International Escort Awards
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| Slogan(s) | the World's Largest Gay Escort and Massage Site |
|---|---|
| Website | http://www.rentboy.com |
| Launched | January 18, 1996 |
| Current status | Seized (as of August 27, 2015) |
Rentboy.com was a commercial social networking site which connects male sex workers and masseurs with potential clients. Rentboy.com is also the major organizer of the International Escort Awards and a traveling cabaret called "Hustlaball."
Formerly, Rentboy.com published a manifesto on their website intended for sex workers and clients. This statement promoted a philosophy of "safer sex because the vast majority of sex-workers will not engage in unsafe sex", and says, "While this job may not be for everyone, it has its rightful place among honorable careers." On August 25, 2015, CEO Jeffrey Hurant and six others were arrested at Rentboy.com headquarters.
Jeffrey Hurant founded Rentboy.com in 1997 making it the first male escorting website, and today it still is the largest website with this focus. Since then Davids has acted as CEO with Sean Van Sant as company director. The company is based in Manhattan. Van Sant describes Rentboy.com as follows:
Rentboy.com is not an escort agency. We are an ad listing service for male escorts, where men place their own ads and work for themselves, so that clients can contact them directly. Our mission is to create a non-judgmental space where anyone curious about exploring male-male companionship can hire a man by the hour.
As of June 2009[update], rentboy.com employed 10 people in three offices and hosted 40,000 escort profiles. In 2009, 1.4 million unique clients visited the website.
On August 25, 2015, Federal agents from the Department of Homeland Security and members of the New York Police Department raided Rentboy.com's headquarters.
Rentboy.com has sponsored its own float every year since 1998 in the New York City Gay Pride March.
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