DOMA hits close to home for Steve and Charlie finds out the true meaning of Pride in Week 2 of Volume 9. The tenth and final volume of BOYSTOWN launches July 29 exclusively on the GoPride Network.

CHAPTER 6 - TUNA TARTAR

Tyler recognized the restaurant as the one he'd taken Andy to on their god awful first date. The French Japanese fusion was delicious, but it seemed odd to meet here for a business lunch. 

"You look adorable by the way," Mason said over his tuna tartar.

"Oh. Thanks?" Tyler replied. "It's usually pretty business casual at Haven, so..."

"Ugh, Haven. Do we have to talk about that place?"

"I thought that was the whole point. Didn't you want to talk about possibly helping out?"

"Sure, tell me how many zeroes, you want me to put on the check. That's how I'll help."

"It really is a great place. You should come see it some time. We're doing a lot of good."

"I've seen it," Mason scoffed, sipping his chardonnay.

"You have?"

"Yeah, my ex used to tutor there."

"Charlie?"

"Josh."

"Oh," Tyler said, awkwardly sipping his Pellegrino.

"You know what I thought Haven always needed? A gala benefit! You'd make so much money!"

"I don't think that's really Edward's style..."

"The old black guy? He's not gonna say no to a bunch of do-gooding queers throwing checks his way. Come on!"

"It just...it seems like it'd be a lot of work."

"I'll head the committee. Me and mine...we LOVE committees!"

"Well...sure! That'd be great. I'll talk to Edward about it."

"And of course...as head of the committee...I'll need to meet with you weekly. To make sure that the event is going to your taste."

"Well sure...."

"Good," Mason beamed, going back to his tuna tartar. Tyler began to wonder...was this a date? 

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CHAPTER 7 - BEAUTY

Ms. Jai Owe left the Drag Race in full face, as she always did. Why destroy the illusion? Braden and Efraim were the perfect entourage of friends, but she just needed to be alone with her thoughts. She sure was making her splash into the drag world, but something was missing. Barely a month in and it was already starting to feel old hat. 

 

She sucked down a Virginia Slim as walked down Halsted. She wandered aimlessly soaking in the humid June night. 

 

"You're beautiful!" called a young voice behind her.  Ms. Jai Owe turned around to find a young transgender girl in plain clothes watching her sashay by. 

 

"Why thank you," Ms. Jai Owe said. 

 

" I wish I was as beautiful as you." 

 

Jai Owe looked the young one over. Hair in braids. Nice skin. But very plain. Surely, Jai could give back to the community. 

 

"I'm Jai Owe," Jai said, graciously offering her hand. 

 

"I know," said the young one. "I've seen you on posters all over Boystown. I'm LaTrice." 

 

"Well, LaTrice, we can certainly make you over. What's your gimmick?"

 

"My what?" 

 

"You know...what makes you different from the other queens?" 

 

"Oh. Um, nothing, really, I suppose." 

 

"Well we can change that. With some new hair, fresh face..." 

 

"Oh I can't afford that." 

 

"Beauty costs my love." 

 

"But I'm saving for hormone treatments." 

 

Jai looked at the earnest face staring back at him. This wasn't some queen trying to get their kicks performing. This wasn't performing and glamour. This was this young one's life. 

 

"I don't want to be on stage or anything crazy like that. I just wish...I was as beautiful a you." 

 

Jai sat down on the curb and motioned for LaTrice to join. Jaison took off his wig. "Baby, at the end of the night, I take off this wig, wash off the face, and go back to being reguar ol' Jaison Owens. Sure, I come to life every now and again, under the lights, in all the fabulousness. But in my heart, I'm just plain ol' Jaison Owens. You, LaTrice...you're doing you, all the time. You know who you are...that's..." 

 

Jaison smiled at Latrice and took her hand. "You'll never be as beautiful as me. Because you're more beautiful."

 

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CHAPTER 8 - NOTHING

Hunter had never been cut off at a bar, but there was a first time for everything.  He thought his charm and industry cred would stop him from getting kicked out of Berlin, but there went another one he could check off the list. He still had friends from the old days lurking and after a quick bump, he went out into the night. Feeling full of nothing.

 

Stumbling his way down Belmont, he went up Clark and cut through the alley just east of where School turned to Aldine. He had to take a leak and couldn't be bothered to wait til he got home. He was ready for a fight when he thought it was a cop coming up behind him as he pissed. But cops don't stare at your cock for that long.

 

"Nice cock," said the stranger. 

 

"Thanks," Hunter mechanically smirked. 

 

"Bet you do a lot of damage with that." 

 

"It can do whatever you want, dude."  

 

Stranger smirked back. "How's your hole?" 

 

"Tight. You want?" 

 

Stranger pulled out one of those clear cellophane pouches of condoms that the street teams from TPAN  give out at the bars. He suited up, lubed up, and bent Hunter over the dumpster, never once looking Hunter in the eye. 

