MARVIN CORTEZ

DNA: How are things with your family since you came out? Marvin Cortes: It’s still touch and go with my dad. I didn’t tell my family what I was going to do because I knew that they’d tell me not to. And that’s exactly what happened. I posted that coming out video and my dad immediately walked out of the apartment. He does that, he just walks away.

It probably took, like, two months of him not really talking to me. I said to my brothers, “It’d be nice if you just say, ‘Hey Pop, what do you think about Marvin? Is he going to come to Christmas?’”

We still haven’t talked about it because that’s how we are, but he told my brothers that he loves me regardless. The thing is, I don’t fit their idea of what it means to be gay. They don’t care that I’m bisexual, only the gay part. Are your brothers supportive? Oh, yeah. They don’t have any judgements. Do you think bisexuality is accepted in the broader LGBTQIA+ community? I feel as if bisexuality isn’t seen as a real thing. I guess because you can kind of go back and forth on the spectrum so easily. Gay men can’t really relate so they don’t think it’s real. I’ve found they tend to assume you’re just going through a phase and you’ll eventually come out as gay. Some bi men say that they accentuate their gayness when around gay friends. Do you find yourself doing that? Not really. I come across as a straight guy who likes guys and I tend to be more attracted to classic, standard masculinity. I don’t shift how I behave. Bisexuality refers to being attracted to a binary idea of gender, while the word pansexual acknowledges that there is a gender spectrum. Do you identify with pansexuality in that regard? I haven’t had any romantic or sexual experiences with trans and or nonbinary people, but I would never rule it out. For me it’s about a vibe. I think it’s super important to be open to people. Do you have bisexual friends? I don’t and I would love to meet some. I’m struggling with that right now because it feels so rare to meet someone who can relate to my experience. The kinds of bi people I meet are, like, a straight guy who has a girlfriend and I’ll be able to tell there’s a vibe with him but we just won’t address it at all. So, it’s been difficult to find a community of bisexual people? It’s been tricky. I have friends who don’t see me as being gay but then, on the gay side, I have my community of gay friends. The two groups don’t mix. Most of the guys I meet are strictly gay. I’d love to meet bisexual guys and girls, especially girls, because that’s what I was always afraid of if I came out – that girls would ignore me because they’d assume I was just gay.

I’ve found the gay community to be really welcoming in some ways and really mean in others, and not just about bisexuality. Ageism is a huge problem in my opinion. I have a lot of older friends and I’m proud of them because many of them do important work thats benefit the community. I’ve hung out with them on Fire Island and younger gay guys will walk up to me and say, “Why are you hanging out with these old people?” Right in front of them! They’ll invite me back to their houses and say, “Don’t bring your older friends.” It’s so blatant and rude. It’s just shocking to me that people from a community that understands discrimination can do things like that. To what extent were you already out when you posted that coming out video? When I got off America’s Next Top Model in 2014, I wanted to see if I was into guys. We had four months until it was going to air. I figured once the show aired, I wouldn’t be able to hookup with guys as anonymously because nine times out of 10, a gay guy is going to know the show and might want to out me, which was my greatest fear and it’s what happened a couple of times in New York. I had a few guys try to out me because they wanted to hook-up but I didn’t like them back. So, I was out but not in a full-on public way.

I’d love to date, but it would be rude of me to have an OnlyFans and also a romantic partner.

Are you dating anyone right now? I’m not, but I have dated a few amazing guys and amazing girls. Honestly, I would love to date, but I feel like it would be kind of rude of me to have an OnlyFans and also a romantic partner. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of people who would be into you having an OnlyFans and would be really proud of you. You think so? I was seeing a guy brief ly and when I told him I was going to start an OnlyFans he was like, “What’s wrong? Are you that tight on money?” Then I showed him how much I was making per month as a model and he was like, “Oh!” Because that’s the thing: no one’s making money with modelling gigs. With OnlyFans, I don’t have to raise money through investors anymore. I can just do it all myself. How do you deal with body image pressures in fashion, in Los Angeles, and from being on social media? The pressure from social media inspires me, I think. When I’m in the gym, I constantly compare myself to well-known inf luencers like Jordan Torres, who is always at the gym. I feel like if I don’t go to the gym then I’ve kind of slept through the day. Do you feel in control of the influence those pressures have on you, though? A lot of people are damaged by those standards and develop eating disorders and body dysmorphia. I’ve always been comfortable with my size. If I get above a certain weight I start to check myself. I don’t check my statistics – I go off how I look in the mirror. There are so many different types of body types that fit a brand now anyway. How do you feel body standards and pressures have changed since being on America’s Next Top Model and since you’ve been working as a model? For the last seven years we’ve all been told we had to have abs, we had to lift more and, suddenly, it’s so different. I remember seeing a lot of twinkie guys in my agency who would go to castings and get really discouraged and quit because everyone looked so ripped and masculine. But if they were going to castings now, they would be the ones booking campaigns.

