Homoerotic Archaeology: Mandate (March 1983), Part One

Friday, March 8, 2019

Mandate (March 1983), Part One

One of the elements which set Blueboy and Mandate apart from their heavy-hitting peers, namely Honcho and Playguy, was their inclusion of articles with intellectual sustenance. The March 1983 issue of Mandate, which centers around a nautical theme, offers that in abundance. The first third of the publication, presented in this week's post, features the short story "The Sea Masters" (a tale about a college student who enlists on a sailing vessel during summer break and enjoys a voyage rife with domineering officers and lustful pirates), a photo spread with model Bill Bader, and an excerpt from John D'Emilio's Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities (a historical study of homosexuality and Senator Joseph McCarthy's Communist investigations).

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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.