Badpuppy founder and president Bill Pinyon (right) with partner Steven

Today, the Badpuppy offices still sit on the side of the tallest hill in Central Florida, not far from Kennedy Space Center. Walking through its halls now as I did when I was hired, I note how its staff is almost entirely the same crew, young men and women whose affection for Bill and his lover Steven remains a constant, and who, when communicating with the Badpuppy membership, happily exercise a renowned personal touch.

Bill Pinyon appointed me GayToday's Senior Editor. Naming the new publication himself, he envisioned it as a news source that would double as a free service for both members and non-members alike. I jumped at this chance to return to the editorial desk, laughing at what felt like a near-mystical development.

In 1969—in Manhattan-- I'd co-edited GAY with my lover, Lige Clarke. It had been America's first gay weekly newspaper. Suddenly-- 28 years later here in Florida--GayToday, thanks to Bill Pinyon, had put me at its helm. Meeting Bill, I thought how he and Steven were pioneering today, just as Lige and I had done in the long-ago.

Bill Pinyon: Steven and I have been really blessed that we share similar ideals, views of life and about people and how to approach everyday situations. We know how to communicate with each other and it has been that way since day one. Although Badpuppy was initially my dream he's stood beside me and made it his dream as well. We have had our stresses over the business. There have been many nights when I've just come home from the office and sit down at my desk, leaving him alone. Now that we have a support team we're able to spend a lot more free time together.

Jack Nichols: Tell us about the Badpuppy staff. There's been almost no turnover during the last three years, and that speaks well not only for the stability we feel as employees, but for your management style. Looking within, how do you describe that style?

Bill Pinyon: In a nutshell we treat every employee the way we would like to be treated if the roles were reversed. We allow each individual the opportunity to excel in one of many areas that benefits Badpuppy. I think that because a majority of the staff is gay you don't see any prejudicial issues.

Jack Nichols: One thing I like is that Badpuppy is clearly an equal opportunity employer. There are people working for you old and young, gay and straight, male and female, black and white. And yet they're all working on one of the largest gay sites in the world. How do Badpuppy's straight employees fit in? Bill Pinyon: Our first paid employee was Ruth, a straight woman I met through a co-worker at the Space Center. We hire people for their talents. We don't discriminate against people because of sexual orientation because we're also an Internet Service Provider and sometimes have qualified applicants walk through the door looking for work. We are up front with any potential employee about what all goes on at Badpuppy. Of the 23 employees, seven are straight and all are instrumental, in some way for delivering Internet content.

Related Articles from the GayToday Archive: Badpuppy Takes Part in a Major Internet Merger Review: Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay & Lesbian Press in America James T. Sears: Author of the Lonely Hunters Related Sites: Badpuppy GayToday does not endorse related sites.

Jack Nichols: Tell me more about your handsome lover, Steven. How long have you been together, and when did you meet? Can you get personal a little about the early days of your romance?

Bill Pinyon: Steven and I met August 22, 1993 at a friend's house where he was helping paint. I found out later that it was his birthday weekend and was invited to his party. The night of his party he asked me for my phone number and called the next day asking me out. We went out a couple of times and then he just never left. Our relationship is incredible. He is everything that I am not and vice versa. We have always just worked great together. It is really funny because we very seldom argue. We both agree that there is just not anything in life worth fighting about. Steven and I are lucky in that we are also friends. We share a lot of the same interests.

Jack Nichols: Bill, what about your life before you met Steven…where were you born, how did your family relate to your being gay, and what had you then discovered about gay life before Steven came along?

Bill Pinyon: I grew up in Pensacola Florida, one of two sons in a very religious family. My dad was an ordained Baptist minister and my education was at private Christian schools. My dad and brother are not bothered by my being gay; but, my mom is a different case. She doesn't approve and wishes that I would get married and have kids.

Jack Nichols: You're a Southerner and Steven's a Michigan Yankee. Don't you ever notice subtle differences between the two of you on that account?

Bill Pinyon: Strangely enough we are not that different. Our taste in food is what can be different. I am more adventuresome than he is and will try a lot of things. He likes to stick to the more basic type of food. Makes it difficult in cooking because he won't eat a lot of what I cook unless it is "meat and potatoes."

Jack Nichols: You were originally with NASA, which is located nearby at the Kennedy Space Center. How did you decide to leave your post there and to set up Badpuppy? And once Badpuppy was underway in 1995, how long was it before you decided to quit your NASA position? Did you feel nervous making the jump?

Bill Pinyon: One day my supervisor walked into my office and told me about a new technology that they wanted to implement. It was called the Internet. One thing that I have not mentioned was that I had always wanted to run a BBS (Bulletin Board System).

A BBS is a computer that people can dial into with a modem from another computer and access information stored therein. With the Internet I was able to put up a "BBS" that was accessible by hundreds at the same time. I decided to leave the Space Center about 10 months after we started. Steven and I both talked about leaving our jobs and running Badpuppy full time. We quit the same day and never looked back.

Jack Nichols: When you left NASA, if I'm not mistaken, you invited Max, a married heterosexual, to join you and now he's one of Badpuppy's leading lights. You and he are very good friends. Tell me more about Max.

Bill Pinyon: We worked together at the Space Center as fellow administrators in the network group. I came out to Max shortly after taking my position at Kennedy Space Center. He was really cool with it and because of our "meeting of the minds", I really began to trust him and discuss things with him that could not be discussed with others.

