Boys for Sale: The Shocking Underworld in the United States

The two-part program "Boys for Sale" is a sobering and eye-opening exploration of the tragic and shocking abuse of boy prostitutes in the United States. In Part I, Dr. Tom Philpott and former Editor of The Daily Texan, Mark McKinnon, who has written articles on the subject, discuss the physical abuse, torture, and killing that these children frequently face. They reveal that many of the men who participate in this "practice" are among some of the most respected people at the top levels of the U.S. corporate and governmental structures. The program also examines prominent cases of sexual abuse of boys and possible connections between child prostitution and the murder of black children in Atlanta.

Part I is enhanced by the use of segments from two 1979 documentaries, "Boys for Sale," produced for Channel 11 in Houston and Channel 13 in Atlanta. The documentaries provide a disturbing glimpse into the lives of young male prostitutes in Thailand, who are forced to sell their bodies on the streets to survive.

In Part II, the concluding segment of the program, the focus shifts to the press coverage and on the handling of the situation by the law enforcement and judicial systems. The program looks closely at the boys themselves: their backgrounds, how they got into "the life," why they stay in it, and how they feel about themselves. It reveals the extent of the threats and violence toward the people who have been active in exposing the situation and bringing it to the attention of the public.

Recorded in October 1981 and copyrighted in December 1983, "Boys for Sale" is a powerful and thought-provoking program that sheds light on a national scandal that has been largely ignored by the mass media. The program serves as a wake-up call to the nation, highlighting the brutal reality of child prostitution in the United States and calling for urgent action to protect the vulnerable children who are caught up in it.