Invisible Boys: Gay agony tropes with four Australian boys facing a homophobic 1950s society in 2017. You'll need to see some d*cks.

 

Link to the d*cks

Invisible Boys just dropped on Hulu: a 2025 Australian tv series set before the same-sex marriage "plebescite" (referendum) in 2017, featuring four gay boys in Geraldton, Western Australia (on the coast, 420 km north of Perth).  I was going to click on "play," but then I read the episode synopses.  And reviews.  And the Reddit discussion.  

And I noped my way out of there. 

Boy #1: 17-year old Charlie (Joseph Zada)  is outed after his hookup with a married man (didn't the multicolored hair and makeup give people a clue?).  He is instantly rejected by everybody at his high school, because of course gay people are always outcasts, hated and shunned by the straights. 

Boy #2: 19-year old Matt (Joe Klocek, top left) starts dating Charlie, but their relationship is stymied due to the need to pretend they are straight buddies.

Boy #3:  Zeke (Aydan Califiore) is dealing with the toxic masculinity of his macho Italian-Australian family, where the worst thing you can be is a poof.  He suffers from depression and body dysmorphism, and contemplates self-harm.

When Ian (Isaac Davies, left) shows him a gay video and starts getting grabby, he angrily says "What are you doing?" and sends him away.

Left: Australian actor and singer Aydan Calafiore has over 700 photos on the teen idol site.  Here he's trying to strangle his boyfriend.  But he looks nothing like the Aydan Califiore gettng cruised in the above photo.  They must be different people. 

On RG Beefcake and Boyfriends: Photos of Aydan doing the deed, and random Aussie n*de dudes.

Boy #4: Alpha male Hammer (Zach Blamfied, left, at Melbourne Fashion Week) has always been a "man's man," into sports, beer, and hanging with his buds, and hating poofs.  But then his girlfriend decides that she's ready to go to the next level, and he's not up to the task.  Could he be gay?

But he wants to become a pro soccer player, and of course that would be impossible for a gay man.

Zeke (Boy #3) and Hammer are attracted to each other, but their romance is stymied by having to hide from their homophobic families, friends, and teammates, and the fact that they hate themselves for being gay.  "Everything I can't have in this world is due to liking men" (Pose). 

More after the break.  Caution: it gets more depressing, but there are cute guys.

Which of the actors named Brandon Stewart is gifted beneath the belt? Gay, straight, Australian, Spanish? With many examples.

 Link to the n*de dudes

Brandon Stewart appeared on AZ Men showing us his rather impressive beneath-the-belt gifts, but with no other identifying information.  The name sounds familiar, but the only Brandons I've profiled are teen idol Righteous Gemstones guest star Brandon Johnston (below) and teen idol Brandon Spink (bottom photo).

Another photo for reference.

He looks a little like Brandon Johnston, but the entry said Stewart, and there are at least a dozen Brandon Stewart actors out there.

N*de photos of all of these actors are on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends

The three who pop up most often in internet searches:

1. Born May 24th in Louisville, Kentucky.  He has 27 acting credits and 36 production credits, but not in anything I have ever heard of: Guess Clue, Drylands, The Brass Rails, Claire Rock Smith. The Dolls, Little Hollywood.

I've gone through his social media posts. He's probably gay, but he looks nothing like our Brandon.

2. Born in Cooper, East Texas. He's got 11 acting credits on the IMDB, none that I've ever heard of: The Sand Dune, Eyewitness Bible Series, The Dead at Night, and Sovereign.  But he says that he got Director of the Year and Best Actor Awards from the Texas Indie Filmmakers.

Social media reveals that he's probably straight, but again, nothing like our Brandon.

More after the break. Caution: Explicit.

Airport Chaplain: Rebel cop...er, chaplain, job squabbles, personal angst, and eight gay guys, some with d*cks (Max has two)

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Link to the n*de dudes

When Airport Chaplain (2026) popped up on my Netflix recommendations, I was curious: I didn't even know that airport chaplain was a job.  Who needs pastoral counseling when they're awaiting their flight to San Diego?  So we'll check out the first episode.

 

We open with establishing shots of an an airport.  A hoodied person runs fast past Security Guard Ziv, who yells "Oi!  Stop, mate!"  I'm guessing this is England.  (Update: It's actually Australia) 

Gay Guy #1: Elias Anton (Ziv), backside on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends, starred with Thom Green (below) in the queer romance Of an Age (2022). 

