Peter Schutes is an imaginary gay historical figure with a rich backstory. He was born in the United States in 1896. After a brief study period at Harvard University, he enlisted and fought in World War I. After the war, he was incarcerated at Napa State Mental Hospital because of his homosexuality. When he was released, he came to Hollywood, where he became a hustler.Arrested for drug dealing, Peter escaped and fled to Kentucky. There, he worked in a coal mine, where he met his first real love. After the death of his lover, Peter retired to a bunkhouse in Montana, where he found an old typewriter and began exploring his fantasies in writing.

Eventually, after laws changed, he was able to publish his gay pulp fiction books in Denmark and then the United States.Peter returned to Los Angeles and lived out his days in the increasingly accepting society of that city. He died in Santa Monica, CA, in 1981. Except Peter Schutes didn't exist. He's a pen name.