Homoerotic Archaeology: Advocate Men (November 1988), Part One

Friday, November 13, 2026

Advocate Men (November 1988), Part One

In 1873, the United States’ federal government – encouraged by the efforts of postal inspector Anthony Comstock – passed the Comstock Act to criminalize the shipment of obscene material through the United States Postal Service. The law had long-lasting effects on the creation and distribution of adult-themed material, especially for gay men during the first half of the twentieth century. As a result, photographers like Bob Mizer carefully crafted their physique magazines to masquerade as fitness journals to prevent any potential fines and prison sentences. With the abolishment of Denmark’s censorship laws in 1963, a chain reaction amongst other Western civilizations occurred throughout the span of the 1960s. In the United States, the Supreme Court case of Stanley v Georgia in 1969 permitted the production, distribution, and possession of pornography. In response, many physique magazines transitioned from loin cloths to full-blow nudity; however, fears persisted. In this November 1988 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts), a writer to the periodical’s sexpert attests to these lingering anxieties, with them asking if photography developers have to report sexual images they develop to the police. Also contained in this first half is a Donelan cartoon, the short stories “Owed to a Wet Sleeping Bag” (where a college freshman’s desires for his classmate come to fruition during a spring break camping trip) and “The Trap” (where the narrator’s fondness for being a cock-tease eventually catches up to him), and photos of models Eddie Dillon and Jon Vincent.

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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.