Advocate Men (September 1989), Part Two

In a letter submitted to the advice columnist in this September 1989 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts), the writer highlights the lack of information about intravenous drug use and AIDS. In the eight-year span since the first documented case and the writing of his letter, there were numerous campaigns – one involving actress Zelda Rubinstein – aimed at stopping the virus’ spread by educating men about condom use; however, few addressed the role of drugs. As the writer explains, recreational drugs were (and continue to be) common among gay men and many had not been informed about the role of dirty needles in the spread of HIV. In fact, the writer is not wrong. In the medical literature published in 1990, less than a dozen mention the part intravenous drug use plays in spreading the virus, with one discussing the impacts on homosexual African Americans and Latino Americans. This second half (see the first half here) contains reader-submitted stories about same-sex relationships in the military, the short story “The Heartbreak Pass Gang” (about a band of randy cowboys), and photospreads of models Tim Lowe, Maleko, and Andre Marquez.

Advocate Men (September 1989), Part One

In a letter submitted to the advice columnist in this September 1989 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts), the writer highlights the lack of information about intravenous drug use and AIDS. In the eight-year span since the first documented case and the writing of his letter, there were numerous campaigns – one involving actress Zelda Rubinstein – aimed at stopping the virus’ spread by educating men about condom use; however, few addressed the role of drugs. As the writer explains, recreational drugs were (and continue to be) common among gay men and many had not been informed about the role of dirty needles in the spread of HIV. In fact, the writer is not wrong. In the medical literature published in 1990, less than a dozen mention the part intravenous drug use plays in spreading the virus, with one discussing the impacts on homosexual African Americans and Latino Americans. In addition to this letter, the first half of this issue contains the short stories “Tunneling” (where the narrator cruises the tunnels under his university) and “With a Mind of Its Own” (where the narrator still pines for the man he loved in college) and photospreads of models Nick Harmon and Axel Rod.

Honcho (August 1986), Part Three

In his examination of master-slave bonds, Robert Rubel discusses the relationship dynamics between masters and slaves, exploring the parallels between this union and marriage. As he explains, master-slave relationships typically begin with a contractual agreement akin to vows where members voice their total commitment to the union. Likewise, the collar – similar to the wedding ring – symbolizes their bond and collaring ceremonies “are regarded as effectively solemnizing their relationship in the same way as a marriage ceremony.” Both of these notions can be seen in two short stories contained in this August 1986 issue of Honcho (which has been broken into three parts): David May’s “Unnatural Song” and John Preston’s “Audition for a Muscle Slave.” In this final third (see the second part here), the short story “Hot Night Cruising” (about the thrill of hunting potential hookups at a local park) is accompanied by photo spreads titled “Big, Bigger, Biggest,” “Mr. High Rise,” and “Untamed Wilderness.”