The Testament of Ann Lee: The origin of the Shakers, with a female Christ, energetic dancing, gay guys, and a lot of male nudity

In high school I read Escape to Utopia by Everett Webber, about Icaria, New Harmony, and the many other attempts to create a perfectt society that sprang up in 19th century America. They were usually founded by a reincarnated Jesus Christ, or God himself (or herself).  Most were communal, sexually adventurous, and, at least according to Webber, wacky.

The Koreshans believed that "we live inside," on the concave surface of the cosmic egg, even after the Messiah Cyrus Teed failed to come back to life three days after his death.

Thomas Lake Harris and the Brotherhood of the New Life worshipped Lady Pink Ears, queen of the rabbit fairies.

The Shakers practiced a radical separation of the sexes (men and women could never touch each other) and regulated everything (climb out of bed on the left side, with your right foot hitting the floor first).  Their energetic dance-worship drew the attention of many ghosts, iincluding Founding Fathers George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, who chatted with them and recited poetry.

Could we go back to the "never touch a woman" rule?  

I read more about the Shakers later, and visited one of the restored Shaker Villages, Sabbathday Lake in Maine.  And last night I saw The Testament of Ann Lee (2025), a sort of musical biopic about the founder of the Shakers.

Yes, it has gay interest.

Ann Lee was born in Manchester, England in 1735, and went to work in the cotton factory when she was five years old.  She had seven siblings, but she was only close to her younger brother William, who followed her everywhere.

She longed to be close to God, but didn't know how.  The rituals in the Anglican Church were meaningless.  Women were not permitted to learn to read, so she couldn't consult the Bible.  All she knew was that a barrier of some sort kept her broken, unable to experience Divine Love.

One night Ann saw her father (Willem van der Vegt, left) having carnal relations with her mother.Points for showing all of Dad's body and none of the wife's.  

 It was a sordid, bestial act; she imagined the Serpent tempting Adam in the Garden of Eden.  The next morning, when Ann called him out on his sin, he beat her.  

Years passed, and  the young adult Ann took a job as a cook in an infirmary, where she was overwhelmed by human suffereing.  But she also heard about the Shaking Quakers or Shakers, a radical group that believed that God was male and female,so men and women had equal access to the Divine. 

One night she and her brother William attended a meeting.  The Shakers trembled uncontrollably as they confessed their sins to the group, and then as they were overwhelmed by the joy of God's forgiveness.  They also performed energetic, intricately-choreographed dances.  I imagine that these were not historically accurate, but they are worth the price of admission.

Ann and William had found a home.

  

More after the break

Nathaniel Bacon: Canadian muscleman plays classic gay characters, but is he gay in real life? With three cock shots, Christmas, and Charlie Brown

 

My "Profiles to Do" collection has a folder entitled "Nathaniel Bacon," compiled on December 25th of last year: a day that I generally devote to celebrating the end of the dark melancholic Holiday Season and those depressing Holiday songs, especially Judy Garland's "Haaaaaaave youuuuurself..."  

Nathaniel Bacon must have been special to warrant starting a folder on that auspicious day, but it contains only six photos: three nude, two muscle, and one indicating that he's a fan of The Golden Girls (and Friday the 13th).

I'll check his Instagram for more photos before committing to a profile.

And maybe some that I can post on the G-rated, censor-happy site.

Not much luck in that department: Nathaniel is wearing underwear that shows everything in almost all of his Instagram photos.  Maybe he can't help it.  Even extra-large is too small for him.

I found one where he's displaying his butt, not his bulge.  Does that count?

Finally, a G-rate photo.  He's with a lady, but that can't be helped.  When he's not bulging, he's hugging, frolicking with, or dining with a lady (or two or three). I'm going to peg Bacon Boy as straight.  

His tagline tells us that he's a tv/stage/film actor and singer, Broadway World Toronto Award Winner, and ACTRA Award Nominee, so let's check out his plays.  Maybe some have gay content.

Cabaret: A muscle guy.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Rocky, of course.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch: um...he played Hedwig? 

Fade to Black:  The "young, gay fan" of a movie legend.

Wait....

Mike and Aaron Write a Musical:  Mike, in an "enchanting gay love story."

That's a lot of gay content, Bacon Boy.  Are you sure that you're straight?  Maybe you're hugging, dining with, and cuddling in hot tubs with platonic pals, or your sister? 

Nathaniel's on screen work and more of his cock after the break.  Caution: Explicit.

Arturo Castro: The gay Guatemalan roommate and gay-subtext gangster, with the cock that got censored.

