| THE EARLY YEARS | | | | Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco in the |
| Fortunately for all Americans the 1960's, 70's and then | | | | early 70's and one openly notorious homosexual law |
| 80's led first to greater sexual freedom and liberation - | | | | student openly proclaimed that his small gay bar and |
| and then to greater sexual honesty. The internet boom | | | | its 11 long-term regular patrons who cashed their every |
| of the last decade solidified those gains to the extent | | | | paycheck there paid his way through law school. He |
| that there can likely never really be a return to the | | | | admitted that over two dozen such "regulars" were |
| sexual "dark ages". | | | | openly feted at all major holidays and their every |
| THE GAYS & THE "THREE B's" | | | | birthday to keep them as "regulars". |
| Gays and Lesbians had historically lived prior to the | | | | Even to this day - the GAY PARADIGM - the GAY |
| Stonewall Riots lives of quiet desperation "in the closet" | | | | COMMUNITY is still trying to shirk this "seek but do not |
| facing overt hostility and repression every day of their | | | | find" rigid pattern. Unlike many happy bisexuals - gays |
| lives. | | | | and even many Lesbians - are still under this spell - |
| After the STONEWALL RIOTS - our gay and lesbian | | | | notwithstanding that even the major gay mecca cities |
| brothers and sisters overall marched straight out of | | | | San Francisco and New York closed the gay baths - |
| their closets and eventually right down MAIN STREET | | | | gay bars are half in number or half full today -yet the |
| or FIFTH AVENUE or MARKET STREET or SANTA | | | | adult bookstores - and videos - and pornographers are |
| MONICA BOULEVARD in their festive PRIDE | | | | richer than ever - harvesting a new crop of young |
| PARADES across North America and now across | | | | twinks and studs for their 15 minutes of fame every |
| the world. Many gays and to a lesser extent Lesbians | | | | season of every year until the end of time. The |
| want to be open about their sexual orientation - while | | | | internet has been a major boon to pornography and |
| this is NOT the case with most bisexuals - especially | | | | pornography sales worldwide especially in the gay |
| happy bisexuals. | | | | "beefcake" market. |
| Soon across America there were dozens of openly | | | | THE THREE B'S REPLACED BY MAJOR |
| gay bars, adult bookstores, and bathhouses in every | | | | MERCHANTS OF GREED |
| major North American city. Gay Community Centers | | | | Things - largely due to AIDS as well as long-term |
| sprouted in most every major North American city - | | | | maturing gay and lesbian community - have changed |
| save San Francisco - where until recently the | | | | and are changing - but the change from the "3 B's" |
| community was so fractious they could not even open | | | | holding the community in its thrall has morphed into |
| such a center! Gay Community Centers with time | | | | gross and crass materialism as soon as the major |
| became Gay and Lesbian Centers - then GLBT | | | | marketing gurus found the Gay and Lesbian NICHE of |
| Centers and soon to be GLBT and P - polyamory - | | | | affluent consumers with huge discretionary spending |
| and Q centers - Queer. | | | | who were eager to "Seek and Find" and then "Seek |
| Maybe one fine day even the new, trendy | | | | and Find" again - consumer goods and luxury travel |
| METROSEXUALS will join the sexual minorities to | | | | and the like. |
| party and to parade! | | | | NOW the vast majority of the FORTUNE 500 |
| The GAY PARADIGM - which emerged as a result of | | | | companies market to the Gay and Lesbian Community |
| this desire for being OPEN - was often confrontational | | | | noting in their marketing circles that the Gay and |
| to the larger straight community with a certain "WE'RE | | | | Lesbian market is one of the larger and more affluent |
| QUEER and WE'RE HERE!" element in far too many | | | | segments of today's marketplace. Gays and Lesbians |
| areas of America. In the gay era before AIDS the fact | | | | who were already as average American consumers |
| of life was that the gay community was hijacked by | | | | easy prey for materialism and consumerism were |
| the THREE B'S who made a killing - and also ultimately | | | | even more easily influenced when buying this and that |
