Tyler and Brad's Index to Early Gay Publications & Periodicals

1960s National Publications

 

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1960's:

Dick

DRUM: SEX IN PERSPECTIVE

GAY POWER

International Journal of Greek Love

 

TANGENTS

 

VECTOR

 

Dick: The Paper With Balls

 

Underground gay newspaper "Dick: The Paper With Balls" (issue #16, circa late 1960s or very early 1970s) published by Dick Publishing out of New York City. A fold-over newspaper containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.

 

According to the brief editorial, this edition was prepared by the Studio Bookshop, then at 500 Hudson Street in New York City. Eleven pages are devoted to the lengthy male nude comic strip "Prince Tannahide" by gay artist Etienne (Dom Orejudas) although I find no credits for his work between these pages. In addition, there is a male nude photospread entitled "Golden People Olympics"; early classified ads; and extensive vintage male sex ads from the Studio Bookshop, Minx Classics, Stag Film Company, and many others.

 

 

 

"International Journal of Greek Love"

 

Second (and final) issue of "International Journal of Greek Love" (Volume 1 #2, 1966) edited by J. Z. Eglinton (pseudonym of Walter H. Breen) and published the Oliver Layton Press out of New York City. A quality stapled journal measuring 5-7/8" by 8-7/8" and containing 68 pages including front and rear covers. An outstanding, informative and scholarly publication devoted to the history of man/boy love, contents are as follows:

 

-article "Burton's 'Terminal Essay'" by Howard Stonefield ("Abstract: The Famous appendix to the 'Arabian Nights,' dealing in detail with boy-love especially in the Moslem world, is given a resume and critical evaluation");

-lengthy article "'Le Vice' In Turkey" by Jonathan Drake ("Abstract: A historical sketch of the slave traffic in boys in Turkey from about the 14th century until recent decades is presented, with sidelights on training methods for boys destined for brothels. Anthropological and folkloric notes are presented from both modern Greek and Turkish sides. The Turkish mores appear to have been nearer to Roman than to Greek practice, though some affection is known to have existed between such boys and their captors or purchasers. Literary material relevant to this topic is analyzed in some detail");

-article "Paidikion: A Paiderastic Manuscript" by Toby Hammond ("Abstract: Erotica devoted primarily to paiderastic practices are rare and principally found not as printed matter but as privately circulated mss. A remarkable specimen of this kind is described and its author's identity deduced from internal evidence");

-article "Admissions of a Director of Admissions" (anonymous; "Abstract: Personal Reminiscences and comments on the 'sublimation' demanded of personnel in a private school for boys");

-article "The Later Career of John Francis Bloxam" by J. Z. Eglinton, pseudonym of Walter H. Breen ("Abstract: The author of 'The Priest and the Acolyte' grew up to be himself a much-beloved priest in the Church of England, exerting a beneficial influence on boys with whom he came into contact. Biographical information hitherto unknown is provided");

-column "Varia" (news and miscellaneous comments);

-letters to the editor (commenting on boy-love issues related to J. Z. Eglinton's recently released volume entitled "Greek Love" as well as the first issue of the "International Journal of Greek Love"; writers include Dr. Hendrik M. Ruitenbeek, author of "The Problem of Homosexuality in Modern Society"; Dr. Warren Johansson; Noel I. Garde, author of "Jonathan to Gide"; Marc Daniel, assistant editor of the French homophile journal "Arcadie"; others);

-column "Recent Books" (book reviews including "Jonathan to Gide" by Noel I. Garde; "La Pedophilie" by Dr. O. Brunoz; "The Boy: A Photographic Essay" by Georges St. Martin and Ronald C. Nelson);

-full page advertisements for "Greek Love" by J. Z. Eglinton; "The Asbestos Diary" by Casimir Dukahz; and the French homophile journal "Arcadie."

 

 

A brief note on the editor: J. Z. Eglinton was the pseudonym used by author Walter H. Breen (1928-1993), best known for two books: "Walter Breen's Complete Encyclopedia of U.S. and Colonial Coins" and his massive, scholarly work on intergenerational love entitled "Greek Love." Raised in San Antonio, Texas, Breen was married to lesbian writer Marion Zimmer Bradley (best known for her gay novel "The Catch Trap"). Breen's pederasty resulted in several arrests dating back to the 1950s; in 1991 he was charged with eight felony counts of child molestation involving a 13-year-old boy, the stepson of science-fiction writer Stephen Goldin, and was sentenced to ten years in prison in 1992. He died in prison in Chino, California the following year.

