Circus of Books
Karen and Barry Mason were struggling financially in 1976 and seeking for a method to support their young family when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Hustler Magazine's publisher, Larry Flynt, was looking for distributors. What was supposed to be a sideline turned into them totally immersing themselves in the LGBT community when they took over a local bookstore, Circus of Books. They had become the largest distributors of gay porn in the United States a decade later. The film focuses on their dual lives, attempting to combine being parents and being LGBT during a time when LGBT culture was not yet acknowledged. Among their numerous challenges were serving time in prison for a federal obscenity charge and allowing their business to serve as a safe haven during the AIDS crisis. Circus of Books provides a rare view into an untold piece of gay history, as narrated by the proprietors' own daughter, Rachel Mason, an artist, filmmaker, and singer.
Released: 2019-04-26
Genre:
Documentary