HAPPY NEW YEAR 2013

So much of last year was about Fire Island Pines where Ben and I spent over a month preparing for the new book out next spring. A good part of the new year will also be about that subject as the book enters our communal history. Back in the 70’s and 80’s, I documented the emergent gay culture on an infamous beach out of sight, for the most part, from the dark forces of repression that ruled then. I’m happy to note that this past year brought us far beyond what our aspirations back then could have imagined.

The optimist (and lawyer) part of me suggests that this new year will bring the gay community equality as symbolized in our right to marry being recognized. ‘The love that dare not speak its name’ becomes the love that gladdens the hearts of wedding planners and cake makers among us. Powerful signs that the political order had changed emerged in the last year. When I was a law student in the late 60s I joined the first gay and lesbian organization at Northwestern University. Our total agenda was to be allowed to dance with one another at a gay bar without fear of arrest. Amazing to see where we are today.

So the question for us all – where do we go from here? For my part, I still see a lot of issues that call out for healing. Much of America remains insanely addicted to violence and hatred of just about anything it sees as foreign. Homophobia, misogyny and racism thrive slightly below the surface of our culture. Greed and power tripping rule our dysfunctional body politic. And we remain a deeply confused society mired in sexual shame.

As an artist, these problems provide motivation for me to suggest alternative ways of being through what I see as beautiful. And that is what I will be doing, happily with Ben, who shares my conviction that art can be a powerful force in effecting healing change. I look forward to our mission. I look forward to finding more ways to explore the beauty of our wonderful gay family.

Wishing you all a creative and progressive 2013.

- Ben + Tom

This entry was posted on Monday, December 31st, 2012 at 2:42 pm. It is filed under LIFE and tagged with Fire Island. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

←

→

Mick says:

January 21, 2013 at 11:45 pm

Hey Tom,
I’m not sure if you remember me. We did a shoot on blacks beach many years ago with my boyfriend at the time, will gorges. I recently ran into somebody that you had photographed and it made me think of you. So I figured I’d reach out to you and say hello. I’m not sure if you are aware but I have built a career on photographing beautiful men. You were part inspiration for this. I hope you are well and that we see each other again in the near future

Nicholas says:

February 14, 2013 at 6:17 pm

Hi Tom,

Just thought I would drop you a line to tell you that your On The Couch DVD makes a great addition to foreplay :-)
Love Mike and Billy from SF, and of course Peter from your Toronto shoot is in a class all by himself. What a man! I saw him in a pub this summer. Actually I heard his laughter first and then turned around to see the body. In your video and in life he seems to have such joy about himself.

Thanks,
Nicholas

Jake says:

February 25, 2013 at 11:08 pm

Beautiful site! Great pictures! As for you Tom, WOW! Stunning! :-) appreciate your work…. With the camera and on your body! Drive a 23 yr old crazy!!

Jonathan says:

April 27, 2013 at 11:03 am

Me encanta tu trabajo.

TJ says:

May 7, 2013 at 1:11 pm

Hey Tom, Just got your Fire Island Pines book and it really brought back a lot of memories of New York and being out on Fire Island in the late 70′s and early 80′s. It actually made my cry.. thinking about all the friends I would spend summers with in the Pines who are no longer here and who have been gone for some time. I worked as a print model in NYC at that time, so life was about fun and friends. I had a lots of boyfriends and some wonderful times, all great memories. I am an artist now living in L. A. with a great partner . Your book is a beautiful documentation of our lives. Thank you

Tom Bianchi says:

May 7, 2013 at 2:17 pm

TJ – Your note is so much appreciated. I especially like knowing that men who shared this experience with me feel that I have done a fair job in recording our lives. Your endorsement means a lot to me. Tom