The 37th Annual Wicked Queer Film Festival (Boston’s LGBTQ+ film festival) will be hosted once again on Xerb TV and begins April 1, 2021. The festival will include 17 short programs and 22 feature films this year.
Learn more about the film festival at their virtual Splash Party on @GATHER this Sunday, March 28 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm. (Note the link will remain locked until Sunday afternoon.) Wicked Queer will be sharing trailers of films that will be featured at this year’s festival, setting up chats to talk about the programming and to answer questions and of course there will be music from the talented DJ Brian Halligan.
Wicked Queer Film Festival Splash Party @GATHER Sunday, March 28 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Russ Lopez book, The Hub of the Gay Universe: An LGBTQ History of Boston, Provincetown and Beyond shares how vibrant Boston’s gay scene was through the much of the 20th century. After WWII, Boston had more than a dozen gay bars. Those numbers would continue to proliferate over the coming decades (peaking in the 1970s – 90s) alongside other businesses that catered to the local gay community.
Last year Machine / Ramrod closed after a developer purchased the building it was located in to turn the block into residences. And a few weeks ago, I shared that the Boston Eagle has permnantly closed. The loss of these spaces has reignited the discussion about the slow demise of the gay bar in Boston, and it made me wonder, what gay bar from Boston’s past do you miss the most?
This photo was posted on the Twitter account @oldmasc and I swiped it for this weekly blog post. I can’t tell much about this photo other than that Harvey (on the left) was eighteen years old when the picture was taken. I assume these are military uniforms. Are you able to glean anything from the clothing or hair style that might pinpoint a date or location when these three were photographed?
Men in the past were often photographed close together and touching, but the photo strikes me as more intimate with each man interlacing his hands and sharing a seat so that the men on either side are half seated on the arm of the chair and half curled around each leg of the man in the middle. Certainly it would have been more comfortable standing on either side or behind the man in the middle.
I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.
I feel like 100 Boyfriends by Brontez Purnell (published in February 2021) is very much the topic of conversation when gay literature is being discussed at the moment. This is the fourth book Purnell has published but the first time I’m reading the author.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get into this book. It struck me as both repetitive and disconnected. Page-after-page of random hook ups without any real connection between them execpt for the inner monologue, narrating sexual interludes with a few fleeting gay relationships thrown in every 30 or 40 pages. Perhaps my age and relationship status are barriers to fully appreciating the novel but that isn’t to say I couldn’t relate – I could. It is just that after 30 or 40 pages, I got the point and the next 120 pages became a blur of sexscapades that were neither titillating or enlightening. I’ve heard people describe the book as funny, foul-mouthed and unapologetic. I agree with foul-mouthed and unapologetic, but I don’t think the book was funny. Maybe ironic would be a better way to describe it. Purnell pulls no punches in describing the men, sex or himself — for the record all are found lacking, which makes it more depressing than relatable.
The epilogue, fifteen pages about hook-ups from a self-proclaimed “Rouge King of California Garage Rock” who toured Europe with a quick stop in Dubai, was interesting. I would’ve loved to have read more about that experience, but that might have more to do with my overwhelming desire to travel, after living through the COVID-19 pandemic.
While this wasn’t my favorite book, it has piqued my interest. Purnell can write and maybe that was why I ultimately was let down by the book. I’m intrigued enough that I’ll probably purchase another book of his, hoping there is more of a story to sink my teeth into. If you’ve read any of his other books, I’d love a recommendation.
If you’re interested in purchasing this book and open to supporting local bookstores, try one of the links I’ve shared. The links below will take you right to the book so you can order it online in just a couple of clicks. Alternatively, you can check your local library for a copy of this book. Here is a link to the BPL copy for 100 Boyfriends.
This is another photo that I can’t place but I like their style, sharing a milkshake. I suppose this could’ve been taken anytime from the 1950s to present day. I’d welcome your thoughts about the photo as well as when or where you think this may have been taken in the comments section.
I dedicate this weekly post, featuring vintage gay photographs, to the men and women who lived in a more critical time where being true to yourself and loving who you want wasn’t always an option and came at a great price. Do you have a photo you would like to share? Email me at bosguymail@gmail.com.
Much thanks to Rob Orange (the witty blogger of Seduced by the New) for sharing this photo and recommending it for my weekly men in kilts post. I think it is perfect. What do you think?
Enjoy your morning cup of Joe (or whatever you might like to call him). Much thanks to Rob Orange (from Seduced by the New blog) for sharing this photo for my weekly post.