 

Hunter didn't usually bottom. Most guys took one look at his cock and wanted it in them. He'd really only enjoyed bottoming for two guys in his whole life. One he lived with. The other was dead. 

 

Stranger quickened his thrusts as he came, filling the condom deep inside Hunter. Hunter waited. And he was still full of nothing.

 

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CHAPTER 9 - CLOSER

Steve heard the front door open and close as he finished The Pitstop inventory order from his den. 

 

"Robbie, is that you?" 

 

"Yeah!" Robbie called from the living room. Steve quickly faxed the order in and went to join him. 

 

"How was school?" Steve asked as Robbie pulled out an algebra book from his backpack. 

 

"It was fine," Robbie said a little anxiously. 

 

"What's up, kiddo? Is someone bothering you?" 

 

"No, it's just...a friend asked me to prom." 

 

"What? But you're only a freshman!" 

 

"I know, I'm too young..." 

 

"That's not what I meant. It's great! What's her name?" 

 

"His," Robbie said, biting his lip. "It's my friend Alex." 

 

"Wow. Will they let you?" 

 

"Sure," Robbie giggled. "It's not 1999." 

 

"Well, you'll have to excuse this dinosaur, it's been a million years since the word 'prom' even crossed my mind in earnest." Steve watched as Robbie mindlessly worked out his homework while they talked. "Do you want to go?" 

 

"Um...kind of? I don't know." 

 

"What's stopping you?" 

 

"I don't know. I guess part of me is worried what the other kids might think. But I guess...most of me doesn't care, you know? What's the worst that can happen?" 

 

"Right."

 

"And I told him I'd have to ask permission....but I just...I dunno. I just figured you'd say 'no' because that's what I'm used to. But you and Edward obviously wouldn't mind that a guy was taking me." 

 

"So again I ask, what's stopping you?"  

 

Robbie closed his book. "Nothing." 

 

"Good. Then you should go." 

 

"Really?" 

 

"Yes. We'll have to meet him, of course." 

 

"Sure." 

 

"And we'll have to take a million pictures of you guys in your tuxes by the mantle." 

 

Robbie blushed. "Oh god." 

 

"And of course, we'll have to ask what his intentions are," Steve said, as Robbie scurried off to his room. 

 

"Dad, you're so embarrassing," Robbie laughed, closing the door. 

 

The moment, the added title, was not lost on Steve. He stood there for a moment basking in it. A text alert from his phone interrupted the moment. It was from Edward: "If you haven't started dinner yet, we should take Robbie to try Ethiopian food. It'd be fun to expand his horizons." Looking at his phone, looking at the door to Robbie's room, Steve smiled. With the Defense of Marriage Act getting struck down by the Supreme Court, he was just that much closer to the life he'd always dreamed of. 

 

 

 

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CHAPTER 10 - PROUD

"Where you going?" Charlie called from the bathroom. 

 

"Out," Hunter said glibly, running out the door. Charlie walked to the window and watched a shirtless Hunter disappear into the crowds already gathering on Halsted for Pride weekend. He didn't know from grieving processes: he hadn't lost someone that close to him as Hunter had. How Hunter was dealing with it, the sullenness, the late nights...it frightened him. And he hoped that Hunter would be able to process it and get back to his old jovial self 

 

"Where are you going?" Tyler asked as Charlie approached the front door with his back pack. 

 

"Gonna head out of town for a couple of days." 

 

"But...it's Pride." 

 

"Yeah, the whole thing just gets to be too much. It's not what it's supposed to be about." 

 

"Well, what is it supposed to be about?"  Tyler asked. All Tyler could think about was the only Pride he ever saw, on the living room TV ten years ago when he was twelve. 

 

"Well it started in 1969 when some drag queens had had enough of the police raids and rioted."

 

"Police raids?" 

 

"Yeah, it was illegal for gays and lesbians to congregate in a bar together. People would get arrested, they'd lose their jobs, their lives would be ruined." 

 

"Geez!" 

 

"Yeah. And think about it ,that was just a little over forty years ago. After the riots, the laws began to change, the movement started. And the Parade after...the first one was a celebration of that. Of being able to be who you are, literally saying to the world in defiance, 'we're here, we're queer, get used it.' But now... now it's all about drinking and random hook ups." 

 

Tyler walked to the window. "But they are here. And they are queer. They're out there celebrating because they can. That's awesome." 

 

"But they don't care why they can." 

 

"But I do. Now that I know. And I'm not saying that you should go out and tell everyone the why, that's not your job but...isn't that why they did what those drag queens did what they did? So someday, people like them would be able to celebrate out and proud?" 

 

"Yeah." 

 

"So aren't you kinda dissing that by heading out of town instead of celebrating Pride?"

 

"I guess. I never really thought of it that way." 

 

"So come. Celebrate with me. Whatever way you want. Because it's my first Pride and I need to learn how to do it right." 

 

Charlie smiled at Tyler and put his back pack down. "Alright, Tyler. Let's go be proud."

 

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