My friend Jeff in New York reminded me that books were not the only positive literary influence in many gay lives but that magazines, too, have been vital to gay people finding themselves. For our generation, especially in the 60s and 70s, gay-identified magazines were hardly ubiquitous. The early homosexual-rights organizations (way before our generation - just an FYI) offered broadsheets and an occaisional actual magazine but those publications were printed in very small quantities and disseminated to a very select audience. The Mattachine Society (founded by Harry Hay et al in 1950) had The Mattachine Review. ONE, Inc. (founded in 1952) had ONE Magazine and The Daughters of Bilitis (founded in 1955 by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon) had The Ladder.
For me and my friends, the magazine of choice was After Dark (Magazine of Entertainment), a monthly publication that catered to homosexual men albeit without ever admitting to it. Although not an openly gay publication, when I look back at some of the issues published in the 70s, one has to wonder who was fooling whom. If the publishers weren't profiling a gay
entertainer like Jim Bailey or writing about Fire Island, it was showing lots of good eye candy.
However, for me, the monthly that got my literary genes in an uproar was Christopher Street (published from July 1976-Nov/Dec 1995). What a revolution; a magazine dedicated to all things gay without "pink pages" and sex ads. Christopher Street actually printed book reviews and had articles on gay theater, AIDS, gay fathers, and gay relationships. It didn't titillate as much as After Dark but it still had its share of eye candy and fluff.
2 comments:
Such memories come back when I read this post. After Dark was a magazine I would search out in the school library when I when those first "gay" feelings were emerging within me. I would put the magazine between a Life magazine to keep my new "secret" from the world, and read every word, and secretly lust after each man's photo. Great stuff. Thanks.
I know exactly what you mean, Unknown. When I purchased AD and a few other "gay" magazines, I held my breath hoping that no one I knew would be in the magazine store at the same time.
Post a Comment