Openly Gay Bodybuilder/Athlete Bob Paris

I see he's a bender.

Maybe he wasn't the best in his cateory and didn't deserve to win

Professional bodybuilding is and has always been filled with gay men and those who run with trannies.

Bob Paris at least had courage to be true to himself and let chips fall where they may. Sadly it cost the guy in many ways professionally, but he's far happier both then and now.

Oh yes, Bob Paris was a damn fine looking man then and still is today.

What happened to his husband "Rod?" I can't find anything on the web about him.

He’s tiny.

Bob and Rod made a splash when their book came out. I think they were even on Oprah. At that time I was 23 and had just moved in with my first serious boyfriend. Like a lot of us in our 20s during the mid-1990s we were seeking something happy about gay life after nearly 15 years of AIDS news and every pop culture reference to gay men having something to do with death or mourning. Bob and Rob fit the bill—they were attractive and cheerful and seemingly in love. I bought the book for my boyfriend, probably in 1994.

The professional bodybuilder Paul Harris "revealed his marriage to his 'husband,' male model Rod Jackson, and the joy they shared in their 'children,' two dogs and a macaw named Barney." Bodybuilders give their bodies the attention that women give theirs, and do not show the gen­er al lack of consciousness of bodily appearance that normal men have.

^^^^^^apparently Rod Jackson likes 'em strong^^^^^^

r7 source:

Brace yourselves; a downright disgusting Christian article, but it does give some info on what Rod Jackson is doing these days.

Well this house of cards crashed years ago.

I wonder what became of the macaw?

R9 Wow. Rod is probably the last gasp of someone who was sorta famous once and could manage to leave no recent digital footprint. This very old blog post is the last mention I read of him, in addition to yours.

“Bob and his current spouse, Brian, live in Vancouver. They began dating in 1996, and were legally married after Canada made gay marriage legal in 2003. Bob continues to write, speak and act. He appeared most recently on the t.v. show, "Defying Gravity" in 2009. Unfortunately, we can't find any trace of Rod Jackson's current whereabouts. We know he's out there somewhere, but we don't know where, or what he's doing.”

Sidebar: I cannot tell if only Podle’s book review is homophobic or if Fussell’s actual book is, too. If only the former, I may read it.

Certified (or certifiable) eldergay here. I attended the March on Washington in 1993. My now-husband and I were riding to the march on a Metro car. Just by chance, we were standing (sharing a pole!) with Rod and Bob.

I remember them being surprisingly short (although perhaps that shouldn't have been a surprise), and one of them had a giant mole or growth on his chin. The other one coughed on me.

I recall thinking that they must have had to leave the driftwood at home. (If you're old like me, you'll understand that reference.)

R12 can you tell us what that means please?

Rod Jackson apparently is alive and well keeping a low profile living in CA.

Some people just don't to be bothered.

Correction:

Some people just don't *want* to be bothered.

Carry on!

R12 here. Bob and Rod had a book of photos featuring the couple in various poses. I distinctly remember one photo where they were hanging off of a giant piece of driftwood together.

^^^ The book was called “Duo” and the photographer was Herb Ritts.

They did 2 books one was shot by herb ritts and the other shot by DL fave Tom bianchi.

Duo...

Herb Ritts was another great talent and person we lost way too soon.

Rod Jackson probably has had sufficient for his lifetime and just wanted or wants to get on with his life quietly.

Bob Paris and his bit of news was everywhere then as were the couple. It was all very nice and positive in a way I suppose but such fame likely came at a cost. IIRC that notoriety put some stress on their relationship which lead to Rod Jackson and Bob Paris splitting apart.

Paris and Jackson were everywhere including Oprah, Donahue, etc...

Oprah..

Wrong link...

I remember seeing them as a teen in the early 90s and thinking "oh, gays can be a couple".

I enjoyed their book they wrote together. I bought it in 1994, when I was in my early 20s, and it was refreshing to have this kind of representation at that point in history. Sad to know that they broke up and everything came undone.