Here are 50 photos from 25+ years of dating by Houston's pioneering gay throuple
| 04/01/25
Meet Houston's trailblazing throuple
Courtesy Langdon Manor Rare BooksA collection of over 9,700 Polaroid photos capturing the lives of a historic throuple from Houston, Texas has been unearthed — and they're up for auction.
The photos, obtained by Langdon Manor Rare Books, span from 1964 to 1991, and showcase the polyamorous relationship between Jay Hollenburger, Arthur Slaughter, and Gary Grether, affectionately nicknamed JAG.
The three all began dating around 1970 when Hollenburger and Slaughter, who had been together since 1961, let Grether into their relationship. The two reportedly stated to each other, “I don't love you any less, but I love this man as well.”
The three lived openly as a gay throuple, as Slaughter was particularly adamant about the importance of being out, believing that society would be more accepting of the LGBTQ+ community if it understood them better. They would often throw elaborate parties, such as the annual 1970s party, “Follyball,” which combined drag shows with volleyball.
The three remained together until Grether and Slaughter died of AIDS in 1990 and 1995, respectively. Hollenburger passed away in September, 2024, and his photos were acquired at his estate sale.
Many of the pictures were taken during the three's parties, which archivists know the context for because Hollenburger recorded the date, place, and the first and last names of every person in nearly every photo. They believe that Hollenburger could have possessed over approximately 20,000 photographs.
Scroll to see some of the pictures, which will be for sale at the ABAA New York International Antiquarian Book Fair from April 3 to 6 at the Park Avenue Armory.
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