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Please visit the active Ultrasparky blog to browse the for the content that has accumulated since this all began in 1996.

Hero

Even before I realised he or I was gay, John Waters was a massive, massive influence on my overall queerish sensibilities....

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Every Thursday

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Younglings

Despite all my other beefs with the company, I'm really proud of Marvel for keeping these two together. fanboygaymeruncut: Young Avengers via Comic Book Queers...

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FAQNP #3: A Queer Nerd Travel Guide

I contributed an article to the zine FAQNP for its third issue, “A Queer Nerd Travel Guide”. My photo feature, “A Type Nerd's Time in India”, is a look at how well (or for the most part, how badly)...

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That's MISTER Queen to you

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Opulence! You own everything!

For a while now, I've been joining some pals for a monthly movie night and last night we had a selection of mine, the 1990 documentary Paris Is Burning. Every time I come back to this film, I love...

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Damned if I do, etc.

I've been doing a lot of housekeeping in the archives lately — republishing old stuff, cleaning up code, integrating stuff from my Tumblr blogs — and I keep seeing old things that remind me how little certain things have improved....

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Noted.

picofthegay: The moment Superman figured Batman out....

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Discreet

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Apropos of nothing

Sigh. Yes. dyfl: You know the scene in all the children’s movies when the lonely little wolf cub watches all the other wolf cubs playing down in the valley and doesn’t understand why he doesn’t have a pack of his...

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Candy you can eat

I need to just embrace my inner Etta Candy and accept my prospects. teaviant: I love wonder woman so fucking much. “my constitution has lots of room for amendments”...

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Hair envy

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If...

sissydudeomen2: (via richard warwick as wallace in “if”)...

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Teen fags rule this hood

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From the scrapbook

Honey, that’s Gay Bar Lesson #1. comicallyvintage: Man or Cream Puff?...

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Wallace Wells, Drunk Homosexual

fuckyeahwallacewells...

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They know.

extranuance: Patsy and Hedy #7 (1952)...

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It Gets Better

Overall, I’m a big fan of the It Gets Better project. I think it's an incredibly important message to send out into the world, if only because there are so many kids who really, really need to hear it, and...

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Go to The Lengths

Go to The Lengths Howard Hardiman’s amazing comic “The Lengths” that I was urging you to check out? Now on sale....

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The Pink Mince mood board

Y’all saw some of Jason’s amazing project in Pink Mince #6, right? jasoncwoodson: Gross Indecency Article 0009 Section L Paragraph L In a world saturated with images of sex, the male form still remains the most controversial. Throughout human history,...

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The Pink Mince mood board

From Pink Mince #6 — STARKERS!...

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The Pink Mince mood board

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In their satin tights

Gentlemen, were you one of those sensitive boys who usually felt a little out of the ordinary, a little different? Did this ever manifest itself in an ongoing fascination with the likes of lady superheroes or adventurer types? Whether...

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From the scrapbook

meatproducts: meat one is now available A strictly limited print run of 100 signed and numbered. Includes one of four exclusive 6 x 4 colour prints £10.00 GBP including UK postage (overseas please add £2.50 GBP) Payment via paypal...

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From the scrapbook

toddtomorrow...

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Context? Who needs context?

Classic comics are awash with the most astonishing innuendo, especially if you forget all about context, changes in language, and changes in sensibility. But really, if you think about all that stuff it only takes away the fun. And these...

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From the scrapbook

jonnodotcom: Gay Liberation Day poster - New York, 1970...

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From the scrapbook

jonnodotcom: Gay Liberation Front poster - New York, 1970...

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Homosexuals ARE Different

nervousacid: jonnodotcom: Mattachine Society advertisement, 1966. Oh yeah, this weekend is gay pride! This flyer is kind of genius, kind of remarkably prescient in terms of queer-acceptance imagery. I’ve always had a strong aversion to the argument that "We're...

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The Pink Angels

ruffians: The Pink Angels (1971)...

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Subjective Character Analysis

ruffians: Bob Mizer’s personality cipher for the models of AMG...

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Oh yeah, Pink Mince

For the past year or so I’ve been working on this little side project that I’ve been meaning to write more about -- a zine called Pink Mince. I was waiting to see how it went, and whether or...

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Sigh.

(via sissydudeomen2)...

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Gay old Spark

Originally uploaded by alistairh....

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Gaylord!

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Hey Ladies!

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Humble Beginnings

As things get underway with the Perry vs. Schwarzenegger case about the fate of gay marriage in Califronia (and perhaps, by setting some precedent, elsewhere in the States), let us take a moment to glance though the pages of MANual...

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Superrollins

This works fro me. On a variety of levels....

