Homoerotic Archaeology

Friday, February 6, 2026

Honcho (February 1982), Part One

In 2002, Jim Buzinski and Cyd Zeigler co-founded the National Gay Flag Football League to give gay men an avenue to participate in sports free from discrimination. Since then, the organization has grown to 200 teams in 28 leagues throughout Canada and the United States, with their annual Gay Bowl held during Columbus Day weekend. In this February 1982 issue of Honcho (which has been broken into two parts), an Alex cartoon teases at the idea Buzinski and Zeigler would make into a reality twenty years later. Also included in this first half are the short stories “The Deadline” (where tension between a journalist and his editor reaches a breaking point), “The Length of the Law” (about the narrator’s encounter with a police officer during a sweltering summer night), and “Navy Discipline” (where a sailor obeys every command from his captain), and photospreads titled “G.I. Prime” and “Hard Hat.”

Friday, January 30, 2026

Mandate (January 1984), Part Two

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Friday, January 23, 2026

Mandate (January 1984), Part One

Trekking through the counties of Mendocino and Sonoma in Northern California, the Russian River – obtaining its name from the Russian-American Company which operated outposts along its banks during the nineteenth century – is home to many small towns, including Duncans Mills, Forestville, and Guerneville. In 1978, a gasoline crisis prompted many gay men in San Francisco to substitute their gas-heavy trips to Palm Springs with short jaunts to these riverside towns, many only a half-hour drive from the metropolis. As its reputation grew, the Russian River established itself as a primary destination, birthing nude beaches and resorts formed by the Russian River Gay Business Association and becoming a popular filming location for adult movies like Raging Stallion’s Timberwolves and Monster Bang’s Trouser Trout. In this January 1984 issue of Mandate (which has been broken into two parts), an article by Andy Nyberg highlights the many gay-friendly attractions littering the river’s banks. Also included in this first half are reviews of the books Dreamlovers, The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse, and The Voltaire Smile, the short stories “Serviced…The Amtrak Way” (where the narrator meets a soldier while on a train to visit relatives) and “Undershorts” (an ode to underwear and the men who don them), and a photospread titled “Mounted.”

What is Homoerotic Archaeology?

In 2016, I discovered several discarded boxes at an estate sale. Under their flimsy flaps were hundreds of well-worn issues of homoerotic magazines from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. I purchased them out of mild intrigue and, as I perused their pages, I was startled to realize that something commonly disregarded as pornographic smut earnestly chronicled the evolution of gay culture: the social and sexual liberation of the 1970s, the crushing devastation from AIDS during the 1980s, and the gradual strengthening of the community in the 1990s. As a gay man, I was touched by the subtle narrative these publications told. As a historian, I was motivated to digitally preserve their content. And, as an educator, I was driven to create a platform to share that information freely with others interested in the progression of gay society. Homoerotic Archaeology is that venue. Here you will find the advertisements, articles, short stories, and (of course) pictures found in these magazines lovingly preserved and presented for future generations of gay men to enjoy and study.

Why Preserve Homoerotica?

As early as the 1970s, scholars such as June Rook have stressed the need to preserve homosexual history in an effort to combat repression and establish a cultural background for future generations. Much of the preservation process admirably focuses on the substantial works of homosexual artists and thinkers; however, it sadly ignores other elements quintessential to the community’s history, particularly homoerotica. Although frequently labeled obscene filth, homoerotica has, just like the significant creations of artists and thinkers, been a prevalent part of the group’s culture and has played an integral role in shaping identities and perceptions (consider how influential Tom of Finland’s hypermasculinity has been in molding the body ideals of modern gay men). Due to this factor, the conservation of homoerotica is just as essential as the preservation of major artistic and theoretical homosexual works.