Straight from the Heart: A Love Story

by Bob Paris

Former Mr. Universe Bob Paris and topflight model Rod Jackson tell how their marriage catapulted them from physique icons to international spokesmen for gay rights.

Genres: LGBT, Biography

336 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1995

Reviews

[Nathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a decent read. It’s probably best for those interested in Bob Paris’ life or those who are interested in queer athletes from the 20th century. I enjoyed it and gave me perspective for how resilient Bob was to pursue bodybuilding as a gay man in the 80s.

[Ian B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

‘The past is a foreign country,’ says L.P. Hartley in The Go-Between, ‘they do things differently there.’ Flashback to 1989 when the famous – and very handsome – professional bodybuilder Bob Paris marrying his boyfriend Rod Jackson in a Unitarian ceremony was an American talking point (and caused waves elsewhere as well). No family member attended the wedding; Paris’ beloved grandparents wrote to tell him he would burn in hell. This book, a memoir-cum-statement of intent, came out in 1994. Time has overtaken the groundbreaking events it traces, although the chapters on the duo’s early lives remain poignant and relatable.

The Jackson-Parises each had a strong component, not just of self-improvement but of wanting to improve the world for others. They embarked on a joint career as gay rights activists. ‘What we were able to do [through our] speaking engagements,’ writes Paris, ‘was to put a face on the “monster.” By sharing who we are and speaking straight from the heart about our lives together and our love for one another, they could see that we were people not alien creatures.’ A foreign country indeed. Along the way, they received death threats, Paris lost bookings and sponsorship as a bodybuilder, and they were criticised by sections of the gay press who accused them of trying to foist a conservative standard upon the rest of the community.

An activism based on the mutual devotion and happiness of those promoting it, of directing the public’s attention towards this whilst simultaneously dealing with external hostilities, would put a strain on any couple (this is acknowledged in the text), and the two men separated in 1996. One could argue that the Jackson-Parises' claims of being private people and disliking the spotlight are somewhat belied by the two volumes of photographs, one by Herb Ritts, one by Tom Bianchi, that came out before and after this book, but then, I suppose, fame is both a trauma and an intoxicant. No matter (some of those images are beautiful): what they did, at that time, was very brave, and obviously important to significant numbers of gay men and adolescents starved of positive role models.