NYT Sunday Queer Extravaganza: Alexis Bittar & Jack Miner, a forever gym match

Ooof, that plate to cake ratio

That oozing strawberry adds a certain je-ne-sais-quoi.

"His father, Robert Bittar, is of Syrian descent and his late mother, Helen Bittar, was of Irish-Catholic descent; both were professors. Mr. Bittar began selling jewelry on the streets of downtown Manhattan as a scrappy teenager."

How was the son of two professors "scrappy"?

Non-paywall link. They identify themselves as gay, by the way. That word is used five times in the article, "queer" none at all.

Also, "leafy Connecticut".

R4 Queer was in reference to the typical NYT treatment.

I prefer this sort of wedding.

Teen Alexis

I'm correcting myself. I see the first definition of scrappy is: having a strong, determined character, and willing to argue or fight for what you want:

Became a father at 54? Those poor kids. Nursing home visits for their teens.

Ha! I assumed Alexis is a white girl from Long Island

They met at the gym....

[quote]For about six months, they saw each other during their morning workouts, but didn’t speak or interact. That changed one day in November 2018, when, Mr. Bittar said, “for the first time, Jack gave me a blow job in the steam room"

The fact they used "Gay" instead of "Queer" gives them a lifelong pass from me.

Met at BLINK ten years ago. Interesting

The 🏪 bottom was standoffish. Until he was laid off?

Butter-colored linen doesn't flatter mature white skin. Wouldn't an accessories designer know this?

That kind of cake? What is that. Homemade?

Celebration Cak!

[quote]He recalled thinking, “I’m not going to really give him much because he thinks he’s pretty cool.’” (edit) “I can be quite guarded, just as a coping mechanism for the world,” Mr. Miner said. “So I think that the sense that Alexis had was that I was a little bit aloof or something.” He added, “It’s not inaccurate. It’s not that I wasn’t interested, but I was not showing any interest.” For about six months, they saw each other during their morning workouts, but didn’t speak or interact. That changed one day in November 2018, when, Mr. Bittar said, “for the first time, Jack gave me eye contact and acknowledged me.” They chatted and made plans to meet outside of the gym.

This is Exhbit A: why contemporary gay life in NYC is STUPID and exhausting. And why I no longer choose to play the game.

And yes, I'm really sick of rich gay men in late mid-life buying designer surrogate babies. And the media finding this adorable.

[quote]Now married, the Bittars are preparing themselves for another change: The birth of a daughter, due next month via surrogate. Alexis Bittar said, “I think there was a feeling, with Jack coming into the family, that the family would expand in a new iteration.”

FFS. Enough already. Bittar will be at least 72 by the time this child is entering college.

What does your dad do for a living?

He designs lucite jewelry.

Oh, he makes tacky costume pieces. Cool…

I had no idea Alexis Bittar was a man. That jewelry is not cheap. There was a store on Madison Avenue around 80th street and also sold in major department stores.

Blink is low and dirty.

[quote] Became a father at 54? Those poor kids. Nursing home visits for their teens.

He is 54 now. The children (pictured) arrived in 2015. He will only be about 64 when they go to college.

He must be quite rich. His first company was BIG and he sold it to Brooks Brothers. He used to hot, too. Despite the weak chin.

Bitter, party of two!

They're both handsome.

If not stereotypically aloof status fuckers.

Do… “I like this bitter”? Yeah, that’ss how I’ll take my sgin & thonics.

Alexis is not 54 now, although he might claim to be. I've known him casually for decades. He's much closer to sixty.

He is incredibly wealthy because he sold his jewelry company years ago for about 100 million bucks, though he still designs the brand. He's really weird in person and very hot and cold. He always "runs the show" and now with millions of bucks and some degree of fame even more so. He was sexy to me until I really saw his weirdness. There's an edge to it I don't find appealing. He strikes me as a narcissist.

I think single gays having surrogate children is weird. I think kids deserve a mother, so sue me.

He's had work done.

How much does one pay the NYT to cover a gay summer wedding?

I can't decide whether finally getting with someone after they ignored you for six months is either indicative of a pathetic lack of self-value, or having read r31's post, if it's something darker

The guy with the hair and beard is marrying down.

Not sure, in what sense? If you have 100 million bucks and want a younger guy, most potential mates will certainly be poorer. He has no education and his career is jewelry designer. What social status does he have besides money?

[quote]He will only be about 64 when they go to college.

He'll ONLY be 64 when they are 20.

Read the thread. Apparently he is pushing 60 NOW.

[quote]Mr. Miner, 34, who was working at the fashion brand Bode at the time, noticed Mr. Bittar, too. “He’s saying hi and he knows everyone,” said Mr. Miner, who goes by Jack. He recalled thinking, “I’m not going to really give him much because he thinks he’s pretty cool.’” Admittedly, the reaction was, in part, a reflection of Mr. Miner’s personality. “I can be quite guarded, just as a coping mechanism for the world,” Mr. Miner said. “So I think that the sense that Alexis had was that I was a little bit aloof or something.” He added, “It’s not inaccurate. It’s not that I wasn’t interested, but I was not showing any interest.”

he's a jackass with a lot of mental issues. He probably withholds affection from the kids all the time too.

I give them less than 5 years.

I don’t think there is a problem with gay men using surrogates because of the no mommy issue - please. It’s the advanced age issue that’s fucked up. Waiting until you are 54 years old and single (older if the poster above is correct about him lying about his age) to decide to became a single parent is absurd.

If you genuinely wanted children and you had the money years beforehand like this guy, why are you waiting until your mid-50s?

Glad he’s marrying this guy from the gym - at least the kids will have another adult around in case anything happens to him. Being in your 20s and having to arrange care for an elderly single father is not fun.

Most of his jewelry is always marked down 60-70% off, bargain basement throwaway pieces for the Bergdorf social set.

[quote] Waiting until you are 54 years old and single (older if the poster above is correct about him lying about his age) to decide to became a single parent is absurd.

He is NOT single. He is having a kid with his younger husband.

[quote]His life changed in other ways though: In 2015, Mr. Bittar, now 54, became a single father with the arrival of twins, Sophie and Ivan, who were born via surrogate.

The only difference would be the age; if we accept the story age as accurate, he was 46/47 when he got kids

But everyone is ignoring the third: he and the hubby are expecting (ie, just bought and paid for) another child via surrogate.

There will be 3 children.

He looks 59yo

They look happy! Good for them!

Better than the fuck buddies who met on Grindr.