We discovered a mutual interest in the technology of web sites and began designing the ultimate dream. He had the experience necessary to keep up with my demands and me. He is now the lead programmer and Chief Financial officer. His passion and love for Badpuppy is second to mine and Steven's. I often refer to him as my second father.

Pinyon (right) with partner Steven at Niagara Falls

Bill Pinyon: Again, devotion like this you just cannot find anywhere. Since day one we've had a rule that all e-mail is answered within 24 hours and a real person will answer all phone calls. Customer service is what you are getting with Badpuppy. Jeff and Lisa are usually the first points of contact people will have when they're experiencing problems or need their questions answered.

Jack Nichols: What are some of the most exciting developments in which Badpuppy has progressed in the last five years?

Bill Pinyon: I love our computer room. Five years ago we had only one 286 computer with a 28.8 dial-up connection to the Internet. Now we have our own DS3 connection to the Internet and it takes 17 servers, routers, switches and hubs to run one of the most sophisticated and secure systems developed for an adult web site. Yeah, the cute naked guys are OK but give me the network and programming. I believe that this is what gives Badpuppy our technological advantage. There are three of us on staff who once worked in the network area at Kennedy Space Center. The other person is Ferrell and he runs the network and servers. He and his assistant, Brad keep us running at full steam at all times.

Jack Nichols: What are some of the things you like best about Badpuppy?

Bill Pinyon: I love the Forums. There are so many ideas exchanged in that area . It is a great place to really learn how a fellow Badpuppy member thinks. Of course I like the models, it is a nice benefit. In some way every single part of Badpuppy has to be special otherwise it would not be part of the Badpuppy community. I just wish I had more time to enjoy what we have.

Jack Nichols: Your proud Florida license plate, especially made, says "Badpuppy". When you're out and about in public in your car, what kind of reactions do you get ?

Bill Pinyon: Well, not too much around here. As you know I live in a rather small town so it is pretty cool. It is nice once in a while to have another car pass me that has a rainbow sticker on the back end and a hand sticking out of the window doing the "thumbs up". That's when I get a really big smile and the pride comes out.

Jack Nichols: The Badpuppy Forums, you say, are a telling demonstration of the sorts of things that concern the site's membership. Every conceivable topic gets covered and commented upon. I note you sometimes alert the membership to new site developments via these Forums. What else?

Bill Pinyon: The emotions shared with others, people coming out, friends yelling at each other, friends dying, enemies becoming friends again and people finding love. All of this have I witnessed and in some ways I've even been part of the specific Forum discussions. Far better than chat could ever be.

Jack Nichols: Badpuppy's collection of male nudes would take a lifetime to peruse, it seems. The number is climbing somewhere up toward a million, isn't that so? I know that many of these pictures come from Badpuppy's photographers, and that members of the Badpuppy staff takes off some afternoons to do photo shoots of the naked hunks. Do you still go out on these shoots? Tell me about the picture collections.

Bill Pinyon: I know its over 500,000 images; but I've lost count. I don't know if one could ever get through everything. Content is added somewhere on Badpuppy daily so it is really hard to keep up with all of it. We do have two staff photographers and yes they do get to do a lot of shoots. We also try to purchase work that is submitted on a daily basis from photographers and models themselves. I don't get to get out on the photo shoots too much anymore. There are some that I wish I could watch; however, I leave that to the real experts.

Jack Nichols: Various sites offer various male types. Badpuppy models are mostly the boys next door, isn't that so?

Bill Pinyon: Yes, I guess that you can say we are filling a niche market.

Jack Nichols: You and Steven are building a home. You guys have got pets, right? And you seem to like semi-rural living, with gardening and lawn care and all those things condo dwellers, like me, avoid. Tell me about this new house. What are some of the special features you've planned?

Bill Pinyon: This is our second house that we have built. Shortly after we met we decided to get out of the condo life and have something to call our own. Also we would hate to keep our dog cooped up in the condo with nowhere to run. Biggest benefit to the new house is that its within bike riding distance to the office.

Jack Nichols: Badpuppy's already five years old. What are some of the technical developments you envision in 2005 and how will Badpuppy take advantage of them?

Bill Pinyon: Virtual Interaction will take Chat, Email and Video Conferencing to all new heights. You will be able to see, touch and talk to another virtually created entity. I'll let your imagination do the rest.

Jack Nichols: What are some of the things you've learned about America's (and the world's) gay communities—things you hadn't previously thought about—even though you'd come out prior to creating Badpuppy?

Bill Pinyon: I think gay people are more compassionate than most. Over the last few years I've observed many groups coming together for the good of people in need.

Jack Nichols: An historian, Dr. James T. Sears, author of Lonely Hunters: An Oral History of Lesbian and Gay Southern Life and Growing Up Gay in the South, is writing a 5-volume history series covering the gay and lesbian South. Dr. Sears plans to cover your work and the Badpuppy phenomenon. I'd say that that's quite a compliment. It shows you've already made history in a very short period. How does it feel to be already an historic relic while still in your mid-thirties?

Bill Pinyon: Awestruck. I thank the universe every day for the opportunity that 's been handed to me.

Jack Nichols: Bill, I'm glad you've been able to take time out of your busy schedule for this very first GayToday interview in the new century. I want to thank you for the loving support you've given to me and to GayToday—and to all of Badpuppy's staff.

Bill Pinyon: You are very welcome Jack.