Gay Twins & Male Models Accuse Fashion Photographer of Assault

Top fashion photographer Rick Day has been accused of sexual assault by male models as well as YouTube stars the Zakar twins.

Zach and Michael Zakar, both of whom are gay, spoke with Gay Star News about Day, who has had his work published in a number of outlets like Vogue, GQ, Elle and DNA. The brothers said the incident took place during a shoot at Day's apartment on Oct. 12, 2016.

They said the New York City-based photographer promised to make them "famous" but that they never saw any photos from their shoots. During the shoot, the twins told GSN Day "split us up..." Michael said that during his shoot, while posing in his underwear, Day allegedly walked up to him and tried to touch his anus, GSN writes.

"I tried to joke my way out because Rick is a great photographer and I wanted the shots back," Michael told the website. Day then allegedly pulled out his penis and tried to push Michael's head down, according to Michael.

"Again, I joked and said 'Maybe later' - assuming I'd never see him again," Michael told GSN. Zach added that his brother told him to "be careful" before he went for his shoot.

"Before we start shooting, he bluntly says: 'I'm going to shoot you, then you're going to make me shoot,'" Zach told GSN. "I nervously laughed because I didn't know if he was serious or not."

Zach alleges Day "exposed himself a couple of times" and "got way too handsy on just about every part of my body." Zach also alleges the photographer "touched my asshole" and asked him to "perform sexual acts."

After the shoot, Day allegedly told the brothers "how famous" they were going to be. Nevertheless, the Zakar twins say they never saw any of the photos taken of them, despite trying to get in contact with Day.

"He claimed he could make Michael and I huge. He had the contacts we obviously needed," Zach told GSN, adding that's why they did not report the alleged assaults to authorities. "We didn't want to mess up our potential modeling careers."

Though GSN reached out to Day for a response, the website reports it never heard from the photographer. Michael, however, said Day reached out to him via Instagram's direct message feature, just a few hours after GSN contacted Day.

"Hey guys, I just got an email from a reporter," Day allegedly wrote. "I remember you guys as sweet and as flirtatious as I was. I am sorry I caused you guys any pain. I was not aware that that was how you left feeling. I wanted to reach out to you and say how sorry I am if I caused you ANY pain. Rick."

Responding to Day's message, the twins told GSN they are "just here to say the truth...that's what we must do, speak up."

"We were taken advantage of - that simple. We are sweet but don't confuse that for flirty," they added.

The Zakar twins aren't the only models who have recently come forward to accuse Day of sexual assault. Models Barrett Pall and Kai Branden spoke with The Advocate about their story regarding the photographer.

They both allege they were sexually assaulted by Day when they were teenagers and when they were both virgin. The Advocate writes:

Both allege Day invited them to his studio and told them a series of strange impositions were entirely normal, which would lead to unwanted sexual acts they felt trapped in...Pall, who has appeared in numerous campaigns for Skechers, Puma, and Hyundai, among others, has been consistent in not naming names until now. Pall claims what Day did constitutes sexual assault, when during a November 2007 shoot, the photographer coerced him into taking erotic pictures and pressured him into a sex act.

Pall alleges Day coerced him into doing a nude photoshoot in order to receive photos from it. Pall told The Advocate Day "robbed him" of his virginity by masturbating him and urging him to ejaculate on his face and that this was the first time he'd ever done something sexual with a man.

"He makes you feel like if you don't take these pictures, you won't get any of the images from the entire shoot," Pall told the magazine.

This isn't the first time Pall talked about sexual assault in the modeling industry. Three years ago, he shared a YouTube video of himself talking about the dark side of modeling.

Braden also spoke to The Advocate about his allegations of Day. He said the photographer allegedly pushed him against a wall and put his "hand around my neck" and his "mouth to [my] ear." When he began to shout in panic, Day allegedly told Braden, "It was OK, that I should just relax."

"I remember he asked if I had ever had sex with a guy before, and I told him I had never had sex period," the model told the magazine.

He went on to allege that Day had his fingers on Braden's anus and that he "seemed to ease off when I told him that."

Braden added that Day allegedly had him against the wall for at least two minutes. He says he eventually pushed the him off.

"He seemed to have gotten the picture, and we wrapped up the shoot," Braden told The Advocate. "I tried to get out of there as quick as I can and keep my cool."

As of this writing, Day has made his social media accounts, like Twitter and Instagram, private.

On Twitter, the Zakar twins wrote they "felt the need to step forward after" Pall "was brave enough to speak out. We stick together because letting this type of behavior happen shouldn't be normalized."

Click here to read the Gay Star News article about the Zakar twins. And click here to read The Advocate interview with Pall and Braden.