| killed off thousands if not millions of gays. They are the | | | | product led to acceptance by this or that major |
| BARS, the BATHS, and the BOOKSTORES. Their | | | | corporate icon, this or that major world conglomerate - |
| agenda was to make FILTHY LUCRE and they did so | | | | tied with greater status and greater rank in one's millieu. |
| rapaciously for years and years. Gay communities in | | | | HERE COME THE ALTERNATIVES: |
| these early years - including their activists and | | | | Finally, after this gay party and Pride parade - then gay |
| journalists became dependent on these deep pockets | | | | + Lesbian party and parade - was far along - here |
| but they too were all too often caught in the thrall of | | | | come some welcome alternatives. The Metropolitian |
| the 3 B's AGENDA - even hidden agenda of SEEK | | | | Community Church has been with us for decades and |
| BUT DO NOT FIND. | | | | has sought to help fill the spiritual hunger of many gays |
| Even today the "beau ideal" of the American gay | | | | and lesbians who want to find that solace and inner |
| community is some twenty-something twink or hunk or | | | | peace in a gay and Lesbian religious setting. |
| military type - portrayed again and again for decades | | | | Many mainstream Christian churches have embraced |
| endlessly and all but mindlessly. This beau ideal type | | | | the gay and lesbian community in many outreach |
| can never be snared and brought home to one's bed - | | | | programs as the Churchof Christ and the Unitarian |
| save at a hefty price (escorts and models or trade) - | | | | Universalists and the gay and lesbian support groups |
| much less to one's life and family! Billions have been | | | | and organizations within their home churches as |
| and will continue to be made on the backs and knees | | | | Dignity, Integritry, and the Brethern and the like. Islam |
| of these 18 to 25 year olds who are then cast off for | | | | offered up "Gay Muslim" groups and there are many |
| next year's "model". Nothing is sadder than meeting a | | | | GLBT groups for Jews, Buddhists, and other faiths. |
| middle-aged towel boy at a gay bath or spa or a | | | | Many gay and lesbians have also explored alternatives |
| broken down bartender at some gay bar who openly | | | | to organized religions with New Age thinking, yoga, |
| laments that he was once "somebody" in the gay | | | | Scientology and other stops on that long travelled road |
| limelight years ago. | | | | the American pursuit of happiness trail. |
| The NOT so secret moneymaking agenda of the | | | | Microcosm vs. Macrocosm: |
| POWERS THAT BE in the gay community - the 3 B's | | | | Maybe gays and lesbians just finally caught up with the |
| and their legion of co- conspirators was "SEEK BUT | | | | mainstream of American life - gross, crass materialism |
| DO NOT FIND". Gay men HAD to go out as often as | | | | being catered to and cajoled into more and more |
| possible to the bars, the baths or the bookstores - as | | | | consumer spending and more and more consumer |
| they might be missing out on something or someone. | | | | debt to "Seek and Find" and then continually in yet |
| Even if they found someone it was and is all too often | | | | more and more rounds of self-indulgence and |
| a one-night stand if not a 15 minute standup. One gay | | | | over-indulgence to "Seek and Find" again and again. |
| friend recently admitted to me he had not had | | | | Sadly there is no "silver bullet" for the Gay and Lesbian |
| horizontal gay sex since the AIDS epidemic was | | | | community nor American society as a whole. When |
| full-blown (i.e. two decades). While many gay men do | | | | and where will we all find something more valuable, |
| find long-term committed relationships - as the new | | | | reliable and relevant - than buy, buy, buy and more, |
| Gay Episcopal Bishop of New Hampshire - far too | | | | more, more? When? |
| many will regale you with Elizabeth Taylor-esque tales | | | | Best Wishes & Big Hugs, |
| of their 13 husbands and numerous affairs - few lasting | | | | Stewart ("Mac") McCloud |
| more than a season or two. BUT - the 3 B's want | | | | Founder & President |
| gays "to seek but do not find" - to be good consumers | | | | The Bi MEN NETWORK |
| - good customers! I attended University of California's | | | | 250,000+ Men with us! |