Gay pornography as an industry has naturally mirrored the "straight" side of the pornography industry. Unlike the production of straight porn however, sodomy laws in many states meant that the images could not only be considered obscene, but also evidence of an illegal act. (No longer the case in the United States since such laws were ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2003.)
Because of these restrictions, early gay porn primarily consisted of pictures of individual men either fully naked, or wearing a g-string. Early gay porn in the 1940s and 1950s focused on athletic men or body builders in statuesque poses. They were generally young, muscular, and with little or no visible body hair. Since most gay men of this time were deeply "in the closet", actual depictions of sexual activity were rare. A reader of this type of porn could "pass" as a fitness enthusiast. Although now considered quite tame or soft-core, this type of porn still exists today. Often this sort of material is the only erotic stimulation available to young men or boys, those who live outside of major urban centers, or those who have no web access.
The early gay pornographers were men who had an interest in or a business related to photography. The first studio to commercially produce material specifically for the use by gay men was Athletic Model Guild and photographer Bob Mizer of Los Angeles, California. He produced about a million images, and thousands of films and videos before he passed away in 1992. Sets of photographs were a very popular form of porn, as they featured full-frontal nudity. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, the advent of 8mm film cameras enabled these photographers to produce underground movies of gay sex. Sales of these products were either through mail-order or through more discreet channels: some of the early gay pornographers would travel around the country selling their photographs and films out of their hotel rooms, with advertising only through word of mouth.
The sexual revolution had a profound impact on gay porn. The seventies saw not only the rise of the gay adult theatres, where men often had sexual encounters, but also the rise of gay publishing. Most gay men who purchased porn, did so via gay porn magazines, as they neither had access to adult theaters, or could not enter such establishments for fear of being "outed". During this time many publications were started including In Touch, Blueboy, and Playgirl, which, while ostensibly produced for women, were purchased and enjoyed by gay men.

1980s: Videotapes, AIDS, and gay for pay

The 1980s were a period of transition for gay porn film. On one side, the development of video technology would radically change the gay and straight adult industry. The proliferation of VCRs made porn videos easily accessible; as the prices of the devices fell during the decade, the market of home videos aimed at adult viewers became more and more lucrative. By the mid-1980s, the standard was to shoot porn movies directly on video, which meant the wide disappearance of porn theaters. Furthermore, video recording being more affordable, a multitude of producers entered the market, making low-budget porn videos in masses.
This shift from gay porn watching as a public activity to a private one can also be attributed to the discovery of the HIV virus and the subsequent AIDS crisis. As in the early 1980s many gay men found out their infection with the deadly HIV virus, the public spaces for sex, like porn theaters, became less attended. Masturbatory activities in the privacy of the home became a safer sex practice in the midst of this health crisis.
If the porn films of the 1970s explored a little bit on how to represent the sexual act, gay movies of the 1980s seemed all to be made under an unwritten set of rules and conventions. Most scenes would start with a few lines, have performers engage in foreplay (fellatio), followed by anal penetration, and ending with the visual climax of the close-up on the ejaculating penises, called “money shot” or “cum shot.” Video technology allowing to record extensively the acts (more than the costly film stock), the scenes were often very long, composed of extended footage of the same shots. The quality of the picture and sound were also often very bad.

Big directors like Matt Sterling, John Travis, and William Higgins set the standard for the models of the decade. The performers were especially young, seemingly never older than twenty-two or twenty-three. Their bodies were slender and hairless, on the “swimmer’s build” type, which contrasted with the older, bigger, and hairier man of seventies’ gay porn. The roles of the performers were also tightly divided in “tops” and “bottoms.” The top is the inserter in anal sex. He typically would have a more muscular body, and the largest penis. The bottom, receiver of anal sex, would be smaller, sometimes more effeminate. The porn stars of the decade were almost always tops, while the bottoms were interchangeable (with the exception of Joey Stefano, one of the most popular star of gay porn’s history, who was more a bottom.) This strict division can also be attributed to the fact that the popular directors of the decade preferred to hire heterosexual men for their movies. Heterosexual men who perform gay sex (commonly called “gay-for-pay”) can be considered a rare commodity in the gay sex trade, which the biggest producers of the decade could afford. Thus the gay for pay actors would “stand on top” of the hierarchy between porn performers. Many critics attributed the conventionalization of gay porn of the 80s to this trend. Straight men performing gay sex could not render all the passion that ought to be in gay sexual acts. They could only stand still as their co-star would pleasure them. They would only receive fellatio, be active in anal sex, and never engage in kissing or caressing.

1990s: Explosion of the niche market

The gay porn industry diversified consistently in the 1990s. In 1989, director Kristen Bjorn started a porn company which would set a new standard for gay porn producers. Bjorn being a professional photographer, the images in his videos had an outstanding technical quality. Also a former gay porn performer, he directed his models with care, which made the viewers believe in the pleasure these men were having. Other directors had to improve their technical values to keep up with always more demanding viewers.

Another significant change in pornography during this decade is the explosion of the niche market. Many videos started to be made for viewers with specific tastes (amateur, transsexual, bondage, specific ethnic groups, etc.), and this led to a huge diversification of the people involved in porn making and watching.

The gay porn industry grew substantially in popularity during the 1990s, to grow into a complex and interactive subculture. Professional directors (like Chi Chi LaRue and John Rutherford) and performers started to engage in pornography as a career, their work sustained by emerging porn media and influential critics (like Mikey Skee.)

Perspectives for the 21st century

Today, however, gay pornography has become a highly profitable enterprise, ranging from the "straight-guy" porn of MarineMeat and Sean Cody, to the 'twinks' of Bel Ami.

