Homoerotic Archaeology: Advocate Men (June 1986), Part Two

Friday, June 12, 2020

Advocate Men (June 1986), Part Two

Staring in almost forty bisexual, gay, and straight pornographic films, Jeff Stryker, born Charles Casper Peyton, established himself as a legendary adult entertainer in the late 1980s and early 1990s; however, his talents extend beyond the realm of eroticism: he was featured in four international movies in non-sexual roles – the Italian drama Dirty Love (1988), the Italian horror film After Death (1989), the German made-for-television Der schwarze Fluch (1995), and the German short film Can I Be Your Bratwurst, Please? (1999) – and released a music album, Wild Buck, in 1993. The June 1986 issue of Advocate Men, which has been broken into two parts, features Stryker at the start of his career. Also present in the second half of this issue (see the first half here) is spreads of model Cole Carpenter and Bret Christensen, the short stories “Clean as a Whistle” (which explores a shaving fantasy between two movers) and “The Tempest” (where a rehearsal for a college performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest treads into sensual waters), a Fred Bisonnes cartoon, and discussions of Pan International Global Jerk Off’s first international jerk-off session and Chick Publication’s anti-gay comic books.

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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.