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How To Find A Masculine Halloween Costume For Your Effeminate Son

How To Find A Masculine Halloween Costume For Your Effeminate Son...

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Awkward Chit-Chat

More than once lately, I have been making small talk with someone I’ve just met — usually a guy, usually one that’s interesting in some way — and he'll ask if I have a boyfriend, which is easy enough to...

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Superhomos

Swoon! As much as I adore the actual Teen Titans, these beautiful, fun illustrations of sultry young versions of iconic superheroes by David M. Buisán for Vanity Teen magazine just make me feel like a dirty old man. These...

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Pink Minx

Having grown up with a life-long concern about being perceived as a sissy, largely due to a long childhood being called a called a sissy or being told not to be one, I opted to participate in Gay Shame...

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Ginger snack

Well whadya know? It turns out that my favorite werewolf and dude who plays with action figures — pop-culture MVP Seth Green — actually can look even more delicious: This brief moment of tastiness made it somewhat easier to keep...

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This or sequined gold lamé

My darling niece (who sadly won't be heading to New York this week for Thanksgiving, like I am) sent me a link to what she says may be "the gayest fabric ever." I tend to agree:...

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Candy store

Most of my medical stuff happens at the sexual health clinic rather than a GP's office, so the vibe in the waiting room is always a little weird. In the town where I used to live, this meant there were...

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Judge not lest ye be judged

This is a snippet from a fascinating little documentary called Dressing for Pleasure by John Sampson. (Unfortunately the site that used to host the whole thing has shut down, and this is all I can find at the moment.)...

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Kids those days

From the foreshortened perspective of the 21st century, this extraordinary clip just reads as a bunch of old or dead people doing stuff a long time ago that sure looks goofy now: But yet if we pick it apart, we...

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Edwardian masher

While I’m on this Joe Orton kick, here's another great bit from the diaries: Saturday 15 April Watched Doctor Who on television. Rubbish, but there's a young boy in it who's worth looking at; like an Edwardian masher at a...

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One more thing about Orton

You know, there are lots of other things that have been happening that might be better to write about (travel and work abroad! fetishwear spending sprees! the waxing and waning of various flirtations!) but all that stuff always takes so...

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Prick up your what now?

I’ve just finished the original book, and am now finally watching the filmed version of Prick Up Your Ears, the biography of playwright Joe Orton. I had a nagging sensation while reading the book that there was a lot...

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Put a sock in it

Did you ever want to sleep with someone not just because they were good-looking, but just because it would get them to shut the fuck up for a while and stop making you want to stick knitting needles in your...

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Growing pains

Now that I’m "back on the market" and "fresh meat" and assorted other euphemisms for single and generally prone to sluttiness, I’m discovering something new about myself. Or perhaps it's something new about how other guys respond to me. I...

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Gays of Future Past

This is a long clip, but it's truly sublime, a testament to verbal flair of one of the greatest confirmed bachelors to ever venture forth into outer space: Dr Zachary Smith!...

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A Great Belly Warmer

Why should I make an effort when the best jokes just write themselves? (Oh, here's a helpful explanation.)...

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Battlestar Barbarella

When worlds collide, eh? I love both Barbarella and Battlestar Galactica, but for very, very different reasons. Seeing them mashed together for a promo shoot makes my head hurt a teeny bit. If I were more of a straight...

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My Idol

For well over twenty years this man has been my hero. No lie. No exaggeration. It was John Waters and his affectionate fascination with with trash — and his own stylish, articulate, and eccentric way of blazing his own...

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The Bionic Nun

There are so many reasons why The Bionic Woman is an all-time favorite of mine. And that was before I remembered there was an episode where Jaime poses as a nun to uncover a diamand-and-heroin smuggling ring operating out...

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Semiotics

Believe it or not, this flyer is not reaching out to some vast army of homosexual commuters traveling between Reading and scenic downtown Bracknell each day. No, it just looks like some ad wizard didn't think long and hard...

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First Blooms of Spring

Everywhere I’ve studied and everywhere I’ve taught have exposed me to the same phenomenon: at the first blush of Spring, there will be an explosion of delicious manflesh wandering about basking in the end of Winter and making it hard...

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Slip It In

Every now and then certain pieces of music will catch me unawares and hit me with an onslaught of memories that had been packed away for a while. Usually, the culprit will be a song that I had one of...

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Tableaux Vivants

Wow, I will never be the gayest alumnus of my high school as long as Bill Condon walks the earth. Dreamgirls has a lot going for it, but it's hard to ignore the overpowering pinkness of a movie that signifies...

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Christmas Stories

Now that my Christmas-killing cold has settled down into a manageable case of congestion, I’m lucid enough to string a few sentences together without needing a nap to recover. I was waiting for a touch of cold to hit me....

