Homoerotic Archaeology: Numbers (June 1984), Part Two

Friday, June 25, 2021

Numbers (June 1984), Part Two

1984, historian Michael Bronski explains, witnessed a cultural backlash against the sexual liberation of gay men. As the AIDS epidemic ravaged the community and neo-conservatism swept throughout the nation, the hedonistic pursuits of the 1970s came under fire as both heterosexual and homosexual critics questioned the safety and validity behind the regular and random connections in bathhouses and tearooms. As a result, the year marked the beginning of a major push to close bathhouses and a rise in police monitoring of public restrooms. The June 1984 issue of Numbers (which has been broken into two parts) presents an intriguing glimpse into this shifting opinion: a review of Rollo Production’s Bathhouse Fantasies upholds the romanticized image of the domain as a sexually emancipated playground, whereas Chas Dietrich’s short story “Subway Patrol” takes a darkly erotic look into the racism and homophobia of police officers patrolling public restrooms. Presented in this second half (see the first half here) is the Bathhouse Fantasies review, along with spreads of models Joe, Mark, and Paul.

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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.