Cute guy in the security station is monitoring the sitch. As the Chaplain gives money to a homeless person, he is notified of the runner and heads toward the International Terminal. 

He grabs the runner -- it's just a kid -- and calls off security.  The kid talks to him in Spanish -- which doesn't appear on the subtitles, darn it -- so the Chaplain runs off  to the the cleaner's trolley outside the Prayer Room, grabs a plush toy, and rushes back past Border Control without getting it scanned.  Border Control Johnny is hesitant, but Chaplain says it's an emergency.    

Gay Guy #2: Thomas Weatherall (Johnny), top photo, played a gay high schooler on Heartbreak High.

Gay Guy #3: Hugo Weaving (the Chaplain) is best known as the drag queen Tick in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994) and Elrond in the Lord of the Rings movies.

The Chaplain gets the kid to his Buenos Aires flight (the toy actually belongs to his baby sister).   Problem solved.  So that's what airport chaplains do.  I figured they would, you know, pray with people.

I checked online: most large airports, even in the U.S., have full-time or volunteer chaplains. The fliers and their loved ones aren't just grumbling over the long lines and cancelled flights; they are often going through emotional crises, and need someone to talk to -- or pray with.  

Cut to the Chaplain in his office, with a real snake, stuffed birds, and drawings from kids saying thank you for retrieving their teddy bears. He's handling the case of Nino, who needs his flight re-booked because he wasn't allowed on the plane with his pet dog.  Maybe the Chaplain or his wife can look after him while he's away?  (Heterosexual identity established at Minute 5).

The terminal manager comes in to complain that he was canned for poor reviews.  He's old, but he doesn't want to stay home, with a wife who's always either "hot or angry." (Heterosexual identity established immediately.)

"By the way, the new Terminal Manager won't approve of rebel cops...um, I mean chaplains...who have unconventional methods and ignore the rule book."

Next, the Chaplain is called to the case of Alex Zhang, an Australian citizen returning from Shanghai.  His father died on the the flight, so the passengers are understandably upset.  The Chaplain calls Border Control Johnny to ensure that he gets through customs quickly, and Head Baggage Handler Lex to ensure that the body is taken to the holding area..  

Gay Guy #4:  Queer actor Erroll Shand (Lex) played a closeted lawyer in Outrageous Fortunes, and a gay prince in Our Flag Means Death and 

The Chaplain goes down to the holding area to comfort Alex, who is on an "I'm very important!" business call.  Not grieving much, are you , buddy?

He explains the procedure: get an ok from the coroner, then transport the body to a funeral home.  Alex hadn't thought of that.  Not on your ten-hour flight from Shanghai to Melbourne?

"So...um...were you and your father close?"

"Not really.  Pardon -- work call."

"Would you like me to...um...pray for him?"  

"We're Buddhist."  Chaplain takes that as an invitation, and says a Buddhist prayer over the coffin.

Back to the office, where Border Security Johnny is hanging out with -- and flirting with -- Nino the Dog Guy.

Gay Guy #5: Queer actor Nicholas Denton (Nino) played gay or gay-vague characters in Dangerous Liaisons and the vampire drama Talamasca. 

Chaplain has a solution to the dog problem: Crate him and transport him in the hold.  It will cost an extra $2,400 ($1,700 U.S.).

"Nope, can't afford it.  Besides, it would be cruel to crate him for such a long flight.

More gay guys after the break

Kobey Pinnell: Bondi Beach bodybuilder is into shoes, but is he also into dudes?

 I'm following Daniel Bos, the probably gay Aussie bodybuilder who appeared as one of the Brothers Ferox on Spartacus: House of Asher.  He hooked me up with Aussie muscleman Kobey Pinnell.

I don't usually give the full names of non-actors, but  Kobey has 34,000 followers on Instagram and 18,000 on TikTok, so he'll probably be ok with the 1,000 or so pageviews that this profile will get.

Not much biographical information. Kobey grew up in Blacktown, a suburb of Sydney, where he was on the Skid Scooter Team and competed in the Paralympics.

He attended Patrician Brothers College, a Catholic boys' high school, graduating in 2022.

 His social media doesn't reveal a lot about what he's been doing since high school.  He displays his physique and shows off his clothes. 

Especially his shoes.  Dud has a separate shoe room in his house. 

Other than clothes and his physique, Kobey posts photos of Sydney sights, meals, and male friends.  No women, except when an older couple, maybe his parents, take him to Egypt.

