Pete Moffett.

Crosses rock drumming with being an out "bear" pinup 

Pete Moffett is the very model of a well-adjusted gay man. He just bought a home with his partner of seven years. His bond, Burning Airlines (he's the drummer), just released its new CD, Identikit. And since his 1999 Advocate interview, gay men around the world approach Moffett and thank him for coming out.

But 10 years ago Moffett was in the closet, "doing a lot of drugs and derailing," he says. Living in North Hollywood, Calif., and drumming for major-label punk rock act Wool, he grew discouraged with the life he'd been living, quit Wool, and headed east, settling in Greenbelt, Md., just 15 miles outside Washington, D.C.

"On the trek back I found my first copy of Bear magazine, and I was like, `Oh, I'm home,'" he says. "That's how I met my partner. I answered his personal ad, and it was love at first sight. Isn't it like a fairy tale? No pun intended."

Many musicians credit the indie rock scene with being more receptive to gays and lesbians, but Moffett sees its attitude of tolerance as more than mere acceptance. It saved his life. "My life in L.A. was an utter train wreck," he says. "I'd probably be dead if I were still in Wool, in all seriousness."