Homoerotic Archaeology: Honcho (October 1993), Part Two

Friday, October 18, 2019

Honcho (October 1993), Part Two

Founded in 1978 by Modernismo Publications, Ltd., the same publishers as Mandate and Playguy, Honcho, akin to its peers, began with a wide selection of articles, interviews, and showcases which strove to establish and perpetuate a gay identity as the liberation movement continued throughout the decade; however, as time progressed, many of these elements, like those in similar publications, were reduced to grant more space to photo spreads. The October 1993 issue of Honcho, broken into two parts, exemplifies this factor. Although the magazine still possessed advice columns and erotic fiction, the majority of its pages were devoted to homoerotic imagery. In the second half (see the first half here), an article on the scientific research into the prevalence of homosexuality and the short story “Back Alley Love” (about a beefy bouncer’s chance encounter with a teenager in a London alleyway) are accompanied by the photo spreads titled “Bursting at the Seams with Desire,” “Free to Be,” “Out on the Lonesome Trail,” and “U.S.M. Top Secret Weapon.”

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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.