When Queer Life Was a 'Circus'

Warning: There's a spoiler of sorts ahead. Most people wouldn't even consider it one. But my fiance thinks knowing ANYTHING about a film in advance counts as a spoiler, so consider yourself warned.

Rachel Mason, who directed the film about her family, with porn legend Jeff Stryker

As I said last week when I watched "A Secret Love": Love him or hate him, we have Ryan Murphy's clout to thank for getting LGBTQ stories into living rooms around the world -- and this week it's the tale of West Hollywood's most legendary gay pornography peddlers. "Circus of Books" not only documents the bizarre dichotomy that a hardcore smut shop -- which in addition to selling magazines, videos and dildos later began producing Jeff Stryker-grade gay porn -- was run by an everyday middle-class couple with three children, but also that the matriarch was a bit of a nightmare. In addition to being an incredibly unpleasant woman who seems deeply bitter that life didn't hand her more, she's also an a la carte religious zealot, which made life incredibly difficult for her gay son, who quietly hides behind his “Best Little Boy in the World” facade. 

Here we have Josh Mason growing up in the gayest city in the country with two intellectual parents -- Mom started out as an investigative journalist who was drawn to First Amendment stories like that of Larry Flynt and Dad was a inventor who worked in movie special effects, among other things -- and two open-minded siblings, yet he might as well have been the son of preacher man in the Deep South. And I'm sure you know why. Sure, his mother very much a product of her time (not unlike Cher, she was incredibly supportive of gay people so long as they aren’t in her family). But the truth is before the later years of the Obama era -- and even now for many people -- life for LGBTQ people was extremely unpredictable and difficult, with families disowning and students bullying gay youth, and employers firing and landlords or neighbors harassing gay adults. (Next time you see me, be sure to ask me about my newsroom colleague who had to leave Ventura County because of death threats  ... in the late '90s.) 

Free Masons: Micah, Barry, Rachel, Karen and Joshua 

I truly hope young people will see this film so they can begin to understand that gay men and lesbians -- even white ones -- have been persecuted in the very recent past while also watching their friends die by the hundreds as the government did nothing. This lack of understanding has led me to coin the phrase "youth privilege," something I've started using on social media to combat the Gen Z activists who somehow can't quite seem to understand why Bill Clinton couldn't magically make his gays-in-the-military plan happen with the blink of an eye, don't get why a trans man wasn't cast as the lead in "Boys Don't Cry," 22 years ago, and who will probably not vote in November if Joe Biden doesn't pick a trans woman of color as his running mate.

Check out "Circus of Books." It'll really stir things up inside you, for better or worse.

Read my own Circus of Books story from 1990 HERE.

Read where all the family members are now HERE.

Remains of the Day (12/27)

The Randy Report: The Kilted Coaches demonstrate their Christmas workout

Tennis Life: Serena Williams to return to tennis later this month in exhibition against French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko

Towleroad: Jeff Stryker reveals how he survived the California wildfires

Back2Stonewall: Texas GOP candidate for govenor says he'd "gladly execute" gay people (but "both sides" are just as bad, right?)

Boy Culture: The boys walking around Hell's Kitchen look like this

Dlisted: More embarrassing details emerge from the ex-countess's "Chic C'est La Felony"

The Week: Is it really a "bias" if you have a problem with a demagogue? 

The Film Experience: Ringing in the new year by looking back at the '80s via the '90s with "200 Cigarettes"

The Gay Almanac: Swiss politician blames gay suicide on incontinence

Gay Star News: People of Arizona support a statewide non-discrimination law for LGBTI people

That's Entertainment: After hearing Petula Clark sing "With One Look" from the wildly successful "Sunset Boulevard," I'm even more confused why this '90s sitcom pilot ("Gloria Vane") -- about a temperamental movie star during the Golden Age of Hollywood -- didn't get picked up

TMZ: Carrie Fisher's family got together for Christmas to honor Debbie Reynolds's tradition

BosGuy: The beard, muscles and tattoos can't even distract from those piercing blue eyes

TVLine: "Mad About You" circling a present-day revival

The WoW Report: Aaron Carter says he's ready to date men

BuzzFeed: Obama chatted with Prince Harry about the toxic dangers of social media

JoeMyGod: Residents complain about penis mural on Lower East Side's Broome Street

My New Plaid Pants: What do you know, Armie Hammer looks just as hot in the wild as he does on the big screen