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Another Kind Word

And somehow I missed yet another glowing review from CyberSocket back in February. Thanks guys!...

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The Art of Kissing

This charming little booklet was published by the Haldeman-Julius Company of Girard, Kansas. The put out all sorts of teeny newsprint screeds like this, sadly undated. This particular edition is mostly sweet, occasionally tongue-in-cheek (pun intended, I confess), and occasionally...

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A Kind Word or Two

Thank you, Cybersocket, for the very kind words: "POSEABLE THUMBS: We couldn't offer a tour of seedy but effulgent art-porn without neglecting the consistently superb Poseable Thumbs, whose Tom of Finland-derived action figure sex remains to be both hot in...

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Geo Club

It's a shame that Brent Hartzinger's book Geography Club has been banned from some schools in Tacoma, WA, but the part of the story that caught my eye was this description of the book's premise: In the 2003 book, a...

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Striking Poses

There was another nice write-up for the Thumbs in the November 2005 issue of AVN (Adult Video News). Although I knew this was coming out, it slipped my mind until after the fact, so I never grabbed a copy for...

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They Like It Rough

Batman's a dirty, dirty whore, and that’s just how Green Lantern likes him. Do you think Batman's always the bottom boy, or do you think they switch once in a while? (that’s the cover for the Green Lantern #9,...

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It's Hard

Oh, Sticky, I think I feel faint. Hardcover collection? Fancy book design? Superior printing? You had this design weenie hot for you already, but now I can hardly see straight. Just who is this "Bruno Gmünder Verlag" who's publishing...

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Ass-Guardian

OK, so if you've been reading Young Avengers at all, then you know that they've done a nice job (so far) of including two sweet gay boys among the ranks, with a minimum of fanfare. (But probably, somewhere, a...

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Forbidden Love

The return of Top Ten stories is one of the most delightful things to happen during the last few months. I was hypnotized with glee the first time I dove into the adventures of Neopolis and its colorful denizens, and...

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In Case You're New to This Place...

In case you've ended up here after reading James Withers' New York Blade article, "Blog Star Confidential" — WELCOME! I hope you enjoy the show. Speaking of enjoying the show, you really ought to read more about the WYSIWYG Talent...

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I Have Some Theories

I occasionally see patterns in the search queries I find in my logs. Usually, there's some evidence that someone has come looking for something specific and tried getting to their results from a number of angles. Occasionally, though, coincidence throws...

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Bustin' Out All Over

Going into Cowgirl Hall of Fame, I could see that there was a lot of rubbernecking happening a block down, at the corner of Christopher and Hudson. It was hard to tell, though, whether there was a fire, an...

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Filling in for Faustus #5

Originally posted to The Search for Love in Manhattan: Damn Faustus for cursing his guest hosts with a daily obligation! Having a theme, though, does make it easier to follow his draconian orders. In fact, I should consider subjecting myself...

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Filling in for Faustus #4

Originally posted to The Search for Love in Manhattan: Yikes, this has to be a quick one so I can sneak in under the wire before midnight. Faustus ordered us to post at least once a day while he was...

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Filling in for Faustus #3

Originally posted to The Search for Love in Manhattan: This is Sparky, your nurse practitioner in the doctor's absence: I know you think I Like it when you slap my ass. You are mistaken. Have you ever been fooling around...

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Filling in for Faustus #2

Originally posted to The Search for Love in Manhattan: This is Sparky, filling in for Faustus and working that gimmick: It's Dorian Gray In reverse: you aged and yet Your photo stayed young It's happened to most of us at...

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Posed and Unzipped

This awesome review from the August 2005 issue of Unzipped is probably the best one of them all (my reviews for Poseable Thumbs, that is). They obviously get it....

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Grape Crush

It's so, so painful to have a big crush on someone, especially when it's been so long since I’ve had one. There's a steady stream of cute boys that catch my eye, and there have even been a few where...

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Rocking Out

Thanks to a tip from Bill Roundy, who met up with Andy and me at the Mermaid Parade, I also got myself over to CBGB's last night for the last-ever Homocorps show before the club closes down this summer. It...

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X-Factor

Huh, looks like the Thumbs have gotten another write-up in X-Factor magazine: Hardcore action figures PosableThumbs.com The final Star Wars movie has hit the theaters and other summer blockbusters are not far behind. That can mean only one thing. Well,...

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Gotham City NAMBLA Art Show

Yeah, it's a clichÉ to dredge up the homoeroticism of the Batman/Robin relationship, but I still get a kick out of seeing it done well, especially when there's something more than a cheap laugh driving the images. Artist Mark Chamberlain...