We all know what happens at Bondi Beach. 

More after the break

Deadloch: A Lesbian detective, a n*de male body on the beach, a chunk brother, Luke Hemsworth, and a seal. In Tasmania, probably

 

Usually tv series about a small-town murder begin with a a dead woman (whose naked body is featured), and a male and a female detective are assigned to the case, and fall in love.  In Deadloch, on Amazon Prime, it's a dead man and two female detectives: a big genre change.  

Scene 1: Night.  Two women walk through the town of Deadloch to the beach, where they stumble upon a n*ked man, dead, face up.  One accidentally drops her cigarette onto his extremely impressive p*nis (don't worry, he's not really dead, so it's ok to look).

Cut to the mayor being interviewed on tv about Deadloch's summer festival, an important event for the Tasmanian coastal community.  We see a lot of underwear hung up to dry.  Two women, Dulcie and Cath, are doing bedroom stuff  (fully clothed, thank God). Then Cath goes to workat Deadloch Veterinary Services, and Dulcie (pronounced DULL-CEE) gets a call  about the murder!

Scene 2: Dulcie, the head Constable, and her team, Abby and Sven (Tom Ballard, left), examine the body.  

He's got tattoos from the Deadloch Football (Soccer) Club, and another  of footballer Trent Latham.  So he's a football fan.

The Commissioner calls and refers to the body as "she."  Dulce informs him that it's a "he."  Surprised, he muses: "This sort of thing, you expect a woman." 

 99.99% of the time, yes/  I can't tell you how often a tv series or movie blurb on Netflix begins with "When a woman's body is found."

"Forensics is coming, and we've recruited a detective from Darwin, to lead the case.  Until they arrive, you're in charge."  Darwin?  But that's on the other side of the country from Tasmania, a 7-hour plane flight.  Maybe they mean Darwin Street in Hobart? But that's just a residential street, with no police department.    Did I make a mistake, and this is actually set in the Northwest Territories?

Scene 3: The Deadloch Football Club.  "Where's coach?"   Cut to forensics examining the crime scene.   Constable Dulcie calls her wife to tell her about being assigned to the case.  "But you promised, no more detective work!"

The teenage Tom (Harry Radbone, left) shows up, and recognizes the body as his coach.  Coach's Wife and her son have been notified, and show up screaming.  Someone tackles the Wife to to keep her from seeing the body -- unsuccessfully.  

Dulcie interviews the Wife about their movements last night: "We ate tuna mornay, watched Ninja Warrior, and went to bed and made love."  

"Can anyone verify that?"  Um...the making love part?  "Yes, my son heard us." 

"Did The Coach go to the Beast Master Gym that his brother Gavin co-owns?"  Notice how skillfully they engage in plot exposition?  "No, Gavin was at the harbor putting decals on the boat for their new business, Pro-Bro (protein for bros)."

More after the break

Spellbinder: Shirtless hunks in a Polish-Australian fantasy series, including Zybch Trofimiuk and Ryan Kwanten

Spellbinder (1995) which aired on the Disney Channel in 1996, one of the imported Australian series (others included Ocean Girl and Round the Twist) that would eventually be supplainted by the home-grown Even Stevens, Suite Life of Zack and Cody, and Hannah Montana. 

The title is precursor of those annoying one-word Netflix titles: it doesn't describe anything, and it really should be plural. 

But the series was unique: Australian-Polish science fiction-fantasy series about alternative realities.  It starred Zybch Trofimiuk as Paul Reynolds, an Australian boy who somehow finds himself in a Medieval world.  Everyone is terrified of the powerful Spellbinders, who look and chew up the scenery like villains out of Power Rangers.

Paul meets a girl, Riana (Gosia Piatrowska) and together they find a way back to his world.  But now the Spellbinders know that the other world exists, and they want to invade it.

The plotline sounds heterosexist.  Except Paul and Riana never fall in love; indeed, when they return to Earth, he introduces her as a "cousin from Iceland."  And he has a best friend, Alex (Brian Rooney).  When Paul vanishes, Alex is distraught.  When he returns, Alex grabs him with an enormous hug, treating him precisely as a lover.

Plus there were very memorable scenes of Paul changing clothes and taking a bath: a chest shot that endures through the years.

Zybch had a few acting roles before Spellbinder, notably Mike Masters, an astronomer's son, in Sky Trackers (1994). 

