Episode 24: Arch Brown's LOVE THY NEIGHBOR (1974) + Zachary Youngblood's CELEBRATION (1982)

Cruising the Movies

Happy Pride! We’re kicking off June with a double-header: Arch Brown’s LOVE THY NEIGHBOR (1974) and Zachary Youngblood’s CELEBRATION (1978/1982). Although neither of these films may be a classic of the genre, both include vital footage of early Pride parades in New York City and San Francisco, pieces of queer life in 70s that you simply can’t find anywhere else. We consider what makes Pride such a great setting for gay porn, discuss the importance of sound editing in both sex and non-sex scenes — and consider literally two of the most head-scratchingly bizarre sex scenes we’ve ever encountered on film (and that’s saying a lot).

Towards the end of the episode, our attention turns toward a really enraging recent development: eBay’s decision to end its “Adults Only” section. We talk about how eBay is hiding behind credit card company profits in the name of “protecting consumers,” how this is effectively another act of queer erasure — and what you can do and watch in this revival of the Tipper Gore era.