Homoerotic Archaeology: Obsessions (October 1991), Part One

Friday, October 1, 2021

Obsessions (October 1991), Part One

Since costume parades in Florida’s Key West, New York’s Greenwich Village, and San Francisco’s Castro District wrestled Halloween away from the clutches of children in the 1970s, the holiday, with its camp and spectacle, has remained a major celebration within the gay community, birthing the ten-day Fantasy Fest Parade in Key West and the Halloween Carnival in West Hollywood. This October 1991 issue of Obsessions (which has been broken into two parts) is just one example of this factor, as the publication’s photo spreads all center around the theme of spooky, Halloween-related afflictions. In the first half, models Shawn Collins, Steven Fox, Ryan Idol, Danny Somers, and Hank Sterling suffer from Bendosis, Passivosis, Toolisoma, and Wangleritis.

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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.