It comes to this then: there always have been people like me and always will be, and generally they have been persecuted

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

At times our need for a sympathetic gesture is so great that we care not what exactly it signifies or how much we may have to pay for it afterwards

M  A  S  S

I N  M O T I O N
E R O T I C A
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

The armour of falsehood is subtly wrought out of darkness, and hides a man not only from others, but from his own soul

M A S S

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M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Issue 242: Joan Crawford, Cakes Da Killa, Cory Moreno, Bob Mizer, Moonlight, Mikael Owunna, Edward Albee, Bianca Del Rio, Westworld, The Night Of, and more...

the week's

news

& pop

culture,

with a

gay

bias.

Left & Found

Reclaiming "butch": "It’s surprising how much of a taboo it still is... ‘People use 'butch' as a way of insulting queer women,’ says Esther Godoy. Her new publication aims to change that."

Turns out lesbians are just not that profitable. On losing AfterEllen and queer women's spaces.

Thirteen things never to say to bisexual people.

White riot. "How racism and immigration gave us Trump, Brexit, and a whole new kind of politics."

Expanding the definition of blackness. "The connection between HIV and Black Lives Matter are much deeper when the definition of blackness includes all "problematic" bodies."

Why being a fake is bad for you. "Authenticity – where we say and do what we truly think – is one of the keys to our wellbeing."

Is civilisation good for us? On the dangers of social fragmentation.

I cannot help thinking that there is something to admire in everyone, even if you do not approve of them

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

By the side of the everlasting Why there is a Yes - a transitory Yes if you like, but a Yes

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Let yourself go. Pull out from the depths those thoughts that you do not understand, and spread them out in the sunlight and know the meaning of them

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Life is a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the instrument as you go along

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

You confuse what's important with what's impressive

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

One of these things is not like the others

T H R O U G H  T H E

L O O K I N G  G L A S S

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

Arguments are to be avoided: they are always vulgar and often convincing

L E F T O V E R S
W  R  I  T  I  N  G    B  O  R  E  S    M  E    S  O

There's been a media shitstorm this week over The Great British Bake Off (hosted by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, the standup equivalent of the colour beige) leaving the BBC for Channel 4. I haven't watched "GBBO" before; it's a cloyingly smug confection for the sort of people who cycle to quirky coffee shops, and shop at Waitrose. People who worry about things like house prices, The Best Schools, and what channel "GBBO" is on. It doesn't matter what channel its on. What these people don't realise is that the BBC doesn't exist anymore - it hasn't been the BBC for years. Television Centre is now luxury flats. The bought-in content the BBC transmits might just as well be on Channel 4, or 5, or Netflix, because the BBC doesn't actually make most of its shows. They're made by independent production companies, like the money-grabbing Love Productions, who blighted us with GBBO, and the chatter surrounding it, in the first place.

*

I've seen the poster for Theo & Hugo on the Tube over the past few of weeks. It's the second time this year I've seen a poster advertising a gay film out there in the mainstream world. The other one was for Departure, another Peccadillo Pictures feature. I saw both films at this year's BFI Flare, and they were hands down the worst of all the films I saw. But whereas Departure is a rich kid's vanity project, filmed at a chum's luxury French chateau, boosted by establishment chums at the BFI, and now regurgitated by well-to-do chums at Peccadillo, Theo & Hugo is merely interminable (despite an extended orgy sequence that's about as sexy as a mud wrestling match between Donald Trump and Ted Cruz.)

*

Jaden and Willow Smith's latest photoshoot is a bit weird, innit? Talk about incestuous. I wouldn't mind if it was Will and Jaden (and let's face it, it's not like they haven't French-kissed in public before).

I know, I'm going to hell.

Did you ever dream you had a friend? Someone to last your whole life and you his. I suppose such a thing can’t really happen outside sleep

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Adventures do occur, but not punctually

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Mistrust all enterprises that require new clothes

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

I want you to have your own thoughts even when I hold you in my arms

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Issue 241: Gene Wilder, Joe Okonkwo, Lady Chablis, Cakes Da Killa, Colin Kaepernick, Keith Vaz, Pauline Pantsdown, Ginger Minj, Micah Brandt, BHS, and more...

the week's

news

& pop

culture,

with a

gay

bias.

Left & Found

Gay men and sexism: Time to accept responsibility.

What happens when LGBT people are priced out of the neighborhood?