For example, I think someone like Corey Wade, who came in third place, is perfect for the current climate. Everything is all about being authentic and being yourself and bringing certain issues to a head. He’s always been a big advocate for the LGBT community. It wasn’t so much like that when my cycle came out. He was under pressure to look like a straight man all the time. That wouldn’t fly now. So, where do you fit in all that? You’re not big and ripped but you’re not super slim and androgynous. My goal is to be muscular and toned and defined but to keep my slimmer frame. A lot of what I’m doing now is focused less on modelling and more on helping younger models and inf luencers establish themselves. Thanks to OnlyFans, I don’t have to model as much and I make way more money. You said in an interview that while auditioning for the show you heard people telling the producers that they wanted to change the world and that you thought it was unrealistic to think you could change the world as a model. I wondered if you still agree with that. I guess it’s not fair to say a model can’t change the world. I just figured the prize was only $US 100,000 and people were talking about how they wanted to give it all away to help a poor country… and I don’t think doing that would be as impactful as other things.

When I was on Top Model, at 20 years old, my [social media] engagement at the time was huge. I could have launched a product and become a billionaire, but I didn’t understand how to monetize with products. I don’t even think I knew what the word monetize meant.

So, now, I’m showing younger people with a solid following how they can use it to build a sustainable income. It’s something I wish I’d had. >>

>> Okay, so let’s get serious: if you could hook-up with any two people at the same time or separately, who would you choose? I’m into older, built guys so I know for sure that the guy would be Chris Pratt. Even with all his conservative Christian bullshit? This isn’t real, so I can separate the person from their beliefs. The girl would be Naomi Campbell. She’s also older and she’s just so beautiful. What TV is giving you life right now? I’m watching the new Curb Your Enthusiasm, which I love. And, of course, I’m watching Succession. I also love Flipped Out with Jeff Lewis. What about music? I love Aiyana-Lee, which is convenient because I’m in the music video for her song Rich Kids. I’m also listening to Timecop 1983 and The Midnight; I saw them in live in Brooklyn. I’m really into ’80s retro stuff. Who are you following that you love right now? @worlds_strongest_gay. He’s this masculine powerlifter with a husband who did Joe Rogan’s podcast. I was living for him every time he said, “My husband and I.” It was just so thrilling to hear. He’s so big and masculine. He’s what I guess my parents think is a real man. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give yourself about going on America’s Next Top Model? I would definitely tell myself to focus more on the competition and not be so emotional. You’re going to have to live with that for the rest of your life. I was a little bit embarrassed because up until that point no one had really seen me cry. I think the crying was a lot, but it made you kind of lovable. You think so? Yes. You were an overwhelmed kid, but you had a sense of yourself and a moral centre. How do you approach modelling now as opposed to when you started? In the beginning, I didn’t know how to pose. People had said I was attractive but I didn’t know how to communicate that in photos. I think that’s the case for a lot of people starting out. I don’t stress out about that anymore. Now I focus on the creative and the goal versus what I look like because I know my body and how it looks on camera. Speaking of, I’ve always been a huge fan of DNA. I’ve been into the guys in the magazine since I was like 20.

I’ve always been a huge fan of DNA… Twent y-year-old me would be liv ing if he could see me now!

And now you’re one of them. I cannot believe it. Twenty-year-old me would be living if he could see me now. •

MORE: Marvin came second on the 20th cycle of America’s Next Top Model in 2013. He made series history as the first male contestant to place as the runner-up and has published a book, Don’t Waste Your Looks On Likes. Follow Marvin on Twitter @MarvinCortes1 and find him on OnlyFans.