Did Abstinence Really Turn This Gay Sex Worker Straight?

An ex-escort, Dominic Hilton, has declared that a year of abstinence has turned him straight.

The 27-year-old British man told the Daily Mirror in a Tuesday article that his year of celibacy, brought on by a 2017 break-up with a boyfriend, left him exclusivity attracted to women and that he refused to be labeled as bisexual. Previously, Hilton came out to his family at age 14 and had identified as gay for over a decade.

"Sex is always something I enjoyed, but this past year, that sexual attraction to men has just gone," he told the British tabloid. "If you'd have asked me in the past if a person can change their sexuality, I'd have said no - but I'm living proof that you can."

However, as first reported by gay outlet Cocktails and Cocktalk, Hilton appears to have attended -- or at least, expressed a keen interest in attending -- at least one predominantly gay- and erotically-oriented party in the past month.

According to C&C, two weeks ago Hilton posted on the Facebook page of U.K. gay party organizers Sugarboy to ask if an outfit consisting of a leather jockstrap, furry handcuffs, and chains would be appropriate for the event. The photo of Hilton can also be seen on the event's website and Instagram page.

Sugarboy's website calls its most recent event a "brand new night for boys who like boys" and features countless images and videos of scantily clad young men.

Although the party theoretically is not gay-exclusive, Sugarboy's website emphasizes its events as spaces for gay men as a contract to the "many previously gay clubs becoming mixed or even fully heterosexual filled." Plus, their underwear-heavy promotional materials do seem to imply there would be little to keep a straight man occupied at these events and would probably not be the place for Hilton to meet the "open-minded" and "edgy" girls he is currently looking for.

In its piece, C&C implied attending the party would be "a dumb thing to do just two weeks before flogging a fake story to the tabloids" and questioned why individuals continually "[embarrass] our community in the pursuit of fame."

While it has not been confirmed if Hilton actually attended the event, it's important to examine the media focus around his story. Individuals have the right to self-identify with labels of their own choosing. However, claiming a rapid transformation from an out gay man of over 10 years to being exclusively heterosexual can give dangerous ammunition to enemies of the LGBTQ community.

For example, narratives like Hilton's can help bolster the false claims used to promote harmful conversion therapy practices. Abstinence from sex and masturbation have frequently been used as techniques in conversion therapy--even though the American Psychological Association thoroughly debunked and rejected these methods. While the United Kingdom has announced a plan to outlaw gay conversion therapy in 2018, the practice is still legal in 35 U.S. states and many countries around the world.