January 12, 2011

Eric

Eric S., age 6
St. Louis, Missouri (1978)

I realize this is not a photo of me, but perhaps it’s applicable.

At the age of 6, I somehow persuaded my strict, Mormon parents to buy me this poster.

We had just moved to St. Louis, and I guess I was in need of some new room decor.

So there he was: Andy Gibb was “hung” on the closet door in my bedroom.

He watched over my Star Wars sheets and Matchbox car collection.

Looking back, I have ask myself what my mom was thinking?


Here she was, allowing the son she was worried about to display Andy’s pink-clad, moose-knuckled, tasty niblets. My husband bought this same poster for me a few years ago, and had it framed for my birthday. It's now proudly displayed in my office – nowhere near a closet.

I understood that I was different from my two tragically-straight brothers when
I was about 4. I'd had my first gay kiss with the boy across the street, about a year after buying this poster.

We got busted by my father....
Who has been with his own husband for over 20 years now!

Eric's first, famous-person same sex crushes:
Dirk Benedict (original "Battlestar Galactica"),

Mike Farrell ("M*A*S*H") & Erik Estrada ("CHiPs")
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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

While I had no episodes of wearing my mother's high heels or lipstick, Eric S.'s Andy Gibb-lets reminded me of my own man-poster crush. When I was approximately 7, I had a large poster of Bobby Sherman, who was a pop star and actor in "Here Come the Brides". One day I made sure I was totally alone, and knowing it was "forbidden", I reached up and touched his 2 dimensional bulge. Thank you for reminding me!

http://popartdiva.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-ever-happened-to-bobby-sherman.html

Anonymous said...

I'm right there with you. I used to be in awe of Andy Gibb's chest when I was 10.

Lee Wind, M.Ed. said...

OMGosh! Wow - what a pose! Thanks for sharing this, and yeah, that battlestar gallactica guy was hot!
Namaste,
Lee

thatwastheact said...

Thrilled as you were that your parents gave you the poster.
Dad musthav known then.
Have so many ex-Mormon friends now (gay as they were when Mormon). Wonder if the Mormon Leaders know this and that's why they're so extreme homophobes.
Andy definitely did it for me. Many dreams, he was in. I mourned his death as a family member.

Anonymous said...

I totally love the pink outifit! Yummy.