Meet Matt Sanchez: G.O.P. darling, former gay porn star

LOG JAMMIN' REPUBLICAN Matt Sanchez with Ann Coulter

Last month, Matt Sanchez was a special guest at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., where Republican presidential candidates made speeches and Ann Coulter famously called John Edwards a "faggot." Sanchez, a 36-year-old corporal in the Marine Corps reserves and student at Columbia University, was being celebrated for his "heroic" efforts in demonizing the campus anti-war movement by exposing Columbia, its students and administration—and by extension, academia at large—as anti-military. Of course, shortly after being championed by such conservative culture warriors as Michelle Malkin, Bill O'Reilly, and Sean Hannity, it was discovered that Mr. Sanchez, aka Rod Majors, had appeared in a number of gay porn films and had worked as a male escort. Can somebody say Jeff Gannon?

Radar caught up with the one-time Fox News darling and star of Touched by an Anal, for a quick Q&A on how one reconciles conservative values with a past in gay porn.

"They are saying, 'You're horrible because you suck cock.' [The left wing] is trying to discredit me because of these sexual acts"RADAR: Now, you were just your everyday run-of-the-mill marine/student at Columbia University, going from class to class minding your own business. And then, after identifying yourself as a member of the military at a campus event, the liberals are beating you up.
MATT SANCHEZ: I don't know if I would call them liberal, they were ISO (International Socialist Organization). They singled me out and accused me of being a recruiter. These people came over and told me I was being used as cannon fodder and that I was stupid. I reported [this ongoing harassment] to the University. The administration sent me to about 20 different people, then they put us all in a room and had us shake hands and we could have sang "Kum Ba Yah," but it just escalated from there and Columbia basically ignored the problem.

DIRTY SANCHEZ Matt in his Blue period

So you do these series of shows and then the CPAC folks decide to give you an award.
I was the first recipient of the Jeane Kirkpatrick award, which is for academic freedom. Jeane Kirkpatrick, you may or may not know, was ambassador to the United Nations.

You were also in a film called Touched by an Anal.
Look, I know I am going to get bashed for this, but I don't remember doing a film called Touched by an Anal. That was just the nature of the business, you shoot a lot films and they use them forever. I know how many [gay porn] films I did—roughly seven, not 40. And I know the time I did them in—1992 through 1993. I thought they would bring out Montreal Men, which is what I'm most recognized for.

THE G.O.P.'S BIG TENT Sanchez with Newt Gingrich

So, you've appeared in gay porn films as both Rod Majors and Pierre LaBranche—what's the difference between the two characters?
Okay, there is a current of homophobia involved here or at least self-loathing from the gay community. This is horrible. They are taking a situation and saying, "You're horrible because you suck cock," and frankly, I don't ever remember sucking cock on film, and it is not something that I ever enjoyed. [The left wing] is trying to discredit me because of these sexual acts.

"Gay men are like fundamentalist Muslims. If you leave their religion they have to send out a fatwa and demand your execution"In my experience, I've found that conservative straight men have less of a problem with gay people as they do with gay sex. Now that you've found yourself welcomed by the right-wing, and now that your gay-porn background has come out, do you think they are going to accept you, despite your now saying it was a horrible experience?
I didn't say it was horrible. It did have its perks for god's sake: you get a lot of money and you get some validation. But what I am seeing is that a lot of gay men see me as sacriligious. I am getting these e-mails that say, "You suck and you suck with Ann Coulter, we hate your guts and you are worthless as a human being but you have a huge schlong and I would like to see it."

Matt, are you gay?
What's that?

Are you gay?
No. I know this keeps coming up. I don't consider myself gay or a member of the gay community.

If you watch Matt Sanchez in a movie with another guy and Matt Sanchez's dick is hard, you'd think he must be having some fun.
Yeah, I think for someone who has sexual issues, yeah, maybe you would assume that. People can fuck anything for god's sake. I mean, one of the big problems they had in Quebec was finding a top, quite frankly.

Was that your specialty, Mr. LaBranche?
You would have to see the films, do your homework.

Have you ever been gay?
Have I ever been gay? No. Have I had sex with men? Obviously.

Are you not attracted to men anymore?
I never said I was in the first place. Gay men are like fundamentalist Muslims. If you leave their religion they have to send out a fatwa and demand your execution.

TODAY'S "TOP" STORY Sanchez with Sean Hannity

It wouldn't be an issue if you hadn't been given an award by a major conservative group.
Yeah, well, I don't want to paint myself as a victim.

Do you have any plans to go back on O'Reilly?
I can't really confirm anything at this moment.

I have one more question. It's from Jeff Gannon, actually, whom many in the media have compared you to. How do you handle the angry left?
The angry left should be dealt with like a dog on a chained leash, so it can only lunge at you so far before it hurts itself.