Advocate Men (December 1987), Part Two

The term homophobia was coined by George Weinberg in 1972 and, according to the psychologist, there are two forms of this intolerance: that expressed by heterosexuals toward homosexuals and that conveyed by homosexuals towards other members of their community. In the early 1990s, the research of psychotherapist Kristine Falco found that intracommunal homophobia can be more harmful than that coming from outside forces, with members of the gay community who face hatred from their peers lacking any necessary support and facing issues with isolation and identity erasure. Furthermore, studies by Laura Dean and Ilan Meyer discovered bisexual and gay men who engage in high levels or risky sexual conduct are more inclined to express homophobia toward other bisexual and gay men who do not practice the same behaviors. Such a case can be seen in this December 1987 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts), where a letter to the magazine’s sexual advice columnist states the only people who read his guidance are unattractive and unfit men who “lack enough self-control to make themselves presentable [and] should not inflict themselves upon the rest of us.” Included in this second half (see the first half here) is the short story “Do as the Romans Do” (where the narrator’s trip to Italy involves more than admiring the artwork at museums) and spreads of models Don Jacobs, Silvio, and Jeff Turner.