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HX Site of the Week

Hey, did anyone catch this? The May 27 issue of New York City's HX magazine featured a write-up about the Poseable Thumbs: SITE OF THE WEEK G.I. Joe Type ISO Same poseablethumbs.com Handcuffed studs, boot-licking slaves, leather-clad muscle queens —...

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Fleshbot Spot

A little bird told our pal at Fleshbot about the Poseable Thumbs, and it's led to a delightful jump in traffic and kind remarks. I just may be on to something....

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After the Parties

Saturday morning in the gay coffeehouse is yet another change of pace. I’m waking myself up, nursing a hot cup of Earl Grey and still trying to finish my lesson plans, but just about everyone else here is winding down...

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So, So, So Gay

There's a brilliant, brilliant collection of mini-stories over at Joe. My. God. right now, with a whole bunch of us recounting some of our gayest moments ever. Obviously, when we put together this June's first-anniversary show of that’s So Gay!,...

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Madness Non-Stop

OMG, is it Wednesday already? The 20th? This is normally the point where I would apologize for being lazy or depressed or listless or something, but for over a week now I have been a machine, folks. I’ve barely taken...

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Wasted Opportunity

Missed Connection (unposted): Skinny, Dark-Featured Guy With Almost-Handlebar Mustache at Gay-IGA — You sat next to me in the first row, right in front of Randy Jones and just to the right of the deaf guy and his ASL interpreter....

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Freaky Gay Celebrity

The latest issue of The Advocate has a cover feature on hunka hunka Johnny Knoxville, doing the promotional circuit to pimp A Dirty Shame, and he's totally up-front and easygoing about the gay following he and his frequently naked Jackass...

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A Dirty Raspberry

I curated my own double-feature this weekend, checking out two movies about sexual revolution (more or less): The Raspberry Reich, the latest rump romp from Bruce La Bruce, and then A Dirty Shame, the latest farce fest from John...

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Long Live Kiki and Herb

If the conservatives really wanted to eliminate the subversive homosexual menace, the best way to do it would be to blow up Carnegie Hall tonight, where a great throng of us (and a great many sympathizers, no doubt) will...

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I’d Rather Swish Than Fight

My dear friend Lubin Odana (who is definitely not a Republican) was a more welcome surprise guest in our fair(y) city this week. Although I was only able to have one audience with Lubin and his gentleman companion, it was...

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Scenes from the Talent Show

OMG, we had so much fun! Everyone pulled off a dazzling performance, and the audience ate it up. I should apologize to Bob and Kythryne up front, because the pictures I got of them turned out so badly there...

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I’m So Gay!

One day when I was walking through the cafeteria, I heard Mike Malone call me a faggot under his breath as I passed by his table. I handled this, as I always handled slurs like that, by laughing to myself...

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One Night Only!

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Stage Fright

As I finish up the piece I'll be reading at the next WYSIWYG Talent SHOW (it's this Tuesday at 7:00 don't miss it!) I’ve been trying to figure out of I have any stage fright waiting to burst forth and...

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Statuette of Liberty

I just stumbled across this study I did for a poster illustration. I couldn't find a stock image of the statue that worked for what I had in mind, so I bought this statuette at a gift shop across...

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that’s So Gay!

There won't be a better way to celebrate Pride this summer than dragging your butts over to P.S. 122 to watch me and some other bloggers who actually have talent reminisce at the WYSIWYG Talent Show. It'll be fun!...

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What Not to Say

It should go without saying that the British version of What Not to Wear is vastly superior to its snarky, grating American counterpart. Englishwomen Trinny and Susannah are wise, direct, cheeky, and magnificent. Americans Clinton and Stacey are smarmy, a...

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Drummer Magazine

Fetish magazines aren't usually where I’d expect to find exuberant typographic solutions to design problems, but life is full of surprises. I guess this is from some time in the late seventies. [Update: Volume 1, Issue 6, from 1976....

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My Fellow Subversionists

It's hard to even start writing about the whole gay marriage controversy, because I feel so strongly about it and because I think it ties into so many different dynamics swirling around in modern society. I freely 'fess up to...

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Keeping My Goddamn Fingers Crossed

I’m even more despondent about the demise of Plan A than I expected I’d be, but at least the possibility of this makes me feel the teensiest bit better about Plan B. Assuming that doesn't also crash and burn....

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Circular Fallacy

Two more excellent points from the big gay ruling, both addressing the notion that gay marriage is an abomination of nature because same sex couples can't procreate with one another: But it is circular reasoning, not analysis, to maintain that...

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With This Ring...

There are plenty of strong, opposing opinions about gay marriage even among gays and lesbians but this passage from the recent (amazingly rational and straightforward) ruling by my new heroes, The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, perfectly sums up why the...

