Homoerotic Archaeology: Honcho (July 1978), Part One

Friday, July 4, 2025

Honcho (July 1978), Part One

Nearly a decade after the Black Cat raids and Stonewall riots that launched the Gay Liberation Movement, police continued to harass gay businesses and individuals. For instance, a short article within this July 1978 issue of Honcho (which has been broken into two parts) discusses an incident in September of 1977 where a street performance in Greenwich Village resulted in a verbal altercation between gay attendees and the police, prompting Captain Aaron Rosenthal to publicly reprimand his officers for their behavior. Likewise, in Gavin McMillian’s short story “Pool Table Poker,” the empty bar which Jeff enters has been closed due to police raids. As the owner relates: “We got raided last night. Seems there was some kind of disagreement with the cops about our liquor license. It’s no big deal. We’ll be opening up again tomorrow.” Outside of these two features attesting to the lingering animosities between the gay community and law enforcement, the majority of this issue is devoted to athleticism and the “chauvinistic, all-male domain called the locker room [where] fantasy and reality blend provocatively.” Contained in this first half is a hockey-themed photo spread and images of motorcyclist Eddie Kidd and Mr. USA Manuel Perry.

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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.