 

When I posted a cock pic of gay-subtext gangster Arturo Castro on my review of Mike + Nick, it got a "sensitive warning" exclamation point that wouldn't go away.  Wait -- isn't every post on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends sensitive? .  

So I'm going to try again, and put the post so far down that I won't see the exclamation point.

Guatemalan actor Arturo Castro is best known for Broad City (2014-19), the New York gal-pal sitcom.  He plays Jaime Castro, Ilana's pocket-gay roommate, in 25 episodes.  Most of his centrics involve being fashion conscious and shy, but eventually he begins dating Johnny (Guillermo Diaz, right).

A n*de photo of Guillermo.

Arturo has 95 other acting credits listed on the IMDB, but I don't recognize any except Narcos (2015-17), a biography of drug lord Pablo Escobar, and The Menu (2022), about a chef whose posh creations involve the deaths of his dinner guests. As far as I can tell, none of his other characters are gay

Although he does show his physique in a 2019 episode of Room 104, the anthology series featuring paranormal problems bedeviling guests who stay in that room.  Craig (Arturo) suffers from a debilitating skin condition that gets worse and worse, no matter what he tries.

Shaving doesn't help.

But he never gives up hope, which is why he continues smiling even as his body falls apart.

We see his backside, too.

Nice tush, buddy.  Too bad you're not into bottom stuff.  With guys, anyhow.

More after the break, including the c*ck that got me censored.  

If It's Tuesday, It's Murder": Tourists with dark secrets solve a murder. With a dreamy dude, a queer teen, cop cock, and Lisbon sights

One of the iconic movies of my childhood (seen on tv, of course) was If It's Tuesday, This Must Be Belgium, about the adventures of a group of wacky American tourists abroad.  The Spanish tv series If it's Tuesday, it's Murder (Si es Martes, es Asesinato) is probably not a homage, but I'm watching it anyway. 

Scene 1:  Monday: In a tiny restroom, a hunky guy (Alejandro Garcia, left) changes out of his bloodstained clothes (nice bulge) and into a suit.  He tells us "This isn't what it looks like -- or maybe it is."

A group of mismatched Spanish tourists are boarding the bus for a trip to Lisbon (seven hours from Madrid): 

1.-3. Fabio from the restroom.  A teenage girl and her drag queen buddy swoon over him.

4-7.. An elderly Miss Marple in a wheelchair, traveling with her hunky son, her daughter, and her young adult grandson (Alvero de Juana, left).  They all dislike her. 

8.. A young woman wearing headphones seems suspicious of everyone.

9.-11. Neurodivergent Daniel (Biel Montoro, left), who is arguing with the bus driver about the proper route. A woman calls him "sweetheart" and "my love," which in the U.S. would mean a romantic partner, but she looks old enough to be his mother. 

Update: he's traveling with his mom and dad.  

12,  Cristina, the tour guide, who divulges too much about discovering her husband's affair and  25-year old daughter by the other woman. Hopefully this will become important later.

And several others.

13.  Four hours later, they reach Badajoz, near the Portuguese border.  They stop to pick up another tourist (Pedro Casablanc, left), an elderly guy in a 1940s bow tie and fedora.  

Scene 2:  Two hours later, they arrive in Lisbon, and stop at Praça do Comércio, Commerce Plaza, on the Tagus River.  A lady asks Suspicious Girl to take her photo, but Dreamy Fabio is in the background.  He rushes off so he won't be in the picture.  Later she is almost hit by a car while crossing the street, but Fedora Guy pulls her out of the way.

 Daniel refuses to get off the bus because this stop is not on the itinerary: "Something's not right."

His hunch is correct:  The hotel lost Tour Guide Cristina's reservations, so she's scrounging for something at the last minute.

All the agent has: The Marquez, a horrible pink block under the train tracks. 

The Manager (Paulo Pires, butt and back cock left) gives them the tour: "It's been a hospital, a convent, a prison, an opium den, even a brothel .  It survived the 1755 earthquake and tsunami, when every other building in Lisbon was destroyed."

Scene 3: They retreat to their rooms.

Photo-taking lady gets mysterious messages from someone planning to meet her in Lisbon.

Daniel arranges his desk properly, while his parents put up the paintings he needs. He's definitely queer coded.

The staff brought Fabio's suitcase into Suspicious Girl's room by mistake.  She opens it: clothes, ring, watch, a lot of cash, and a check.  Before she can investigate further, he knocks to retrieve it. 

More after the break. Caution: Explicit.