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Where Angels Go, Trouble Follows

And another scandal surfaces. It looks like yet another priest has been accused of squeezing the Charmin, and this time it seems to have happened 24 years ago at my old high school. I vaguely remember the priest's name probably...

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Doctor's Visit

I’ve had a swell couple of days kicking about with Doctor Baker and his delightful husband, who breezed into town for a few days. By a wacky coincidence, NPR chose this weekend to broadcast a great interview recorded a few...

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Twisted Realities

Most Offensive Quote of the Week, in reference to Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: "To me, that’s not a reality show about gay people. A really good reality show for gay people would be five gay men dying of...

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That’s Nice for the Neighbors

I knew it had to be out there somewhere, but I was just hoping I’d never be subjected to it: the unfortunate intersection of amateur wrestling, spandex fetishes, and comic book fantasies. For instance, look carefully at the fight between...

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My Forgotten Laundrette

Last night I watched My Beautiful Laundrette for the first time in about fifteen years. What struck me most was how much I had completely forgotten about the movie, or at least how much I never processed the first time...

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We're Number 1!

Mom, I’m sure you'll be proud of this one. Thanks to a brief, flippantly worded film review I did a while back I am now the internet's number-one search result for freaky gay porn. This bashful, sweet Irish-Catholic boy who's...

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Linking, Thinking

Today is World AIDS Day 2002, a day when we are all encouraged to take a moment to pause and consider HIV, AIDS, their impact on our society and others, and our own views about them. Frankly, I wish I...

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For All the Nerds

Into comics? Free tonight? There's a very cool panel discussion at the Center tonight at 7:00 Drawing Closer: Queer Representations and the Comics: Off Center and the Gay League present what promises to be an exciting, raucous forum on the...

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Freaky Gay Porn

No one was more surprised than me, but it turns out that Jackass: The Movie is the funniest gay porn I’ve ever seen in my life. I mean, I was just hoping for a quick glance at Johnny Knoxville's butt...

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Qwe're Boys

I turned 32 yesterday, but instead of spending the day celebrating my birthday, I spent it celebrating New York City's expanded Human Rights Law at the Qwe're Music Fest with a couple hundred festive liberals from all over the gender...

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A Visit Up Your Alley

I made a last-minute decision to fly out to San Francisco this past weekend to visit some very good friends and check out the Dore Alley Fair. Fun time, nice things to see, nothing earth-shattering to report. On the whole,...

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Big Bang Theory

My sex life gets more theoretical by the day. In theory, it's on its way to becoming richer and more satisfying, but the stark reality is that’s been a while since I’ve gotten laid and this kid is getting frustrated....

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Winding Up

A quote I stumbled across that talks about the leap of faith in my desires that I’ve been trying to make lately: Curiosity can bring guts out of hiding at times, maybe even get them going. But curiosity usually evaporates....

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Holding Out

I haven't had sex with anyone in a couple of months now. Frankly, I haven't been very eager to. After a three-year period of really getting to know my inner slut and having lots of kinds of sex with lots...

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Eye Candy

Just a couple of favorites to liven things up:...

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Wheeze

Glenn and I are sitting around watching The Castro, the documentary about the history of the neighborhood and its gay culture, and they've just gotten to the part about the first wave of the AIDS epidemic in the eighties. And...

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Fancypants Literary Moment

Two quotes from Confessions of a Mask by Yukio Mishima. Both manage to nail down things I’ve been trying to properly articulate for years: I do not mean that I viewed those desires of mine that deviated from accepted standards...

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More Naked Chicks

In other news, the life-drawing classes are still going well, and I really am getting back into the swing of things. It's less and less of a struggle to actually draw what I’m trying to draw. So yeah, good weekend....

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Hot Naked Boys

This morning's drawing class was a total scene. I don't know why there were suddenly three times as many people there as usual, but I suspect that somehow word got out that we were gonna be having a hot, flirty...

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In Your Satin Tights, Fighting for Our Rights

Actually, this is pretty gay, but sort of beautifully and trashily so... (Discovered by Toothpick Girl.)...

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Lame Bloggie Plea

I have nothing very gay to say today, which will surely destroy my chances to win that Bloggie for the best GLBT Weblog. Curses! Damn me and my broad range of interests and preoccupations. Wait! I know — Mike and...

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Road Trip Fever

I’d hate to squander this fun conversation with my pal Beau: RhageRN: Hmm...I’m trying to win the road-trip Pontiac contest. Interested in a road-trip to visit favorite bloggers across the country? UltraSparky: Oh hell yeah! UltraSparky: It'd be a Blog...