Greg in Hollywood: After 16 years together, fashion expert Brad Goreski and comedy writer Gary Janetti get married

Hunk du Jour: Slim fitted, for your pleasure

Poynter: "The Post" is a fine movie, but "The Times" would have been a more accurate one

Art News: Tim Rollins, artist whose work thrived on collaboration, dies at 62

Towleroad: Chris Hemsworth shares extra dramatic shirtless selfie

Sun-Sentinel: Captain Sandy Yawn returning for new season of "Below Deck"

OMG Blog: Racy new Dean Geyer selfies hit the Web (we know he's circumcised)

Hot Cat of the Day: Meet the winner of the 2017 Harvey the Cat Lookalike Contest!

Happy Birthday, Jeff Stryker!

I hope he goes all the way down on those 51 candles tonight. In case you missed it, Jeff's an asexual rent boy and a legal services pitchman these days.

Jailhouse Bitch Alert

Wasn't expecting to see THIS on my Time Warner Cable onscreen guide. The description made me howl!

Stryker Course

Anyone hungry? For a mere $1,000, you can have lunch with porn legend Jeff Stryker -- and for $2,000 you can have dinner. (For those on a budget, Jeff'll give you 20 minutes via Skype for $200.) His RentBoy profile hints that there's no sex involved(!), but for those prices, I'm thinking Jeff ought to be your breakfast, lunch and dinner. View his non-work-friendly page HERE. Apparently his work as a topman pitchman for a bankruptcy lawyer isn't keeping him in the lifestyle to which he's accustomed anymore. 

Page 1 Consider (06/23)

Synthesize My Love: East Village provocateur Mark Allen explains why '70s porn music was never "classic," and why '80s porn music is far superior (even though it's much worse). (While I completely agree, I was stunned to see nary a mention of legendary anal-sex-score composer Costello Presley, of "In Hot Pursuit" and "The Young and the Hung" fame. (WFMU)

Olive Branch? President Obama has invited some key gay rights advocates to the White House on Monday to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, but many see it as little more than another photo op for our embattled leader. (Towleroad)

Call for Action: House Dems urge Obama to halt gay discharges from the military. (The Hill)

Sorry, Paul Simon: After 74 years, Kodak is retiring Kodachrome film. (AP)

Oh, Brother! Scott Evans talks about playing a gay cop in the process of coming out on the soap "One Life to Live" and about being the openly gay brother of hunk Chris Evans. (So nice to see that the straight brother didn't get all the looks in the family for a change!) (Advocate)

Mayor McCheesy: After a six-month investigation, Oregon Attorney General John Kroger found no evidence that Portland Mayor Sam Adams broke the law by engaging in a relationship with Beau Breedlove. So, now what? (Oregon Live)

Grin and Bare It: Matt has the 411 -- and then some -- on this year's Broadway Bares. (Boy Culture)

Even It Up: Gov. Jon Corzine of New Jersey has made his support for gay-marriage a prominent part of his reelection campaign. I've always been disappointed in my Jersey neighbors for accepting that half-ass court ruling a couple years ago. Separate is not equal. Maybe Corzine can buy us some equality this time around. (365Gay)

Subway Horror: At least six people were killed and roughly 20 injured when one Metro subway train slammed into another on the outskirts of the city during the afternoon rush hour on Monday, emergency officials said. (NYT)

As awful as Justine Henin is, somehow I imagine Yannick Noah "live" might even be worse. (NYT)

The Days and Nights of Christopher Dodd: Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut has changed his position on gay marriage, announcing over the weekend that he is now all for it. (Now if he'd just kill Joe Lieberman he'd be my favorite senator.) (The Caucus)

Pay Attention, Puh-lease! I love that everyone is on to what a retard Teresa is on "The Real Housewives of New Jersey." And that's really saying something. (Pretty on the Outside)

Lights, Camera, Action: The first photos are in from the set of my pal Jesse Archer's new flick, "Violet Tendencies" (formerly known as "Bye Bye, Fruit Fly"), and they sure look fun. That's Mindy Cohn (as if you couldn't tell!). (Jesse on the Brink)

Brigham Young and the Temple of Doom: A group of current and former Mormons at odds with the church's position on gay marriage and its political activism to ban it has launched a Web site asking the faith to soften its stance. (AP)

The Naked Truth: Omar Epps, best known for his role on "House," puts on quite a show in the shower in the 2002 film "Conviction." See the adult proof over at OMG Blog! HERE.