In the Bible, Luke 12:33 says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.”
Although one would think the star of such films as Sauna Slut and Sex Traveler Part One wouldn’t pay that close attention to what’s in the Good Book, gay porn star Colby Keller has taken Luke 12:33—which, by the way, is a great gay porn star name— to heart. For the past few months, he’s been unburdening himself of all of his material possessions, including his wallet, his smart phone, his clothes, and, as of a few days ago, his Instagram account.
Keller’s spiritual quest/extended art project began a few months ago, after he wrote on his blog that he’d been evicted from his apartment in Baltimore, where he’d lived for nine years. He announced that he was moving his “well-fucked ass” back out West: “I can’t afford to carry my many treasures with me, but I’m happy to share,” he wrote.
To that end, he announced he would be giving away all of his possessions for free:
I’ve initiated a project I’m calling “Everything But Lenin” (a partial pun– dumb– on the sitcom “Everybody Loves Raymond”). I intend to give everything I own away for free, everything except a large metal plaque of Lenin I bought off the black market in Ukraine thanks to Ebay. Each exchange comes with a handwritten drawing/document declaring the piece a work of art (both the document and the exchange it represents). The only thing I ask in return is a photograph together with the object(s) of your choosing.
Although the giveaway period for Keller’s art project ended on May 31, he apparently wasn’t satisfied with limiting his giveaways to just his material possessions—now, he’s giving away his social media presence, as well. Earlier this week, he gave away his Instagram account as well, passing it on to a woman named Dena Jones.
On Tuesday, Jones uploaded a selfie to the account with the caption, “Sorry to disappoint, but I own this account now. Stay if you like, everyone is welcome.” Apparently, however, Keller’s fans didn’t like: the Awl reports that the reaction among his followers was “mad, amused, intriguing, welcoming, rude.”. The response on Twitter was similarly panicked:
“Porn Star” @ColbyKeller Gives Away Everything (Including His Instagram) https://t.co/03xZ8Ccq2n pic.twitter.com/TkCaIYwGeW
— The Awl (@Awl) June 5, 2014
WHAT IS GOING ON WITH @colbykeller‘s INSTAGRAM??? not on board
— Jake Wilson (@jakewil) June 6, 2014
@colbykeller Colby what’s happening? Why you give up from your instagram?
— J. (@_LittleJimmy) June 5, 2014
What did happen with Colby Keller’s Instagram user? D:
— Doug (@DougSD0) June 5, 2014
@colbykeller when you said you were donating everything i didnt thought it include even your instagram account
— larissa (@stonedcas) June 5, 2014
Colby Keller gave away his instagram and I have no idea why u.u
— Luis Guzmán (@LuisFGV470) June 5, 2014
Keller’s Instagram has since been shut down, allegedly for violating Instagram’s terms of service.
Dena’s Instagram was removed for violating terms of service. . . Facebook/Instagram are opponents of communalism. https://t.co/OfIVt7mIMB
— Colby Keller (@colbykeller) June 6, 2014
Keller’s level of notoriety in the gay porn world is such that the fact that he left Instagram is kind of a big deal. It’s like if Beyoncé had announced to her followers she was going to go on a vision quest and take peyote in the woods for a few months, and was leaving her Instagram in the care of Kelly Rowland. We’ve reached out to Keller about his project, and will update if we hear back; in the meantime, his blog and Twitter (NSFW) are still up, so fans can still get their fix of scruffy shirtless mirror selfies.
H/T Queerty | Photo via Colby Keller/Facebook