Advocate Men (November 1988), Part One

In 1873, the United States’ federal government – encouraged by the efforts of postal inspector Anthony Comstock – passed the Comstock Act to criminalize the shipment of obscene material through the United States Postal Service. The law had long-lasting effects on the creation and distribution of adult-themed material, especially for gay men during the first half of the twentieth century. As a result, photographers like Bob Mizer carefully crafted their physique magazines to masquerade as fitness journals to prevent any potential fines and prison sentences. With the abolishment of Denmark’s censorship laws in 1963, a chain reaction amongst other Western civilizations occurred throughout the span of the 1960s. In the United States, the Supreme Court case of Stanley v Georgia in 1969 permitted the production, distribution, and possession of pornography. In response, many physique magazines transitioned from loin cloths to full-blow nudity; however, fears persisted. In this November 1988 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts), a writer to the periodical’s sexpert attests to these lingering anxieties, with them asking if photography developers have to report sexual images they develop to the police. Also contained in this first half is a Donelan cartoon, the short stories “Owed to a Wet Sleeping Bag” (where a college freshman’s desires for his classmate come to fruition during a spring break camping trip) and “The Trap” (where the narrator’s fondness for being a cock-tease eventually catches up to him), and photos of models Eddie Dillon and Jon Vincent.

Blueboy (November 1980)

When Italian immigrants began their exodus from Italy into the United States during the second half of the nineteenth century, society labelled them – particularly those from southern Italy – as threats to the nation, depicting this migrant group as uncivilized brutes who were violent and sexually voracious. It was a stereotype which had been applied to other immigrants in decades prior, including the Irish during the 1840s. By the 1970s, filmmakers like Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorsese and actors such as Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta were using storytelling to counter these depictions with varying degrees of success. One unforeseen side effect, as film historian Barbara Mennel argues, was the fetishization of the working-class masculinity of young Italian American men. This can be seen in the article by Jerry Rosco in this November 1980 issue of Blueboy where he depicts Italian American men as “sexy…and dangerous,” melding the stereotypes of the nineteenth century with the eroticized image of the 1970s. Also contained in this issue are listings of gay-themed events occurring in San Francisco and Texas. NOTE: THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE WAS FOUND INCOMPLETE AMONG THE BOXES OF MAGAZINES; HENCE, ITS SPARSE PRESENTATION.

Honcho (October 1979), Part Two

In his mid-twenties when he began modeling for Colt Studios, Hank Ditmar appeared in two films: a camping-themed scene with Mark Rutter in Shack Up and a solo session in Blood, Sweat & Beers, both released in 1979. Although he only performed in two movies, Ditmar was featured in several photospreads for the studio, including their 1980 calendar where he dressed as a sailor. This October 1979 issue of Honcho (which has been broken into two parts) showcases Ditmar the same year as his film roles. Included in this second half (see the first half here) is a photospread praising the eroticism of leather, the short stories “Crotch Watch” (about an encounter in a Denver cowboy bar) and “Men at Work” (where a businessman becomes obsessed with the muscled construction workers erecting the building next to his office), and photos of model Chuck.