My Letter to The Advocate's editor regarding escorting cover story.

[Rod Hagen]

An Escort's Response.

 

When I sent this in it was formatted, had paragraphs, and looked more what I've posted below the link (p.s. For those who don't know, phrenologists read the bumps of people's heads to figure out what was wrong with them. Coincidentally, "bumps" are also slang for the drug ecstasy.) Enjoy:

 

http://www.advocate.com/letters_detail_ektid29365.asp

 

Tuesday, April 4, 2006

 

Traditional Texas Chile manages to be simultaneously spicy and predictable. The peppers make it pop, but the texture and flavorings-cumin, onions, oregano, and beer-seldom vary. You know what you’re in for.

 

Kind of like The Advocate’s April 11, 2006, cover story. Their reportage of Texas political hopeless Tom Malin’s tale of the inescapable evils of gay, adult, consensual, well-paid prostitution went down so familiarly (abused as a child, desperate for validation, then cash, then drugs, then redemption) it was almost comfort food.

 

The fact that he lost his candidacy (and, presumably, a lot of contributor’s cash) when his not-so-distant past punched its way into the present, as it’s wont to do, just gave it a little kick.

 

What was surprising, although maybe not entirely given the magazine’s current insipid (non-)agenda, was the laziness of reporting by B. Steele and S. Kennedy.

 

Who did they interview to counter-balance the swelling, sucking, eddy of despair Malin presented? Happy long-term hookers with no history of abuse, drugs, emotional-neediness, or sexual mania? Nope. Sadly, that guy was unavailable and, presumably, deluded anyway.

 

Instead they opted for the younger Dustin, recently self-rescued off that same doomed path “so many young gay men” stray onto. (So desperate were Dustin’s circumstances as a prostitute that he lacked even basic furniture in his New York apartment, opting instead to sit upon a lockbox containing “$20,000 in cash.”)

 

From where did B.S. and S.K. extrapolate (badly) their numbers? The US Department of Health? The National Task Force on Prostitution? Nope. Since “no verifiable statistics exist” they turned to plucky entrepreneur Tom Weise, giving him, inexplicably, some free advertising with a link and a nod.

 

And, now this is my favorite, they chose a psychotherapist as best suited to profile us; albeit obliquely. I’m guessing every phrenologist was busy doing bumps?

 

It’s a shoddy bit of journalism, more apropos of The New York Post and unimaginable during Judy Wieder’s years manning the Advocate’s helm. For shame.

 

-Rod Hagen

Los Angeles Escort

 

http://www.RodHagen.com

310.360.9890

Fun, Fit, Friendly Fucker in West Hollywood.

-Rod Hagen

[Rod Hagen]

Unfortunately, it will only be online, they refuse to print it in the magazine even though I submitted it less than one week after it hit the stands.

 

http://www.RodHagen.com

310.360.9890

Fun, Fit, Friendly Fucker in West Hollywood.

-Rod Hagen

[+ Tom Isern]

Give 'em hell, Rod!

 

I stopped reading the "mainstream" gay press. About the time the Advocate separated out the adult advertising into another magazine altogether things started getting a little too commercial and normative for me. Then "Genre" and "Out" appeared. Boring.

[Guest Dan]

Yeah, I read that article with amusement. In the old days, that would have been a "fallen woman" story. They couldn't find anyone that escorts because they want to and don't have to???

 

Good 4 u Mr H!

 

Dan Dare

http://www.geocities.com/dandare_laca/DanDare4Hire.html

[Guest DickHo]

One does K bumps or Tina bumps. One does not do Ecstasy bumps. Bumps refer to drugs that can be inhaled. At least, that's what they tell me...:9

[Rod Hagen]

>One does K bumps or Tina bumps. One does not do Ecstasy

>bumps. Bumps refer to drugs that can be inhaled. At least,

>that's what they tell me...:9

 

 

Aren't I naive? It's still a funny paragraph, either way.

[Guest Dan]

>>One does K bumps or Tina bumps. One does not do Ecstasy

>>bumps. Bumps refer to drugs that can be inhaled. At least,

>>that's what they tell me...:9

>

>

>Aren't I naive? It's still a funny paragraph, either way.

>

the editors should have corrected it, the bastards!

 

Dan Dare

http://www.geocities.com/dandare_laca/DanDare4Hire.html

[Rod Hagen]

They couldn't have known that I slightly misunderstoon the word "bumps."