Did This Gay Cop Lose Everything Over One Lousy Bondage Video?

January 27, 2010
BRIAN-O-BRIEN

Mike Verdugo was a cop on the Hollywood, Florida, police force up until he went on HGTV's "Design Star." When Gay Porn Blog unearthed his porn past, he got kicked off the show and the squad. Now he's suing.

Verdugo, who looks as good now as when he made "Rope Rituals" in 1996, lost his job last January when the force found out about his one movie. He filed a lawsuit for discrimination based on sexual orientation, saying that if he did straight porn, he would have gotten the admiration of his coworkers rather than their scorn. The police force says the fired him because he lied on his application. He made the film (and a $700 fee) three years before becoming a police officer and was always openly gay on the job. Verdugo, who now owns a design company, says he isn't ashamed of his porn past, but still it makes sense why he would leave it off an application. This is further proof that porn is forever, but we hope that if Verdugo's suit—even if he doesn't win—shows everyone just how silly it is to keep a job from someone for having sex on camera.