Circus of Books
Karen and Barry Mason were having trouble taking care of their young family in 1976 when they answered an ad in the Los Angeles Times. Larry Flynt was trying to find people who would sell Hustler Magazine. What they thought would be a short side project turned into a full-time job when they took over a local store called Circus of Books. After 10 years, they were the biggest people in the US who sold gay porn. The movie is about the double life they led, trying to be both parents and LGBT people at a time when neither was accepted. One of their many problems was that they could have gone to jail for obscenity and had to make their store a safe place for people during the height of the AIDS crisis. Circus of Books gives a rare look at a part of queer history that hasn't been told before. It does this through the eyes of the owners' daughter, Rachel Mason, who is an artist, filmmaker, and musician.
Released: 2019-04-26
Genre:
Documentary