Homoerotic Archaeology: Bolt (August 1991), Part Two

Friday, August 28, 2020

Bolt (August 1991), Part Two

As historians D. Duane Cummins and William Gee White highlight, the United States, following World War I, experienced an economic prosperity paralleled only by the Eisenhower opulence that would emerge decades later in the 1950s. At the heart of this affluence was the appearance of the automobile, which granted the nation a mobility unfathomable to previous generations and fostered economic development. It also, according to the photographic showcase “Sex on Wheels” in this August 1991 issue of Bolt (which has been broken into two parts), provided Americans with a new mode for sexual exploration. The second half of the magazine (see the first half here) features spreads of models Chad Knight, Johnny Rahm, Michael Skor, and James Westlynd.

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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.