Homoerotic Archaeology

Friday, January 17, 2025

Blueboy Annual (1983), Part Two

The publishers of Blueboy were no strangers to special editions of the magazine, from the three-volume Blueboy: 10 Best Men released in 1970 to Blueboy: For Women Only published between 1978 and 1980. Blueboy Annual, released between 1983 and 1985, was another incarnation of these special editions, showcasing the best models of the year. Featured here is the inaugural issue, which has been broken into three parts (see the first third here).

Friday, January 10, 2025

Blueboy Annual (1983), Part One

Friday, January 3, 2025

Urge (January 1996)

Published by the Hollywood-based Urgent Media, Inc., Urge tried to set itself apart from the multitude of homoerotic magazines by focusing on a candid glimpse inside the industry of gay porn, featuring interview with models, sex advice from director Johnny Rey, and a gossip column by Crystal Crawford. Unfortunately, it failed to spark interest with readers and ceased publication after only a few years. Although this January 1996 issue offers interviews with models Daryl Brock and Adam Hart, it also contains a letter to the editor from a reader expressing the common sentiment that would doom the magazine: “Urge is more about the gay porn industry, I’m left hanging and not satisfied.”

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.