Talk:Randy West (actor)

(actor)/(pornographic actor) RfC

An RfC which may affect this article's title is currently taking place (Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Pornography#RfC: Should a person who has appeared in exclusively pornographic films be described as "(actor/-tress)" or "(pornographic actor/-tress)"?). Rebecca1990 (talk) 21:13, 11 June 2015 (UTC)

Real name

The actor's real name is widely known and public. It is listed in official movie registries, as well as news articles and art circles As per WP:BLPNAME, I request it be reinserted. Holanthony (talk) 17:06, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

I don't think the links here come anywhere near showing that the name is "widely known and public." (1) Renderosity is by no means a reliable source. Its entries are made by "members" with no indication that there's any fact-checking. Plus, the text that appears on the Randy West page appears to be taken from Wikipedia. (2) If you have to go to the database of the Swedish Film Institute to find the name of an American porn actor, I think you're proving that the name is not "widely known and public." (3) That leaves us with an interview West gave to his college newspaper. He's referred to as West throughout the piece and the one place his purported birth name is provided is not in any quotation from West.

Please give consideration to whether this article loses any encyclopedic value if the living former porn actor who is the subject of the article is identified only by his stage name. I'd submit that it does not. Porn actors use stage names to intentionally obscure their identity. WP:BLPNAME gives that intention due deference. "Outing" a porn actor has the potential to do great harm, without any countervailing encyclopedic worth. I oppose re-inserting the name. David in DC (talk) 16:55, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

Wikipedia cannot "out" that which is already known publicly and has been retold on official sites. The sources I gave were mere examples. He his name also appears in E. M. Jones book "The Jewish Revolutionary Spirit and its Impact on World History" ISBN: 9785881133405. He also posed using his real name in Playgirl Magazine in August 1980 (page. 51). How much more official does it get? The man is loud and proud about his real name and has been for a long time.Holanthony (talk) 17:19, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

The page you've linked to for the full-frontal photospread is not a WP:RS. Indeed, it appears to be a page violating the copyright of Playgirl Magazine for its pictures. Plus, the part that links Randy West to the purported real name of the model does not appear to be from the magazine it rips off. So we're down to the archives of the Swedish Film Institute and an obscure book about Jewish revolutionaries. "Widely known and public"? Hardly.
And, as I've written above, even if properly sourced, the name gives us zero encyclopedic value. What's notable about this guy is his work under his stage name. His purported birthname is intentionally obscured by his stage name, because of his profession. I've set up the last couple of pleas on the BLP noticeboard for additional opinions on this topic. Would you like to do this one? I think it's the next logical step. David in DC (talk) 17:40, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

I would contend that his real name DOES have encyclopedic value, as he has acted using his real name in several films, notably "Pink and Pretty" (1986) and in the mainstream film "Angel of H.E.A.T." (1983). Holanthony (talk) 18:18, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

Whether the supposed real name has encyclopedic value or not, the sourcing provided fails basic RS requirements, no less the heightened requirements of BLP. The Big Bad Wolfowitz (aka Hullaballoo). Treated like dirt by administrators since 2006. (talk) 18:27, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

Miami Hurricane does not fail RS, neither does the Film Institute database.Holanthony (talk) 18:50, 26 July 2016 (UTC)

References