On a recent trip to Indy, I met a very nice older gentleman at a bar – no, he wasn’t hitting on me – just having a friendly chat. The topic of “escorting” came up and he told me a fascinating story. He said that in the late 80s in Indy, there was a well-known man who ran several businesses, one of which was a gay bar, a small hotel, and others. The “man” was also involved with a private male-escort service. A small ad ran frequently in the “Word”, a local gay newspaper which invited the curious to call a phone number for “escorts of distinction”. The caller was required to provide a password, and on approval, was given a list of the young men who were currently available for hire. Once a date had been set, an address was provided to the customer of an upscale condo on the north side. The condo belonged to the owner of the service and he would be there to greet the customer and introduce the escort. He’d then leave and return later at the end of the date to make sure all went well. By this time, I had a million questions. Each new customer had to go through an interview, and then was given his own password; no real names were ever exchanged. The locations changed from time to time – he said the owner’s mother offered her apartment now and then for a tryst. Apparently, most of the young men were from a local college, and hygiene and good looks were major requirements. He said the list of customers was a “who’s-who” at the time and included attorneys, doctors, well-heeled entrepreneurs, and a local television newscaster. The busiest times were during the mid-day and afternoon appointments. He didn’t say how many years the service was around, but online advertising seemed to bring it to a halt. He also said the owner retired and the rest is indeed history. While I admit this sounds like a movie script, he had much more detail I could share. Has anyone heard about this? Rumor has it there were “sister” services in Cincinnati and St. Louis. Wonder if there’s anything like it today?