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Outlook: My parents' secret gay porn empire

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Karen and Barry_Blur CROP.jpg

20/11/2019 GMT

My parents' secret gay porn empire

BBC World Service - Outlook, My parents' secret gay porn empire

Rachel and Josh Mason had no idea their unassuming parents ran an iconic gay porn shop

Rachel and Josh Mason grew up believing their straight-laced parents ran a small bookstore in LA. They had no idea it was one of the biggest distributors of gay porn in the USA.

Growing up in California, Rachel Mason and her brother Josh didn't know exactly what was sold in their unassuming and straight-laced parents' bookstore. They had no idea the bookshop was actually one of the biggest distributors of adult material, specifically gay porn, in the US. The bookshop became a haven for the queer community as Karen and Barry supported gay employees throughout the HIV and Aids crisis in the 1980s, all the while hiding the business from family and friends.  Rachel, Josh and Karen spoke to Outlook’s Emily Webb. Rachel has made a documentary about their story called Circus of Books. 

Seun Kuti is the youngest son of one of Africa's legendary musical figures, Fela Kuti. Right from the very start some in his family have been putting pressure on him to be as good, or greater, than his father.

We meet the family of neon sign makers who have lit up London's nightlife hotspot Soho. Linda Bracey shows Saskia Edwards around their warehouse of dazzling signs.

Picture: Barry and Karen at Circus of Books
Credit: Rachel Mason

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