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Magazine Whore

Finally, an explanation for the cryptic, snarky e-mails I’ve been getting from random people I know the last couple of days. I discovered that a personal ad of mine that’s been floating around Nerve for a while was inexplicably picked...

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The Rogue's Gallery

This was primarily a social trip for me, even though I did manage to squeeze in a little sightseeing and museum-hopping, with Terry in London and with Paul up north. Most of my time, though, was spent seeing old friends,...

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Boy Story

One of my social calls in London was Alex, an awfully sexy, sweet Brazilian guy I met when he was in New York this past summer. That time, we zeroed in on each other at the Lure and wound up...

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Oxygen Deprivation

I don't know exactly why, but I’ve been having a hell of a time getting going in the mornings. I doubt it's still jet lag. It could be run-of-the-mill fatigue from the long days darting about town, and then getting...

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Coming Out Again and Again

In the spirit of National Coming Out Day, I would just like to confirm all your little suspicions: Yes, I am a big homo. Ladies, I’m sorry to disappoint, but it's true. I like to give it and take it...

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Smooth Operator

So I’m sitting in the front row at one of the conference sessions, and I realize that one of the speakers is a total babe. He gives his shpiel, and it becomes also obvious that he's really smart and totally...

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Christina!

After each of us gave up on watching some horrible, melodramatic bit of homo dreck, my roommate and I were watching the trailers on the DVD for other movies, and liked the looks of this one called Broadway Damage, a...

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Homo Schlock

I beg to differ. In fact, I’d say that a god-damned rainbow mirrorball is enough of a hypercaricature to be the sole indicator of someone so desperate to have an identity that he'd buy one lock, stock, and barrel from...

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Subway Scoping

Riding the subway has a way of screwing up normal boundaries. See, there's this really sexy guy I usually see on the L train in the mornings — blond crew cut, pale blue eyes little chin strap beard, thin and...

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When It Rains It Pours

I finally told my depression to go fuck itself and went back out into the world this weekend, and what did I find? New friends, friendly old flings, ex-quasi-boyfriends, former Regians turned fellow Brooklyn homos, new pals with blogs, sexy...

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The Paw

I am such a procrastinating bastard. I must go get my laundry so I can start packing so I can get the hell out of this country, but I can't seem to tear myself away from perusing the cute punk...

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Fancy Restaurants and Dank Basements

I also meant to mention a few things spotted during the trip to San Francisco that were actually about New York. First, I was thumbing through the in-flight rag on the American plane, and came across a gushing profile of...

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Yes, I Like Cute Guys

I don't know why, but yesterday's posts about cute boys seems to have inspired a number of snarky comments from the peanut gallery. What? Did someone not get the press release about me being an ardent supporter of the man-man...

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Passing Glimpses

In defense of cute boys, though, they really are yummy. I was sitting across from a guy on the subway who was just adorable in an amiable, straight-boy sort of way. Big puppy-dog brown eyes, a sweet look on his...

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The Usual Whine

Cute boys can be so predictable sometimes. I mean it wasn't SO long ago that we had our tongues down each other's mouths and our hands and whatnot on each other's privates, and it was all very friendly and fun....

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Like Minds

It is vitally important that you read Camper's multi-part account of his recent trip to Prague. Not only is it a supercharged, condensed-milk version of everything that makes his overall site so kickass, but it's also quite sweet in a...

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Old Models

Even in these modern times, some things haven't necessarily changed that much. Jessie (who's way too cute for his own good, even when grumpy) neatly sums up a pet peeve that I also have with my family. Even though they...

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East Side Ecstasy

If you watch any documentary before you die, you really ought to watch East Side Story, an incredible look at communist musicals in East Germany and the soviet Union. Man, it'll get your heart pumping to watch those men sing...

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Insecure Freak

God, I can be such an insecure freak sometimes. This isn't helped by my occasional inability to make sense of a situation when I like a guy. Usually, it's no problem for me to figure out the who-likes-who dynamics of...

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Soapbox

I’m not participating in A Day Without Weblogs. This is not because I don't think AIDS awareness is important, or because I think it's a hollow gesture to remove your weblog for a day. On the contrary, I think any...

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Sorta Second Dates

Twice in the last week I have run into (ahem) cute, smart, attractive guys with whom I hit it off like gangbusters. With each one, we realized at some point while hanging out that we have had completely tawdry, anonymous...

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Meat Market

Forget all that queer counter-culture posturing you keep encountering on the Internet. Every homo blog I’ve looked at today has confessed to watching The Sexiest Bachelor in America last night, just like I did. We're all ashamed. We were all...

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I Would Like a Boy

Just to throw you all a bone, I contributed my own list to Lori's really fun and sweet I Would Like a Girl/Boy... project. It was surprisingly hard for me to put the list together, because when I sat down...

