Homoerotic Archaeology

Friday, January 13, 2023

Honcho (January 1983), Part One

From the bound Santa on its cover to the advertisement for Male Hide Leathers, Inc., this January 1983 issue of Honcho (which has been broken into two parts) is a showcase of leather and sadomasochism. In the first half, the short stories “Holiday in Jamaica” (about the main character’s reminisces of his experiences with a leather daddy in Jamaica) and “Mineshaft” (detailing the narrator’s training of his partner for his first sadomasochistic adventure in New York City) are accompanied by a photos of model Blade, a spread titled “Spit Shine,” and a letter to the editor requesting more bondage in the publication.

Friday, January 6, 2023

Colt Studio Calendar (1992)

As former model and now assets manager for Colt Studio Group Manfred Speer attests, Jim French was highly discerning with the models he selected as his Colt Men: not only did they need to be extremely muscular and masculine, but they also needed to possess a charismatic and confident personality which would photograph just as well as their physique. This 1992 calendar showcases over a dozen of the men who met French’s discriminating tastes.

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.