Advocate Men (August 1988), Part One

In Donald Vining’s “The ‘Married’ Gays” (contained in the June 1985 issue of Blueboy) and Dennis Decameron’s “What Is This Things Called a Lover?” (found in the May 1987 issue of Torso), the writers examine gay relationships. As both contend, sex tends to be the primary focus, with monogamy often transitioning into an open relationship. In fact, Julie Lee argues monogamy among homosexuals – especially gay men – is a brief novelty that eventually breaks down, with the concept lasting no longer than ten years in most couples. This August 1988 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts) provides evidence that both supports and rejects the ideas of Decameron, Lee, and Vining. In one reader-submitted narrative, the writer explains how a proposition for a foursome ended up separating both couples; whereas, in another reader-submitted tale, the author attests to his thirty-two-year relationship with a man he met while working as a bartender. Also contained in this first half is the short story “Seeing the Doctor” (about a patient’s relationship with his chiropractor) and spreads of two models with the first name Dave: Dave Skeffington and Dave Trenton.