 Afterwards he retired from acting, returning for Clean (2005), not to be confused with Clean (2005) about a singer battling drug addiction.  This one stars Zybch as Kane, a boarding school boy who "confronts his own mortality" in a "climate of deception and s*xual intrigue, yearning and adolescence."  Huh?  

In 2024 he was profiled in The Sun: he is now an English as a Second Language teacher, with a wife and kids.  The article says that he is "almost unrecognizable," but he looks about the same to me.  Could we check out your chest, buddy?

Brian Rooney has 22 acting credits, most recently in episodes of Mr. In-Between (2021) and Wolf Like Me (2023).  He's also a Broadway actor with credits including Macbeth, The Cherry Orchard, and Jekyl and Hyde (if it's the same guy).

Sequel after the break

Blair Jackson's Hot/Humorous Photos, Part 1: Wicked Lips, Fierce Friday, and what happened in Australia in the summer of 2016

This is a collection of hot or humorous photos of actor/model Blair Jackson, who becomes Kelvin's nemesis in Righteous Gemstones Episode 1.4, "Wicked Lips." 

Link to the n*de photos

1. "Do my pits look too big?"

2. "Do my abs look too big?"

3. "What do you mean, I have to wear a shirt to be serviced?  I usually take off my shirt when I want to be...oh, you said 'served.'"

4. What happened in the summer of 2016, stays in the summer of 2016.

5. What happens in the library, stays in library.

6. Thai dreams of thighs.  And shoulders.  And....

More Blair  after the break

Knox Gibson: Australian swimmer, model, "Hunger Games" baddie, disability advocate. With some n*de costars and random twinks

 

Link to the n*de dudes

As of this writing Knox Gibson. aka Captain Knoxie,  is 17 years old,  so I won't be searching for n*de photos. But he's not shy about showing off his physique.

And I have some n*de photos of his co-stars and some random Australian twinks (on RG Beefcake and Boyfriends).

Knox grew up in Orange, NSW, a small town about 250 km (150 miles) from Sydney.  His first love is swimming: he was selected for the Australian Age National Championships four times, and placed for the breast stroke  (2021, 2024) and the individual medley (2023). 

He also swims for his high school, St. Stanislaus College in Bathhurst. In 2024, he represented NSW in the all-Australia School Sport Games, and won the silver medal in the breast stroke.

Knox's second love is modeling, both fashion and runway. 

In  2020, he wore Tommy Hilfinger for New York's Fashion Week.  

In 2023, the Bonds company did a "As Worn By Us" campaign, showing Australians of every age wearing their clothes.  Knox appeared as  "Age 16."

More after the break

"The Family Law": Chinese-Australian Boy Struggles to Come Out

 

The Family Law, on Hulu, is a sitcom about a Chinese-Australian family in Queensland: wildly inappropriate Mom, harried Dad (Anthony Brandon Wong), jock older brother (George Zhou, left), two sisters, and focus character, "life is unfair" Ben (Trystan Go).   Sort of like Malcolm in the Middle or The Goldbergs, except that at some point Ben comes out.  

Looking through the episode synopses, I don't see any indication of romantic interest for Ben, until Season 3 Episode 1:  When their parents are gone, Melissa and Ben "scheme to get into a Year 12 (high school senior) party, where there will be booze and -- more importantly for Melissa -- boys."  Obviously Ben is not out yet.

Episode 3: "Ben struggles with a crippling addiction to watching Klaus pump iron across the street, and is riddled with anxiety over what it means."

Episode 5: "Ben battles with his feelings toward Klaus."

Season and Series Finale: "Aunt Maisy's son has come out as gay and it's the end of the world." So they wait until the very last moment for Ben to come out!  Typical!  I'll watch Episode 3 instead.  Maybe there will be beefcake.

Scene 1: Ben peers through his telescope to watch across-the-street neighbor Klaus (Takaya Honda, left) working out.  Shirtless, extremely muscular!  In voice over, he talks about how dangerous an addiction is.  Sometimes you have to remove yourself.  He backs away.  

Scene 2: Dinner.  Sister Candy and her boyfriend Wayne (Sam Cotton, below) have an announcement.  Everyone thinks that they are engaged, but no, they're taking the family camping.  Wayne explains: "No distractions, no temptations."  Everyone hates the idea, except Ben,  who thinks this might get his mind off Klaus's muscles.

Scene 3: Getting ready for school.  Everyone except Ben is complaining about the camping trip: "Being raped and killed by dingos."  