Some controversy currently exists between studios that produce condomless, or bareback videos, such as Treasure Island Media, Hot Desert Knights, Spunk Video, Cobra Video and TipoSesso, and the mainstream companies, such as Falcon Entertainment, Hot House Entertainment, Lucas Entertainment, Raging Stallions, and Titan Media, who claim that condomless videos promote unsafe sex and contributes to the continuing HIV problem, both in the industry and in the gay community as a whole.

The controversy dates back to the first few years of the HIV crisis, when nearly all gay porn production companies voluntarily required their models to wear condoms for anal sex. During this time there was much misinformation about how HIV was spread, and even today some people believe one can contract AIDS from tears, sweat, or by using a public restroom. In the 21st century, the premise on which some industry figures (notably Chi Chi LaRue) base their sometimes vituperative objections to bareback porn is the claim that porn serves as a model or guide for one's behavior. Other than anecdotes, there is no scientific evidence of this connection. There are strong opinions on both sides of this debate.

Notable movies

1970s

Boys in the Sand (Wakefield Poole, 1971)
First feature gay porn film to achieve mainstream crossover success; helped usher in "porn chic."
The Back Row (Jerry Douglas, 1972)
The first feature from award-winning director Douglas. A classic that was re-made by Chi Chi LaRue in 2001. Said to be a textbook example of gay erotic filmmaking,and screened in film festivals all over the world. Featured in Unzipped Magazine's The 100 Greatest Gay Adult Films Ever Made (2005).
L.A. Plays Itself (Fred Halsted, 1972)
Groundbreaking movie by an influential director (read the chapter consecrated to it in Moore, 2004 for more.) Is archived at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York.
Nights in Black Leather (Richard Abel and Peter Berlin, 1973)
Influential movie with the legendary Peter Berlin.
Falconhead (Michael Zen, 1977)
Is still acclaimed by cultural critics as one of a few gay porn movies that tried to bring complexity to the blue movie. Inspired many contemporary porn filmmakers (Morris, 2004). Featured in Unzipped Magazine's The 100 Greatest Gay Adult Films Ever Made (2005).
Dune Buddies (Jack Deveau, 1978) Hand in Hand Films
Film by a prominent director and studio of the 1970s. Shot in Fire Island, the film (and others of the company) document well the sexual lives of New York City's gay men of the period. Excerpts displayed in the documentary Gay Sex in the 70s.
Joe Gage's trilogy:
Kansas City Trucking Co. (1976)
El Paso Wrecking Corp. (1977)
L.A. Tool & Die (1979)
The Other Side of Aspen 1-5 (Bill Clayton (1-2), John Rutherford (3-5), 1979-2001) Falcon Studios
Some of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies

1980s

The Bigger The Better (Matt Sterling, 1984)
One of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies
Les Minets Sauvages (Jean-Daniel Cadinot, 1984)
One of the biggest films of the influential French porn director
My Masters (Christopher Rage, 1986)
One movie by a director that has influenced numerous gay artists
Powertool (John Travis, 1986)
One of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies
Big Guns (William Higgins, 1988) Catalina Video
One of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies
Carnival in Rio (Kristen Bjorn, 1989)

1990s

Idol Eyes (Matt Sterling, 1990) Huge Video
Movie with Ryan Idol. Read Dyer.
More of a Man (Jerry Douglas, 1994) All Worlds Video
Popular film with Joey Stefano also featuring Chi Chi LaRue in a non-sexual role. Read Burger, 1995 chapter for an extensive analysis.
Flashpoint (John Rutherford, 1994) Falcon Studios
Award winning film by major director Rutherford. Featured in Unzipped Magazine's The 100 Greatest Gay Adult Films Ever Made (2005).
Frisky Summer 1-4 (George Duroy, 1995-2002) Bel Ami
One of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies
Flesh and Blood (Jerry Douglas, 1996) All Worlds Video
One of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies
Naked Highway (Wash West, 1997)
The narrative and aesthetic qualities of this movie are representative of a new generation of porn film makers. (Thomas, 2000:66) One of Adult Video News' 10 Great Gay Movies
Three Brothers (Gino Colbert, 1998) Gino Pictures
Popular movie by influential director Colbert, starring the real-life Rockland brothers (Hal, Vince, and Shane). Featured in Unzipped Magazine's The 100 Greatest Gay Adult Films Ever Made (2005).
Descent (Steven Scarborough, 1999) Hot House Entertainment
Popular gay porn video with unfrequent artistic qualities, by a prominent director and studio. Created legal dispute in Canada when the government tried to forbid its distribution in the name of obscenity rules.
Skin Gang (Bruce LaBruce, 1999) Cazzo Film
Famous film by art/porn director LaBruce. Aired in gay film festivals around the world.
Fallen Angel (Bruce Cam, 1997) Titan Media
Major film by prominent director and studio. Featured in Unzipped Magazine's The 100 Greatest Gay Adult Films Ever Made (2005).

2000s

DreamBoy (Max Lincoln, 2003) Eurocreme
Spawned a whole series of similarly-titled films (for example, DreamBoy USA, SpyBoy, and RentBoy)
Michael Lucas' Dangerous Liaisons (Michael Lucas, 2005) Lucas Entertainment
Biggest production by this director and studio. Variously described as a film adaptation of Les Liaisons Dangereuses (1782), and a remake of Dangerous Liaisons (1988).
Dawson's 20 Load Weekend (Paul Morris, 2004) Treasure Island Media
Major production by infamous director Paul Morris. Created huge controversy because it is mainly composed of bareback sex.
Wrong Side of the Tracks (Chi Chi LaRue, 2006) Rascal Video
Largest production up to date by on of the most enduring porn directors of history.
Wet Palms Season One (Matthew Moore, 2004-06)
Jet Set Productions pioneered pornography made for online delivery, using an episodic narrative structure based on TV soap operas.