Online Predators Bait Explicit Content From Gay Sportsmen
A troubling phenomenon has begun to occur online where famous men, specifically athletes on professional teams, are being baited into sending nudes and other explicit content. Recent activity in online forums has shown users requesting the baited content of members of the Brisbane Hustlers – a gay rugby club, reports QNews.
LEARNING BOUNDARIES
Baiting and catfishing may be relatively new terms in the internet vernacular but the practice is almost as old as the first chat rooms. Baiting refers to online users who will pretend to be someone in order to trick others into sending explicit content that they can then either share or sell to buyers in online forums. Catfishing is when an individual tricks another person into believing they’re speaking to someone who doesn’t exist, reports QNews.
Baiters and catfishers use stolen images to create fake profiles that they can chat with targets from. The Brisbane Hustlers are an all-gay rugby team with members who have been targeted by baiters. Online forums have shown users asking for the explicit content of a few players.
Speaking to QNews, Brisbane Hustlers Vice President Dale Napier says, “Doxxing, catfishing and other invasions of privacy come from a place of desire. Whether focused on a celebrity, sports star, influencer or an acquaintance, it causes some to ignore the taboo, and laws, on invading other people’s privacy.
“Footy shorts and speedos are a staple gay fantasy. People have always found sexual appeal in athletic performance and sporting clothing. However, baiting and doxxing sportspersons — ignoring issues of consent — is wrong.”
DNA OPINION
Whether it’s a fantasy or not, respecting somebody’s privacy should always be the priority when chatting online. Baiters that use fake profiles to catfish explicit content from men create a dangerous environment where nobody feels safe to chat online.
Sharing nudes and other explicit material is a private matter that involves consent between two parties. What the baiters targeting the Brisbane Hustlers team were attempting to do violates both consent and trust. It leans into a dangerous anti-LGBTQIA+ stereotype that labels all gay men as predators.
The internet is a great space to meet new people in convenient and interesting ways, but catfishers and baiters have also made it risky. Porn is free and, although a flawed industry, it doesn’t involve lying and cheating your way to someone’s explicit material.
