 1980s, Montoya had appeared in “multiple gay films” in which he engaged in “unprotected sex.”  The New Mexico Republican Party on Monday called on Montoya to drop out of the race, in which he faces Republican Justin Salazar-Torrez for an open seat in the state House of Representatives. “Starring in gay porno films, whether it takes place now or years ago, is unbecoming of any candidate or elected official,” state GOP Chair Steve Pearce said in a written statement. “New Mexico holds dear to its strong, traditional values, and Mr. Montoya should leave the race immediately.” Montoya’s opponent so far has claimed that it will not make an issue of Montoya’s past. “We live in a society that tends to bully, that tends to nitpick at everybody, and that’s not what we’re about,” Salazar-Torrez told The New Mexican. After initially declining to respond to the allegations, Montoya posted a statement on his campaign’s Facebook page on Sunday. “I am committed to telling the truth,” Montoya wrote. “Thirty-eight years ago, as a 22-year-old struggling college student, I was a modern dancer and performer living in Los Angeles. I worked hard to earn my own way, never relying on anyone else, including my parents. I was auditioning for commercials and doing my best to succeed. Among those choices were two adult films I acted in as an adult, with other adults, in a very different environment and time.” Montoya went on say that he was “not proud” of appearing in the films. “I was young and naïve, but those experiences helped me to understand the exploitation young people face,” he wrote. “Those experiences do not reflect who I am, and they are insignificant in the scope of my life’s work.” The initial website report said that Montoya had appeared in the films under the pseudonyms “Joe Savage” and “Eric Martinez.” The Internet Adult Film Database lists two entries in 1985 for a performer using those names. Photo by Roger Montoya for New Mexico