Blending black and white film photographs with an in-depth, in-person interview, This Was Survival offers a glimpse into the life of seventy-five-year-old Patrick Batt and his longstanding gay porn store, AutoErotica. Born in a small town in Wisconsin in 1946 and running off to San Francisco with an older man in the 1960s, Patrick has led many lives--street kid, amateur model, business man, activist, drug dealer, son, Papa, inmate, outlaw, and devoted lover, among others. With some gentle nudging from the author, Patrick sheds his gruff exterior and invites the reader to bear witness to his stubborn life and legacy in this touching piece of non-fiction.