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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Tuesday, March 23, 2010

'Speedo Student' has some options


By Lee Cataluna

The University of Hawai'i student who has been shooting porn in Mānoa classrooms is not getting expelled. In fact, he got an apology.

Online, he's known as "Speedo Student" because of his penchant for wearing the swim briefs. Tim Perry, a 22-year-old history major, launched his blog in December, posting photos of himself wearing Speedos. Many of the pictures were taken in empty classrooms after hours.

But the Speedo photos aren't what the fuss was about. It started when he took the Speedos off and the photos — and a video — became X-rated.

"The video at the center of this controversy wasn't produced as a prank, or really as a political statement," Perry said in an e-mail. "It was ... a way for me to give the kind of amateur pornography I was doing a bit more social impact for anyone here who might view it, since I was physically moving it into a location that would be more relevant to them."

A story about Speedo Student's blog and video got picked up nationally by www.Queerty.com, a gay news blog. The Huffington Post ran the story on its Web site and asked, "Should the Speedo Student be expelled?"

Those stories referred to an item in the UH campus newspaper Ka Leo that said: "A UH student has been endangering students by leaving his body fluids on desks in many classrooms. ... Please take appropriate precautions like disinfecting desks and washing hands frequently. ... If you notice him or anyone else exhibiting sexually deviant and psychotic behavior, call campus security."

Last week, Ka Leo issued a long retraction, apologizing to Speedo Student for suggesting a crime had been committed and that he was dangerous.

Meanwhile, UH administrators cited student privacy laws saying they could not comment, though spokesman Gregg Takayama did refer to the student conduct code and said, "We're aware of the situation and have cleaned those rooms to ensure their sanitation and safety."

Perry says he hasn't hurt anyone and his actions posed no health risk.

"Far more people have liked my work than have criticized it. Even if there was something harmful about the material I've produced, it's protected by the same disclaimers as all pornography, and people have to make a choice to view it, taking that responsibility on themselves."

Perry says he is on academic probation because of the video, so he doubts he'll be doing any more of that nature. However, the Speedo pictures will continue. After the national attention, Speedo Student's blog went from around 1,000 views a day to over 15,000.

Perry plans to graduate from UH next year. After that, he isn't sure about his future, though his blog does mention aspirations toward the adult film industry.

"I don't know, possibly graduate school or government work," he says.