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Hormone Levels

Much to my surprise, I haven't actually been very horny all this week, despite all the free time on my hands. When I’m busy my urge to fool around is usually a welcome distraction that often motivates me to actually...

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Shout-Out

And can I have a shout-out for all the cute and sexy nerdboys out there who are rocking my world? You know who you are....

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Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are

I want you all to give a big, internet-style hug to my pal steve, who recently had The Talk and came out to his folks. I’m glad to hear that things haven't been as rocky as they first seemed after...

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Social Niceties

Another public apology to Jonno: I’m sorry I ran out of Fat Cock 29 so soon after you arrived last night. It was great to finally see you again, and I certainly wouldn't have been so impetuous if I didn't...

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Taxicab Confessions

OK, now for a great New York moment: Riding a in a cab over the Manhattan Bridge, watching the skyline twinkle while making out, and hoping the occasional pothole doesn't lead to a very unfortunate Garp moment....

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Boys Suck

Either he's been kidnapped or he doesn't have the nerve to start that Final Conversation, because there hasn't been any response to my messages. I have a pretty good idea which of the two it is. I’m sad, because I...

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Clearing Things Up

Don't believe a word Jonno says! I would never stalk him outright. I’m much too sly for that. Besides, I’m the one that gets all the flattering-but-vaguely-abusive e-mail from HIM. And so what if I happen to end up in...

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Coquette

Because I like to give my pals a cheap thrill now and then: Jonno! Jonno! Jonno! Yes! Yes! Jonno! Unfortunately, though, Mike has apparently been getting hate mail because of me. This makes me sad, because he seems like a...

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Always Be Prepared

As if I didn't have enough to do already, I decided to throw together a wee little something about the whole Boy Scouts brouhaha, with a few reference materials pulled from my vast archive of fun stuff. First, an excerpt...

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The Votes Are Pouring In

I’m happy to see that responses still come in for my Village People survey. There have been lots of great responses so far. Here are a few that I’m particularly fond of: The all-American boy He's called Kip or Jock...

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Billy Club

Since I spend so much time at home these days, slaving away at my workhorse old Mac and leaving my snazzy laptop to keep me connected to the outside world, I have developed an unfortunate habit. Well, maybe it's just...

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Gay Shame

It's Homo Overload...whoops, I mean Gay Pride Week here in New York, so I guess it's only fitting that I chime in on the subject. But before I do, I just want y'all to think about this question posed by...

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Meatspace

This weekend's overall theme was "Making the Internet Less of an Abstraction." that’s just a fancy way of saying I tried to get the hey away from my screen for a change and enjoy the real world, but all of...

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Words to Live By

In the words of Proven: "if you can't walk in on some man-to-man lovin' at work, then what hope is there?"...

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Burn, Baby, Burn

My idol Paul Baker is at it again. He's added two fantastic sections to his already sprawling web site. Not content to stick to kitsch and comedy, our Paul is tackling a few more serious issues this time around. Burn...

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What's the Rumpus?

"What's the Rumpus?" you may ask. It's all about mutual admiration on the Web, I find. that’s the rumpus. I finally wrote to Proven to tell him that I’ve basically become addicted to his diary, and he responds by telling...

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The Most Homoerotic of All Wrestling

Mmmmmmm, oily Turks. A short while back, I read a couple of news articles (no, I’m not going to look for them to give you a link) about a minor uproar over this traditional Turkish event where all these guys...

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Pick Your Own Village People

On a lighter note, the responses to the big Pick Your Own Personal Village People survey are still rolling in, and they've lots of fun. Check it out and don't be shy about sending in your own answers....

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Our Heroines

The fun keeps on coming over at the Personalized Village People survey. Check out the results, and don't be shy about sending in your own response. I finally saw Valley of the Dolls this weekend, and it was more delicious...

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Swedish Models Are Just Like You and Me

swedish models and smart porn. Got your attention there, didn't I? I couldn't help but chuckle when that picture popped up in David K.'s Diary on Nightcharm, illustrating a remark about magazine ads that make you embarrassed to be gay....

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Movies for Gay Boys

That Gregg Araki, he sure does make a sexy movie. Not to mention pretty goofy and fun. His pop culture allegiances also strike right to the heart of the teenage New Waver that would later become Sparky. Unfortunately, most of...

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All Kinds

It takes all kinds, as the saying goes. Thank goodness for the Skirt Man this also has to apply to him. Be sure to check out the pictures of him with all those Hooters gals. On a totally unrelated note,...

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Twinkle Toes

Gene Kelly really is the perfect man. I swoon like a schoolgirl at a Backstreet Boys concert whenever I watch those musicals he made for the Freed Unit at MGM. He's got the best smile I’ve ever seen....

