Homoerotic Archaeology: Advocate Men (May 1988), Part Two

Friday, May 14, 2021

Advocate Men (May 1988), Part Two

As the AIDS epidemic swept throughout the world during the 1980s, both the scientific community and the general populace tried to understand its causes and ways to halt its spread. As a result, several myths emerged at the start of the epidemic which, despite advanced medical research, continued to linger at the end of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s. For instance, the second edition of the National Institute of Justice’s AIDS in Correctional Facilities – published in 1986 – acknowledged the Center for Disease Control’s finding that the HIV virus cannot be spread by showers or toilet seats, but encouraged operation managers of prisons to continue using separate shower and toilet facilities for AIDS patients. Likewise, the United States Congress held hearings in 1987 and 1988 which questioned whether mosquitoes could transmit the HIV virus even though Geoff Foster, a paediatrician and the founder of Family AIDS Caring Trust in Zimbabwe, dispelled that misconception the same year. Even in homoerotic publications like this May 1988 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts) these myths appear, with a letter to the publication’s sexpert expressing fears about the need to wear condoms during mutual masturbation. Included in the second half (see the first half here) are photo spreads of models Steve Hammond, Dix Hampton, and Ron Streetcar, an advertisement for the film Stryker Force featuring Hammond, and the short story “The Devil’s Tool” (about a priest’s encounter with a congregation member’s possessed manhood).

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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.