Homoerotic Archaeology

Friday, December 16, 2022

Stars (December 1994)

By the 1990s, Stars, which distinguished itself from its peers with its focus on younger models, joined its homoerotic peers in pruning the number of lifestyle articles from its publications and concentrating predominately on photospreads. The December 1994 issue, in turn, is a prime example of this, with the short story “Do Fries Go with That Snake?” (about a fast-food worker’s late-night encounter with a cute customer) and a quiz about fragrances overpowered by photos of models Robby Ivers, Damon Paul, and others.

Friday, December 9, 2022

Advocate Men (December 1989), Part Two

It is difficult to talk about sexuality without discussing sex, especially for a minority group that is predominately identified by its emotional, intellectual, physical, sexual, and spiritual attraction to members of the same gender. Such a concept is tackled by the Sexpert in this December 1989 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts) when a reader rebukes the magazine for focusing too heavily on sex. As the Sexpert states: “As long as that is true (and as long as we live in a society that promotes sexual ignorance and fear), our sexuality will be the source of our unity and our politicization. Our sexuality will also be the primary source of our ambivalence and self-hatred.” This second half (see the first half here) contains the short stories “Night Watchmen” (detailing the exploits of two security guards) and “The Plan” (a strange tale of robbery and transvestism), a Donelan Cartoon, and spreads of models Adam Grant and Glen Vargas.

Friday, December 2, 2022

Advocate Men (December 1989), Part One

It is difficult to talk about sexuality without discussing sex, especially for a minority group that is predominately identified by its emotional, intellectual, physical, sexual, and spiritual attraction to members of the same gender. Such a concept is tackled by the Sexpert in this December 1989 issue of Advocate Men (which has been broken into two parts) when a reader rebukes the magazine for focusing too heavily on sex. As the Sexpert states: “As long as that is true (and as long as we live in a society that promotes sexual ignorance and fear), our sexuality will be the source of our unity and our politicization. Our sexuality will also be the primary source of our ambivalence and self-hatred.” Along with the Sexpert’s advice, the first half contains the short story “A Perfect Husband” (about the narrator’s secret encounter with a married man) and spreads of models Steve Cort, Dane Lünz, and Andy Mantegna.

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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.