In the B plot, divorced Mom had a date with Pete (Jeremy Lindsay Taylor), but -- vulgarity alert -- he...um...soiled his pants.This ain't the Goldbergs!   He doesn't want a second date: "It's not the right time."  Mom is crushed.

Scene 4:  Unpacking groceries.  Mom is still crushed.  Suddenly Klaus from across the street drops by: he accidentally picked up Ben's shorts after gym class.  The embarrassed Ben rushes into his room; Klaus follows, and finds the telescope Ben uses to spy on him: "Hey, I can see right into my bedroom!" Then he lies down on Ben's bed.  Ok, now you're deliberately teasing him.  

Scene 5: The next day at school, Ben complains to his friend: "He was in my bed, touching my junk (which means something different in Australia), overstepping his bounds!"  Klaus appears: he heard that they were going camping, so he's going to lend Ben his state-of-the-art sleeping bag: "But wash it first.  It still smells like me."  Ulp!

Scene 6: Packing up the car.  It's way overcrowded.  Off to the outback!

More after the break

The Many Faces of Sam McCarthy

Sam McCarthy stole the show on Dead to Me, flawlessly portraying Jen's teenage son as by turns vulnerable and angry, bitchy and endearing.  So naturally I wanted to research this up-and-coming teen idol.

He was born in 2002, son of former Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy.  He has been performing on screen since 2016, with guest roles in 4 tv series (The Family, The Jim Gaffigan Show, The Blacklist, Teen Wolf) and recurring roles in 2 (as main characters' teenage sons in Dead to Me and Condor).

Also a movie role: in All These Small Moments (2018), he plays the brother of a teenage boy who is infatuated with an older woman.

And the upcoming 18 to Party (2019), about some 8th-graders in 1984 trying to get into a nightclub.

Doesn't look like a lot of gay interest, but give him time.

An image search was not fruitful. There are dozens of "Sam McCarthy" different instagram, twitter, and facebook accounts.  It's a horrendously common name, and half the people who have it are girls.

This is definitely the right Sam, and I think the top photo is, too.

This is not the right one, but ripped anyway.




















Maybe what Sam looked like a few years ago.

Maybe what he will look like in about 10 years.

More after the break

"Adventure Beast": We Live on a Queer Planet

 

Big bear Bradley Trevor Greive, the "Tasmanian Grizzly," has sold over 25 million copies of his self-help and inspirational books like Dear Dad, Friends to the End, and The Simple Truth about Love.  He is also involved with print cartoons, tv, movies, stage shows, nature conservation, Russian cosmonaut training, and...well, he's written a book titled The Book for People Who Do Too Much.

He's married to a woman, and his books don't seem to be gay-inclusive: they're all about male-female romance and male-male friendship, no male-male romance.  A search on "Bradley Trevor Greive" and "gay" revealed only a comment from his book Looking for Mr. Right, advice for women on how to find a man:  "just because you're caring and sensitive doesn't make you gay."  But his new animated series, Adventure Beast, has an episode entitled "We Live on a Queer Planet," so I watched.

Scene 1:  Bradley (voicing himself), an "international animal expert," in the green room of a late-night talk show.  His niece/assistant Bonnie wrangles the animals: bats, a cave louse, cassowary, black swans.  Nerd assistant Dietrich (Josh Zuckerman, left) is star-struck over another guest, Canadian reality show star Nolan Tremble, twice voted Canada's sexiest man (so Dietrich is gay?).  Bradley's tuxedo is too tight, so he changes into his field clothes in front of them (no skin).  They are disgusted.  I guess Dietrich isn't gay after all.

Scene 2: The stage manager sees the black swans cuddling, and exclaims "Men and women!  It never works out."  Bradley explains that they're both male.  25% of male black swans are gay.  They mate for life, and raise a female's fertilized egg as their own.  Stage manager doesn't believe it, so he continues: almost every animal species exhibits queer behavior. 

Scene 3: We switch to see cuddling giraffes.  Bradley; "90% of male giraffe's behavior is 'homosexual.'"  (Yes, he uses the h-word).  Bonnie: "Just like me in high school."  Bradley is upset by the revelation, but goes on to show us male lions, water buffalos, mountain goats, and elephants screwing for fun and to achieve social harmony.  Female hyenas engage in oral sex (both male and female hyenas have penis-like organs).   Bonobo chimps are all bisexual, and use sex for conflict resolution.

More after the break