Adam Baran, producer of CIRCUS OF BOOKS

A lot of time is spent on this podcast defending the multitude of roles that pornography plays in people’s lives. We say, it’s not a moral scourge, it’s not an enemy of feminism, it’s not corrupting young minds any more than any other media form. The academic study of pornography was established in a defensive mode, against second-wave anti-porn feminists, against the lies perpetuated by the church, against the forces fighting sex-worker rights. And because of this defensive posture, it’s jarring whenever we see the mainstream media portray pornography in a sensible, non-hysterical, perspective. This is what makes the Netflix documentary Circus of Books such a revelation! Circus of Books tells the story of a gay pornography video and book store in West Hollywood that endured as a staple in this gayborhood through the AIDS crisis and the mainstreaming of gay culture that has willfully abandoned its porn past in favor of getting married and joining the military. In this documentary, pornography, and the community build around this store, is presented as a positive, unifying force where the gay community can indulge their sexual desires without shame But while the store served as a beacon of hope during dark times, the owners weren’t as invested in the erotic potentiality of pornography as their customers. And that’s because the owners of this store are a heterosexual, highly religious, married couple! And while they have no problem with the gay community, their worldview is shaken when their own son struggles to come out as gay to his religious mother. This creates a unique dynamic and tension that brings this documentary to the next level. In this episode, I’m joined by one of the film’s producers, Adam Baran. Adam is an interesting character because most of his work deals with pornography and gay sexuality in a very straightforward and blunt fashion. Within an environment where being a buttoned-up sexless chairman of a Fortune 500 company is considered to be a quote-unquote “victory” for the gay rights movement, Baran insistently positions gay sexuality and pornography as an essential part of what it means to be gay in the contemporary age. Baran has produced music videos, short films, web series, and documentaries emphatically positioning pornography and sexuality at the center of the gay experience. In this episode, we talk about how pornography helped him feel comfortable in his own skin and how writing about his own sex-life online led to bigger opportunities.

Adam’s Twitter

Adam’s articles for the Guardian

Adam’s articles for BUTT Magazine

Adam’s posts with TheSword

Queer | Art | Film talks at the IFC Center

Dirty Boots music video

Jackpot (2012)

Mattachine: Radical Roots of the Gay Movement”

a history of the zine Straight to Hell

The Great Cock Hunt

Hunting Season (first season)

Himeros TV

The Lives of Hamilton Fish

Circus of Books

Adam’s 2015 TheSword interview with Karen Mason

“Rachel Mason On Making a Movie About Her Parents’ Porn Shop”

The Secret Museum: Pornography in Modern Culture

ONE Archives

Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon

facebook.com/AcademicSex

@PornoCultures

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