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New Year, New Century, New Cute Boys

Cutie Pie 2000! Here's a fresh batch of pilfered pics, just to mix things up a little. Don't worry, hormone hounds, the old bunch is still here. Cute Boys on the Web Chris Bickel, Smashter Billy, Daredevil Rex Booth, Exhibitionist...

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A Cornucopia of Delights

I’m no fool, OK? I’m not so deluded as to think that I would have a chance with any models or really beefcakey guys. South American TV stars, maybe. This is just a wish list based on my picks of...

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Peepshow II

Here's your humble host. I figured if you've come this far, your innate voyeurism must be chomping at the bit. Here's some stuff to peek at. Or you can just go back to the beginning. I’m not just into leather...

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Peepshow

R-rated, though, not X. Sorry, fellas, but I have nieces and nephews out there, and a real sweet mom who doesn't need all the life shocked out of her. There's plenty of fun still to be had, though, so you...

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I Really Dig Leather

But you might have guessed that. I like the feel of it, the look of it, the smell of it, the way it can conform so easily to the body beneath it, and all that other stuff that you can...

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Drat, Foiled Again

So much for ambiguity. Alas, I can't say I didn't see it coming. It's usually pretty obvious when someone's not as into you as you'd like him to be. What a pain, though, when it IS really obvious that he...

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Lifestyles of the Queer and Famous

Minor Celebrity Sightings of the Week: I was out at The Cock last Saturday and saw internet personality Jonno, who's cute but stockier than I thought. I also touched Rufus Wainwright's butt as I squeezed out of the bar. Aside...

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Musicians as Cute as a Button

There are much cuter or better-looking musicians out there in the world (any guy in the Cardigans comes to mind), but the Beasties, Beck, and the members of Man or Astro-Man? (well, except Dexter X) all have special appeal to...

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Most Illinest B-Boys

I’ve liked the Beastie Boys ever since "License to Ill," and I’ve worshipped them since "Paul's Boutique," their brilliant album that was an inexplicable commercial dud. They're each in his own way chock full of all those qualities that always...

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The Minefield of Aggressive Language (Part 1)

Subject: Re: AN OPEN LETTER Date: Wed, 22 Apr 1998 09:44:32 -0400 From: Daniel Rhatigan <Sparky@inch.com> Newsgroups: alt.zines Shantia wrote: > and faggy is not an insult. Uh-oh, we're digging deeper into that thorny "use of language" issue again. I...

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Plan Nine from Chelsea

To the best of my knowledge, this book was not really written by Ed Wood the filmmaker, nor is the gentleman featured on the cover a gay black. My guess is that "Ed Wood" was chosen at the time...

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Macho Men

We all remember the Village People and their unique portrayal of a number of standard sterotypes and fantasy characters from the swinging gay New York City of the 70's. My question is: Why should we let them remain the end-all...

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More Than Advanced Life Forms from the Future

Now don't think that I mean to dis Dexter X. He gets a lot of credit for being the most Devo member of the Man or Astro-Man? invasion force. He just swings a little further out of "cute but nerdy...

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He's Got a Devilish Haircut

There are plenty of places to go for more comprehensive information about Beck, so I won't bother you with all the biographical information or the discography or anything like that. I’ve only recently had my eyes opened to the real...

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I have HAD It!

One of the recurring themes of my sad, sorry life is my inability to find that ideal sidekick who's just the right combination of brainiac, goofball, sidekick, hipster, nerd, sexual dynamo, little kid, and muse. Granted, I’m pretty fussy,...

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Shocking Personal Facts About Sparky

Hi boys and girls, I’m Sparky, known to my parents, relatives, co-workers, and many of my pals as Dan Rhatigan. (To my dismay, many of the kinfolk still refer to me as "Danny," the diminutive of my name that...

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The Rumpus Room Manifesto

Originally written in February 1994. I tend to feel disenfranchised, outcast, eccentric. I’ve got feminist sensibilities that make me feel guilty because I’m a man. I feel like my manhood is skewed because I’m not a straight man, so I...

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Ha-chah chah cha!

You've either got a morbid curiosity or a hopped-up libido. Either way, here's a peek at the racier side of the Rumpus Room....

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Imagine you're hearing a low wolf whistle

If you've come this far, you should know right off the bat that I’m not holding out for some unearthly hunk that’s so far out of my league that I may as well be playing another sport altogether. Attraction is...

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Sparky Gets Dissed Again

Over and over, I keep thinking of that one thing you said: "You're the last person I want to . . . hurt . . . like this." I’ve got a fucking news flash for you — TOO FUCKING LATE!...

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