Numbers (October 1980), Part Two

In 1956, after four years of service in the United States’ Army, Roy Blakey joined the ice revue at Chicago’s Conrad Hilton Hotel, where he fostered a passion he acquired while stationed overseas in Germany. As his ice-skating career blossomed, he began to take photography classes and created a makeshift darkroom in the hotel’s bathroom. In 1967, after nearly a decade on the rink, Blakey retired from ice-skating and pursued his second passion: photography. In 1972, he self-published his first book of male nudes and launched a photography career that made him a major name in the realm of homoerotic photography. This October 1980 issue of Numbers (which has been broken into two parts) offers a showcase of Blakey’s work, including a picture of George Payne. Included in this second half (see the first half here) is the short story “A Lost Man” (a murder-mystery that deals with sexuality and family tension), a poem titled “Pitstop Poetry,” a Halloween-themed comic, and photo spreads titled “A.W.O.L.” and “Rawhide.”

Numbers (October 1980), Part One

In 1956, after four years of service in the United States’ Army, Roy Blakey joined the ice revue at Chicago’s Conrad Hilton Hotel, where he fostered a passion he acquired while stationed overseas in Germany. As his ice-skating career blossomed, he began to take photography classes and created a makeshift darkroom in the hotel’s bathroom. In 1967, after nearly a decade on the rink, Blakey retired from ice-skating and pursued his second passion: photography. In 1972, he self-published his first book of male nudes and launched a photography career that made him a major name in the realm of homoerotic photography. This October 1980 issue of Numbers (which has been broken into two parts) offers a showcase of Blakey’s work, including a picture of George Payne. Also included in this first half is a photo spreads titled “Muscle Buddies.”

Mandate (October 1996), Part Two

Using the lawsuit Cary Grant brought against Chevy Chase and the Tomorrow Show in the 1970s as a case study, Milton Rexford’s article “Gay Trials,” found in this October 1996 issue of Mandate (which has been broken into two parts), explores how closeted celebrities will use frivolous lawsuits to reaffirm their perceived heterosexuality. As Rexford explains, societal disdain for homosexuals – particularly gay men – forces some celebrities to sue as a means to counter claims about their sexuality. As the author claims, it would be wiser for the celebrity to simply ignore these claims or courageously confirm them. Included in this second half (see the first half here) is the short story “Dirty Trick” (where a hook-up in New York’s West Village leads to obsession and stalking) and photo spreads of models Mr. Curtis, Tom, and Tony.