Homoerotic Archaeology: Numbers (August 1980), Part Two

Friday, August 11, 2023

Numbers (August 1980), Part Two

In the first edition of The Joy of Gay Sex (1977), Dr. Charles Silverstein and Edmund White warned readers that fisting can lead to internal bleeding, infection of the peritoneum, and rupture of the sigmoid colon. Likewise, John Preston’s article “The Fine Art of Fisting,” which can be found in this August 1980 issue of Numbers, discusses how none of the doctors the writer interviewed recommended the sexual act. Yet, despite its dangers, fisting became more prevalent in the sadomasochistic community of gay men during the late 1970s, with the formation of the Fistfuckers of America Club and even the pornographic film Centurians of Rome (1980) featuring the act. In fact, Preston’s article, although explaining the fatal complications that can ensue, takes a compassionate stance on the process, claiming, like many fetishes, fisting is often misunderstood. Included in the second half of this issue (see the first half here) is the short story “The Fugitive” (about the narrator’s sexual encounter with an escaped convict who broke into his apartment).

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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.