Bay Windows' Stench: Not Just in the Personals Section

Time to get back to the important stuff. Like keeping smut out of our supermarkets.

It's not only Bay Windows' personal ads that offend. Don't let Stop & Shop (or Shaw's) try that one on you. The personals may be where the filth is most condensed, but it is spread throughout the whole rag. Remember, this paper was available on the FREE rack by the front doors of the supermarkets. Children could walk in, grab one, and leave without any embarrassment.

If you want to see examples of typical content from their "news" and "arts" sections, check these out. (Caution: X-rated pornographic content.)

[on Lesbians and Anal Sex:]
What's love got to do with it? Tristan Taormino celebrates 10 years of cutting-edge seduction
By R. J. Grubb [Arts Section], April 7, 2005
Today, sex expert Tristan Taormino reigns as a popular writer/performer whose unusual job titles have included "Anal Sex Go-To Girl" and "Lesbian Consultant." But a decade ago, she was hard pressed when persuading her peers to join a new venture called Best Lesbian Erotica. Like its predecessors, the latest edition showcases Taormino's eye for smart, surprising, and well-written smutty storytelling. Taormino herself has authored The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women and True Lust.

As for recurring themes, the one that dominated this year's collection was the age-old act of cocksucking. Taormino received dozens of submissions on the topic but only a few made the final cut. Asked about the significance of the play on gender, Taormino chalked it up to a growing number of fag-identified dykes.

[On Drug Use & Wild Homosex:]
Our Silence About Crystal Is Killing Us , By Edward J. Hoban, Feb. 3, 2005
With very few exceptions, the rise in crystal meth addiction among gay men is going unnocticed in Boston. About 10 years ago, methamphetimine made its way onto Boston's party circuit. Although the drug - also known as speed, crank, Tina, and Crissy - has become a huge problem, you wouldn't know it by the way we talk about it. Or, rather, you wouldn't know it because we don't talk about it at all. After all, we've all heard the stories about the all night sex parties. We've seen the profiles on Manhunt, a popular Web site that makes it easy to arrange sexual encounters, looking for "PNP", short for party and play. Party, of course, refers to the use of drugs, and nine times out of 10, the drug of choice is crystal meth.

Over the last year or so many of us have also heard stories of guys who've lost their jobs, homes, partners and friends due to crystal meth addiction. We've also learned about some who've become infected with HIV as a result of their use of crystal meth, because - let's be real - while chemically induced with Tina, sexual risk management pretty much goes out the window.

How about an ad that talks graphically about the raw sex that's had while high on Tina? The endless nights in front of the computer looking for more cock? The guy who had three to five guys come inside him in one night? The HIV positive guy who came inside three to five guys in a night? If we can't talk about what really happens when high on Tina, we'll never be able to deal with the problem.

[On Anal Lubricant Research and Trans Health] To Your Good Health, Oct. 14, 2004
[Fenway Health] center is recruiting 120 HIV-negative men who have been receptive partners in the last year to help out with some hands-on lube research. [V]olunteers will go home to help the Fenway with some more hands-on research."We're asking them to have protective [anal] intercourse several times" using the standardized amount of lube, Mayer said. After trying out the standardized volume of lube several times participants will come back to the Fenway for interviews to find out if the amount of lube is acceptable. In addition to the men, the study will also begin some tentative research into women and anal sex....

Fenway's new Transgender Health program is designed to address many of the obstacles faced by transgender people seeking healthcare."I think a lot of people that are trans don't seek services at all. They don't have primary care," said [Dr. Randi] Kaufman. She said many transgender people fear discrimination by medical staff. "And then when people do come in there's a lot of doctors and nurses who don't know how to treat trans clients," said Kaufman."I think that over the last several years we've seen a large increase in the number of people who don't identify as male or female," said Kaufman. She said the Fenway has responded to suggestions from clients over the years about changing the gender terminology on their forms to be more inclusive of trans people.

[Don't forget the incredible series on the Pope as he was being laid to rest, including:]
Requiem for the pope's penis,By Michael Bronsky, April 7, 2005

Beyond the printed word, the ads in the regular sections are also gross. We reported earlier on the "Tops and Bottoms Wanted" ad. Or how about the pictorial ad (naked men, spread-eagled, lying face down with a print banner covering their butts) for:

East Coast Gathering

Philadelphia Area Naked Guys

ALL MEN -- ALL NUDE -- ALL THE TIME

Just a sampling.