I'm closing out the series with this 1951 photo of Roger and Frank in Central Park. It is said to have been taken by their friend Fred Brahms who appears with them in many photos. When I look at these pictures, I get emotional. They lived in a world where their love could have cost them everything, yet they manifest a quite comfort and confidence when together and when with their friends. Their love was enduring and eternal. They were fearless and blazed a trail for us to follow. The best thing we can do to honor their memory is to keep moving forward no matter what.
Apparently, they didn't have any trouble, because he could pass for just friends, they behaved very heterosexually...
ReplyDeleteThe fact that they kept almost exclusively male company might have been a clue to some unfriendly observer, but I don't know whether they faced any major problems.
DeleteI've been waiting for this series and it is more than worth the wait. Of all the images in this series, this one grabs me the most. Superb work, Jerry.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Leroy!
DeleteYou get a real sense of who they were and I'm left wishing I had known them. The Thanksgiving photo still haunts me.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, Marcus.
DeleteA very important series. I was just looking at some photos from back in the day and it hits you that there men who couldn't be as free and open as we were for the times. They set the bar and paved the way. I thank them for that. And thank you Jerry for showing more!
ReplyDeleteThis may be controversial and perhaps it’s due to my age (65 next month), but I came out in the ‘80s and grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s and there’s a part of me that really misses what life and relationships were like back then as reflected in these loving photos.
ReplyDeleteI recently saw The Boys in the Band (both versions 1970 and 2020) and they really affected me and my boyfriend (he’s 59. It’s probably just a nostalgia thing. Be gentle...
I am 73 and grew up in Texas, so I have adult memories of when most of gay life had to be lived underground. While there is something to be said for the cameraderie of those times, the fear and repression were something awful. I moved to New Orleans at age 27, and the difference was like night and day.
DeleteThanks for sharing your insight, Vintage. I grew up in South Carolina, my guess in Rhode Island. I never experienced uncloseted gay life until I moved to Boston in 1982. We live in Florida now. I know the purpose of this site is to enjoy vintage photos of men, but it’s nice to also share perspectives.
Deleteguy not guess...👬
DeleteI love hearing of everyone's experience. I would have to count myself lucky my first time in a gay bar/club in Toronto in 1973 was like going through the looking glass, I was exactly where I needed to be and it was wonderful. The older gays took us under their wing and taught us how be safe and play it safe when out and about. I will never forget that.
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