Let’s be real we all need a Guncle (gay uncle), sometimes they’re like our therapist but in the vibe of the fun auntie who takes you shopping for something your parents would absolutely never approve of… But in all actuality being brought up around generally conservative gay men has been a mild plight to my understanding of queer culture. I had no glamorous Guncle, art world impresarios, Stonewall activists, and worst of all no hand me down Gaultier mesh tops. The closest I got was when my mom’s gay bestie briefly mentioned attending Studio 54… I kind of feel like he was one to wait in line /-:
The Guncle, though not an uncommon sight, is harder to find than a Tinder unicorn who is looking for more than a blowjob. Surely my own advice has led to some kids over doing it with the rosé or end up sabotaging a new thing with Bumble/Raya/Grindr/Scruff hook up. I can only blame my generational guncle trauma, which I am still working out with my own therapist. Fortunately we have Ben Palacios and Tom Truss, the IRL Guncle/ Nephew duo to aid you through the second adolescence of the gay world with their podcast Ask Your Gay Uncle!
Ben Palacios is totally the embodiment of a #GILF
A fun take of an advice column the series dives deep into intersecting subjects of gay culture both in a historical as well as modern frame works, focusing on issues running the gambit of activism, porn, art, literature, and even the confrontation with gay white patriarchy. We tapped the delectable Ben Palacios to run down the top 5 Guncle recommendations to help spread the love and attain self-acceptance.
Episode 3’s QueerFam of the week is ALL of the brave queer couples that posed to have their pictures taken, back when it was difficult and even dangerous to do so. These pioneers were trailblazers!
Each episode highlights various Guncle and Gauntie figures in the queer comunity such as Madin Ray Lopez. Madin, founder of Project Q and badass community leader, made it their mission to help LGBTQIA homeless youth of color. The ProjectQ Salon and Community Center is a huge force for youth self-empowerment in LA today. “Tenacity speaks louder than circumstances.”
Along with podcasting Ben Palacios has been an active figure in the the theater and acting world working on a diverse range of projects from a theater adaptation of Disney’s Frozen to Amazon Studio’s Silicon Beach. He has also amassed a following in the fields of fitness and lifestyle. His own Guncle Tom Truss has long been an activist working in the 90s with Queer Nation, an LGBTQ+ activist organization with a mission to wipe out homophobia and heterosexism in all its forms.