A Daughter's Question Answered in 'Circus of Books'

This one is both intriguing and interesting, so we couldn't pass on the opportunity of sharing it with you.​ I mean to finally ask the question, how Mom and Dad became America's biggest distributors of gay porn? ​I don't know about you, but I definitely want the answer to that. ​Even if I didn't, I can't seem to shake off the curiosity.

​Here's the scoop on Circus of Books.

For 35-plus years, the gay porn shop Circus of Books gave Los Angeles' LGBT+ community a space to socialize and celebrate themselves without judgment. Unbeknownst to many customers, the store was cultivated by owners Karen and Barry Mason, a straight,

​​While maintaining the secret, they witnessed the dawn of the HIV/AIDS epidemic firsthand, losing a generation of treasured employees. Still, during that time, they never identified as activists — just everyday entrepreneurs catering to a market, until the Internet destroyed it.

mainstream couple with three children who went to religious school and were unaware of their parents' business. ​​The Masons long refused to disclose the nature of their business to friends or family. 

Executive produced by Ryan Murphy, Circus of Books is the debut documentary from artist Rachel Mason, who finally asks the least radical people she knows — her parents — how they became America's biggest distributors of gay porn, and why Karen reacted so negatively when her own son came out of the closet.

The story is available April 22 on Netflix. I'm sure wine will be necessary, but I'll keep it close just in case.

The Masons: 

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by IC mag Editors