Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Honcho magazine published in serial form a short novel by author and advocate of homomasculinity Jack Fritscher. This weekend, Palm Drive Press is publishing his Titanic: The Untold Tale of Gay Passengers and Crew, 100th Anniversary Collectors’ Edition.
Fritscher notices the details and comments on contemporary media reportage, saying: “In movie-newsreel footage shot three days later on the deck of the rescue ship Carpathia immediately after it docked in New York, a dozen of the surviving Titanic crew, mostly sailor lads in tight white pants hiding little, showing lots, can be seen in very intimate horseplay, camping around, and posing in life jackets, pretending to faint. Of the 885 male crew on Titanic, 693 (or 78%) died. Altogether, 1,352 men perished. If, according to Kinsey, one out of six ordinary men is gay, then 225 gay men died. If two out of six in the travel industry are gay, 450 gay men died, making the Titanic an overlooked but essential chapter in gay history.”
Looking forward to this read! Flip open the cover…take a deep breath and…go down. Speaking of sweet-looking sailors, click here and here. Studio Royale’s take on ship discipline here. More on the gay implications of the Titanic and That Sinking Feeling here.
gayhighwaymen
Maštíŋčala Sáŋ
The Gay Highwaymen 