Customer Reviews

Beyond Shame: Reclaiming the Abandoned History of Radical Gay Sexuality

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is an extraordinary book. As a gay man in my 30s, I've never really connected with the gay sex world in the 70s although I've always been interested in it. The books that I've read about the 70s have been dry and academic but Moore's book brings the era to life. I was riveted both by the profiles of some of the characters of the time and by the idea that sex can be a kind of art. It should be required reading for all gay men.

Moore does an excellent job of highlighting how one-sided much of the discussion has been regarding 70's gay urban culture and while one may not agree with all of his statements, it is a thoroughly interesting and informative piece with great depth and fine writing. Gay artists and performers of the 70's and onward are discussed at great length, which will be of interest to many.

I downloaded a sample of the book for my Kindle, so this review is only based on the first parts of the book made available through the Kindle sample program - i disliked the book so much that i wasn't willing to spend any more of my time or money on it.

I am a gay man who lived through the period described by the author of this book. From my experience the author is living in a world of his own where very few, if any, of us have ever lived. During the period the author covers in his book, after trying my hand at the kind of "artful" promiscuity the author suggests was so freeing i discovered just how lonely not only i, but others who shared that experience were as well. Sadly, several times during this period i encountered people who genuinely desired a deep contact with me and i consistently missed the opportunity because i was so focused on the superficial interactions described by the author. I had become a reflection of the times the author describes and apparently promotes. It was only a decade after the 80s that i finally met someone in sync with my deeper aspirations and we developed a loving relationship where we learned to touch each other at a level beyond the skin.

As i see it the late 60s and early 70s were a period of sexual experiment that still contained some sense of love while the late 70s, 80s and 90s were a period of sensuality with no interest in deep connection. The popularity of cocaine, poppers, and other sensory enhancing drugs i think proves my point that this latter period was nothing but a search for selfish physical release. This period was nothing more than skin deep and we who participated paid an emotional/psychological price for it in that we often failed to see the opportunity for something beyond the flesh.

This book is at best biographical, and therefore of limited value, or at worst a complete misrepresentation of the period.

I was initially very excited to read this book for a number of reasons, and was somewhat satisfied. The documenting of the trajectory of underground (gay) male sex and drug culture throughout the 1970s-1990s in New York City and San Francisco is well-documented; although, it could be considered, highly subjective. That the book almost exclusively focuses on men of European descent was very disappointing. The integration of discussion of influential Greenwich Village artists of the 1980s (Keith Haring, Martin Wong, David Wojnarowicz) was valuable, despite the misconceptions about Keith being self-serving and not caring about the neighborhoods he lived in. He was one of the most benevolent artist of the era. I do not know what that was about. The author saves his most scathing and unmerited mischaracterizations for Rene Ricard, one of the few survivors of this era.

The author discusses Assotto Saint and Felix Gonzalez-Torres as well, which is laudable. People of color otherwise do not exist in this "abandoned history of radical gay sexuality" when discussing sexual cultural development and not just artists. Perhaps the imagined readership is likely to target European-American gay men residing in gay ghettos. I would be curious to hear of the author's perception of his participation in the gentrification that is detailed within the texts. Additionally, the chapters sometimes read like essays that are not related to one another; the disrupted narratives seemed to be added to stretch the length of the book. While the chapters about the artists seemed loosely inter-related, it is likely that they were additions as a result of the author being the founding director of the Estate Project For Artists with AIDS. Ian Young's Stonewall Experiment is far more thrilling about Pre- and post-AIDS life in NYC, and without the gossipy digs. Also, please find a synonym for the over-used word "scrim."

Patrick Moore is disturbed that recent TV shows do not present the go-for-broke sexuality associated with the fast lanes of gay society.

The TV producers apparently figured that their gay characters would be more acceptable without all that. Duh.

Moore feels that this treatment is imposing "heterosexual standards" on gay morality. To the contrary, such treatment is not heterosexual at all, but the way that society treats all forms of pleasure. No activity is admitted into the realm of morality without submitting to limits of some kind. Society will accept homosexual behavior to the extent that it is compatible with mutual love, family, and the rearing of children.

The fact that TV writers help us see people making choices about their homosexual behaviors is certainly a great leap forward. Whatever one thinks about homosexuality, one is always free to make choices about one's behavior. And choice is what morality is all about.

Finally, we have to ask, "Why all this concern about legitimizing gay free love?" If one wants to pursue the path of casual, uncommitted sex, go for it! Why do you need society's approval?