What It Was REALLY Like to Be a Gay Star in the ’80s

Mickey Squires (real name Richard) was one of the iconic faces of gay film in the late 1970s and early 1980s. With his chiseled looks, signature mustache, and confident on-screen presence, he became a defining figure of the Castro Clone era and a staple of Colt Studio’s golden age. But behind the camera, Mickey saw the industry for what it was... work, not fantasy. His story is one of survival, self-awareness, and unexpected legacy. Decades later, Mickey is still standing, now working in Palm Springs and reflecting on a generation of queer men lost, and the rare few, like him, who lived to tell the tale.