January-February 2012
“CALLING SOMEONE ‘arty’ or ‘artistic’ has often been a euphemism for homosexuality, and political debates about homosexuality have often played out as arguments about images.” So begins Christopher Reed’s inquiry into why these relationships between art and homosexuality have persisted and flourished in the modern era.
More… In his fourth book, Fork on the Left, Knife in the Back (Vantage Point), [Michael] Musto rants about the celebrity culture to which he has harnessed his career, waxing philosophical on everyone from Grace Jones and Madonna to Sarah Silverman and Lindsay Lohan. …
I spoke with Michael Musto by phone from New York last October.
MoreIF YOU’RE LIKE ME and are occasionally presented with lists of the most influential gays and lesbians in popular music, you may have found yourself wondering: what about Bob? Best known as the lead singer of Hüsker Dü in the 80’s and Sugar in the 90’s, Bob Mould is a founding but often forgotten father of American punk rock.
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… Lomas dives deeply into interpretations of the Narcissus myth, examining the story’s inherent identity politics and its importance in helping early sexologists and psychologists articulate their theories about the origins and nature of homosexuality. …
MoreEARLY in Gore Vidal’s novel The City and the Pillar is a scene that gay men who have read the book remember vividly. Two close friends, Bob and Jim, have gone camping. Bob graduated from high school the day before; Jim is a year behind him. As night falls, the two boys, both athletes, remove their shirts and wrestle. Their contact suddenly turns sexual, and Vidal, in ‘poetic’ language, implies that both reach orgasm. Afterwards, embarrassed, they repudiate the ‘kid stuff” that just happened, but through the rest of the novel Jim, who is gay, will search for Bob, who is not. Much of Recruiting Young Love, Mark Jordan’s seventh book on religion and homosexuality, is encapsulated in this scene.
More… Mixner’s stories from Turkey Hollow will be of interest to those who wish to learn more about his illustrious political career. Harvey Milk, Bill Clinton, Paul Newman, and numerous other political figures and celebrities pepper Mixner’s reminiscences. …
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