Mandate (January 1984), Part One

Trekking through the counties of Mendocino and Sonoma in Northern California, the Russian River – obtaining its name from the Russian-American Company which operated outposts along its banks during the nineteenth century – is home to many small towns, including Duncans Mills, Forestville, and Guerneville. In 1978, a gasoline crisis prompted many gay men in San Francisco to substitute their gas-heavy trips to Palm Springs with short jaunts to these riverside towns, many only a half-hour drive from the metropolis. As its reputation grew, the Russian River established itself as a primary destination, birthing nude beaches and resorts formed by the Russian River Gay Business Association and becoming a popular filming location for adult movies like Raging Stallion’s Timberwolves and Monster Bang’s Trouser Trout. In this January 1984 issue of Mandate (which has been broken into two parts), an article by Andy Nyberg highlights the many gay-friendly attractions littering the river’s banks. Also included in this first half are reviews of the books Dreamlovers, The Penguin Book of Homosexual Verse, and The Voltaire Smile, the short stories “Serviced…The Amtrak Way” (where the narrator meets a soldier while on a train to visit relatives) and “Undershorts” (an ode to underwear and the men who don them), and a photospread titled “Mounted.”