"Excuse my ignorance, but what does "MSM" stand for?"
Apparently it stands for males who have sex with males -Ake's "thing", apparently (wasn't tehre a film called 'Jake's Thing'?
I think Sen's pint is probably answered by regarding Ake's obsession as an acute case of latent or closet homosexuality - insecurity about his own
I've never come across anybody who crusades in the manner he does
Jim Carroll