Gay separatist organisation the Gay Homeland Foundation wants to establish an exclusively gay city-state.

Why multi-national corporations could and should, but often don’t, help improve the lives of LGBT people in countries with anti-LGBT laws.

Blame it on the queers. "Doomsayers and the things that definitely happened because of LGBTs."

Correcting the old wrong ideas about Sodom, Gomorrah.

Summer of 2016: Pride around the world.

The Fire This Time shows how far we haven’t come since James Baldwin.

What actually makes white people scared of talking about race?

You may think the world is falling apart. Steven Pinker is here to tell you it isn't.

Yemi & Femi in Masc 4 Masc

A r t

S k o o l
A r t  i s  n o t  a  t h i n g ,  i t  i s  a  w a y .

Strip superstars Yemi & Femi are them ones you cuss to your friends, then stalk on Instagram. They're too nice, too peng, too hench, and too much. And their grills, though...

Their graphic novel debut soon come, and you can always catch them on John's official site. Copies of Yemi & Femi's debut - Yemi & Femi's Fun Night Out - are available for free (UK only). Contact John at john@teamangelica.com. For orders outside of the UK, please enquire.

I have always known what I wanted, and that was beauty... in every form

P l a n e t

M A R B A S I A

W h e r e   y o u 'l l   b a r e l y   s c r a t c h   t h e   s u r f a c e .

One of these things is not like the others

T H R O U G H  T H E

L O O K I N G  G L A S S

ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS

Arguments are to be avoided: they are always vulgar and often convincing

L E F T O V E R S
W  R  I  T  I  N  G    B  O  R  E  S    M  E    S  O

It's been a long time since we've had an MP sex scandal as juicy as Keith Vaz and his trio of male hookers. It's hard to justify his behaviour - not the the hiring of young men for sex, per se - hell, if I win the lottery, I'll have one for breakfast, two for lunch, and half a dozen for dinner three times a week - but the awful harm done to his (presumably) unsuspecting wife and children. That aside, Vaz isn't a hypocrite: he has supported gay equality and the decriminalisation of sex work, and spoke up against the ban on poppers, saying "The government recognises that representations have been made to the effect that 'poppers' have a beneficial health and relationship effect in enabling anal sex for some men who have sex with men, amid concern about the impact of the ban on these men."

*

It was with thirsty anticipation that I fell upon approached the new Titan Men scene scene starring Micah Brandt, with David Benjamin. And then, the spit. Micah - one of the hottest men in gay porn right now - starts it off, gobbing into Benjamin's mouth. It's like when you suddenly see some random toe-sucking in a scene. It's niche, and it's fetish, and only a minority want to see that shit. Gross. Micah (whose Twitter is always entertaining, was one of the KAOS Top 20 Porn Stars if 2013) is rarely teamed up with anyone as remotely sexy as he is. He remains a wasted talent.

*

The legendary Maxwell (mid-90s neo-soul royalty) has teamed up with Mary J. Blige for a "King + Queen of Hearts World Tour". It's like wearing Primark with Gucci. I don't see it as a match, and not just because I personally dislike the warbling, caterwauling Bilge, (who's probably just desperate for the cash), but I'd sooner have seen him step out on stage with Toni Braxton.

*

RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars' second season has thus far been oddly lacklustre, more so when Tatianna sashayed away. Everyone wanted to see more of Tatianna (the same can't be said for newly departed Ginger Minj, sent packing by a show-stealing Alyssa Edwards). It's also a shame that Untucked appears to have been folded into the main show, and now takes place in the workroom. I was a big fan of the stripped back, documentary-style incarnation of Untucked from season eight - I hope it hasn't gone for good (the same can't be said for Phi Phi O'Hara, who appears to have lost her Redemption script. But who wants to see a good Phi Phi?)

Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Choose a place where you won't do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

I suggest that the only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

How do I know what I think until I see what I say

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

If we act the truth the people who really love us are sure to come back to us in the long run

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Gully Queens

A r t

S k o o l
A r t  i s  n o t  a  t h i n g ,  i t  i s  a  w a y 

Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its highest. Live in fragments no longer

M A S S

I  N
M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T

Arguments are to be avoided: they are always vulgar and often convincing

L E F T O V E R S
W  R  I  T  I  N  G    B  O  R  E  S    M  E    S  O

I've tried with Orange Is The New Black. I started watching a month or so back, galvanised by the hype (and a free trial of Netflix), but it's just not working for me. And I love prison shows. I've watched Oz from start to finish (several times over), and I'm still making my way through cult classic Prisoner (Bea Smith is everything). But OITNB - with its tepid lead Piper (who has the charisma of a limp lettuce leaf), and weird tone (sometimes it's like watching Saved By The Bell) - leaves me bored and confused. There might be some truth there, but the telling is self-indulgent and hamfisted. I'll stick with early '80s Wentworth Detention Centre, and return visits to Oswald State Penitentiary.

