Boys For Sale: The Forgotten

Boys For Sale, a 1981 forgotten documentary in which Dr. Tom Philpott explains his findings about the abuse of underage male prostitutes in 1970s Houston, Texas. It highlights the abuse, exploitation, and violence faced by vulnerable boys, often at the hands of well-respected individuals, while exposing the failure or complicity of law enforcement and government. In 1991, it was alleged that Tom Philpott had committed suicide. But back in 1982, in an in-depth article published in Texas Monthly, Tom revealed that he had been shot at and had received death threats concerning his active role in exposing this organized criminal activity. That article was titled “The Case of the Campus Crusader.” Tellingly, investigations into “Boys for Sale” ceased after Dr. Philpott’s death.