*

Last week I wrote about being won over by streaming. But in this era of peak TV, is it a case of too much of a good thing? All those shows we've been told are the best TV show of the year/decade/ever are instantly available, with hundreds, if not thousands, of episodes. That's another reason I'm bailing on OITNB - why waste time with a show that's only barely lukewarm? Another show I'm struggling with is Wayward Pines, so brilliant in its first season, but whose sophomore effort has turned to shit - despite the presence of Djimon Hounsou (I spelt his name without having to resort to Google!) - and the delicious Christopher Meyer (left). In fact, Wayward Pines' second season, tragically, is a textbook example of flogging a dead horse.

*

Outrage and controversy. The keyboard activists love it. First of all we had infamous bigot Bette Midler's "transphobic" Tweet (it wasn't. It was a Caityawn Jenner-phobic comment. I'm with her, and I don't mean the Rethuglican), and now Coronation Street has been tried and convicted (by social media) of racism. Here's the incriminating evidence: Eva Price, played by Catherine Tyldesley, visits Audrey’s hair salon, where she remarks: “I have more roots than Kunta Kinte. No idea who that is, by the way, just something my mum used to say.” Let's set aside the obvious, that is, that it's not an attack on Kunta Kinte, but a knowing wink at half the audience about the dizzy blonde character, and the other half (I'm being generous) who actually don't know who Kunta Kinte is. You can hear the cry go up from living rooms up and down the land, "What the 'eck's a Coonder Kinder?" "I think he was on The X Factor." I'd like to see some actual casual racism from characters in our soaps, because guess what, that's what happens in real life. Let's see that. Let's be real.

But Bette apologised for her supposed trans-gression, and a Coronation Street spokesperson has said, “We apologise if this dialogue has caused offence.” No apology necessary, guys. Professing outrage doesn't mean they're entitled to an apology. However hard it is, tell them to go f**k themselves. Now, Ellen's Bolt meme... That's another story.

*

What's the point of ubiquitous gay porn star Johnny Rapid (right)? I get there's a market for everything, and he's kind of cute, in a "walk-on drug dealer in an episode of Law & Order" kind of way, but he hasn't ever seen the inside of a gym, or the rays of the sun. He isn't even a halfway decent performer. And by all accounts, he's a pretty revolting human being, too. Make America great again: get rid.

*

Do you ever watch The Golden Girls, or its mid-2000s tribute act Noah's Arc, and wish you were Rose/Noah, Blanche/Ricky, Dorothy/Chance, or Sophia/Alex? Not exactly that you were them, as such, but that you had what they had. I have some amazing friends, but they don't knit together like The Golden Girls. I wish they did; I'd love a close gay family, not one that's scattered and disparate. One is in the thrall of a sort of Primark RuPaul. Two others are frenemies, locked in a competition over men (Brandon steals Kris's boyfriends, or vice versa, depending on who's telling the tale). And recently, I arranged a nocturnal adventure with my two nearest and dearest, which ended in a meltdown so epic it stopped traffic. Literally. Another friend won't speak to me when he's in a relationship ("Ray", who you may remember from this post)... As Elaine once said in Seinfeld, "I gotta get some new friends."

I got a strange feelin' somebody's bein' hustled

TIRED OLD

Q u e e n

a t  t h e

MOVIES

Doris Day gives one of her most beloved performances in her favorite motion picture Calamity Jane (1953).

Directed by David Butler and co-starring Howard Keel. Shot in Technicolor, it has a gorgeous score by Ray Heindorf and won Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster an Oscar for Best Song (Secret Love). Day and Keel are funny romantic and simply terrific together. It’s musical extravaganza not to be missed!

Steve Hayes

There are many ways of being a man; mine is to express what is deepest in my heart

M A S S

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M O T I O N
I T ' S   A   M A N ' S   W O R L D   A N D   Y O U   M E N   C A N   H A V E   I T