DRUM: SEX IN PERSPECTIVE

drum was a delightful alternative to the more solemn and staid homophile magazines issued in its day, and contains a mixture of seriousness and humor. Interspersed with illustrations (including the regular comic strip "Harry Chess: That Man From A.U.N.T.I.E." by A. Jay and artwork by Dolphus Smith, Jr.) and physique photographs taken by Bob Anthony, Mel Roberts, Frank Hollfelder, Jovan Studio, Neil Edwards, Jay Mitchell, and Models Studio, . Published by the Janus Society of America, an early homophile organization out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Beginning with the December, 1965 issue of drum, two versions were published: one for subscribers only containing four additional, unpaginated photographic pages, and the other for newsstand distribution without this insert.

{drum (subtitled "sex in perspective") was racy, raunchy - and brilliant. Clark Polak, a brash homophile leader in the mid-Sixties, appropriated editorship of the newsletter, and told Streitmatter he "began drum Magazine as a consistently articulate, well-edited, amusing and informative publication. I envisioned a sort of sophisticated, but down-to-earth, magazine for people who dug gay life and drum's view of the world." (Or, as John Loughery wrote in The Other Side of Silence , "drum's philosophy was plain enough: it was time to raise a little hell.") In addition, Polak was the first gay editor to hire a professional clipping service to obtain gay-related articles from around the country. Veteran gay journalist Jack Nichols additionally told me that " drum published nudes - frontal nudes - first, in any gay publication in America." But even Ladder editor Barbara Gittings reflected on drum 's positive impact with me, noting that despite showing abundant male flesh, drum and similar magazines that followed "were a way of getting [movement activity] information to people who wouldn't bother to read it otherwise." By 1966, drum 's 10,000 circulation surpassed that of all the then-extant homophile publications combined.

However, that formula also left Polak vulnerable to police and legal intervention when the Buffalo, New York Postmaster seized drum 's March 1966 issue. While ultimately distributed, Polak later proved less fortunate. drum abruptly ceased publication by May 1969, as Polak awaited a federal grand jury indictment for mailing allegedly obscene material. He evaded a prison sentence only by agreeing to cease publishing drum and to leave Philadelphia. Excerpted from Paul D. Cain's 20th Century Gay Publications http://gaytoday.badpuppy.com/garchive/reviews/070201re.htm}

 

#10 of "drum: Sex in Perspective" (September 1965) Although stated Volume 5 #7, the Janus Society continued the volume and issue numbering sequence from earlier newsletters published by the organization before changing the format from newsletter to magazine. A glossy stapled digest-size containing 40 pages including front and rear covers.

Highlights of this issue include: editorial "The Failure" (that sex law reform, including sodomy laws, is best achieved in the courts); interview of C. (Carl) Vincent Welty entitled "Interview With a Pornographer" (who was then facing trial on three counts: gross indecency, corrupting the morals of a minor, and possessing pornography); homophile news ;"Ask Drum" ("Should I tell my straight friends that I am gay?"); book review ("Queer People"); article "Kim Kent on Vikingland" (on gay life in Denmark: "On the other hand, a big, butch blond Viking is not in every window, which seems to disappoint many Americans"); "The Press" (a current bibliography of major news articles and series on homosexuality); full-page ad for "Camp Records" ("Racy...Ribald...Madly Gay...Way Out!"); article "Scott vs. Macy" ("Does the Federal Civil Service Commission have the right to deny employment to applicants on the basis of mere allegations of 'immoral conduct', 'homosexual conduct', or 'homosexual acts'?"); list of homophile organizations ;letters to the editor; classifieds .

 

#11 of "drum: Sex in Perspective" (October 1965) Although stated Volume 5 #8, the Janus Society continued the volume and issue numbering sequence from earlier newsletters published by the organization before changing the format from newsletter to magazine. A glossy stapled digest-size magazine containing 40 pages including front and rear covers.

Highlights of this issue include: illustrated article "The Story Behind Physique Photography" (as mentioned above); editorial "The Visit" ("Countless citizens have been injured by gestapo-like tactics of U.S. Postal Inspectors..."); homophile news ;book reviews ;advice column "Ask Drum" ("I have a very common, orthodox case of loneliness..."); fabulous spoof entitled "Let's Get the Homos Out of the Comics!" by "Oliver (Daddy) Warbucks" (with three comic strip reproductions); list of homophile organizations ;letters to the editor .

 

#13 of "drum: Sex in Perspective" (December 1965) Although stated Volume 5 #10, the Janus Society continued the volume and issue numbering sequence from earlier newsletters published by the organization before changing the format from newsletter to magazine. A glossy stapled digest-size magazine containing 40 pages including front and rear covers.

Highlights of this issue include: homophile news ;article entitled "Censorship" (on Ralph Ginzburg, publisher of Eros Magazine, and his appeal to the United States Supreme Court); Part One of article "The Homophile Puzzle" ("It is safe to say that the present homophile movement neither addresses itself to nor speaks for the hip homosexual"); book reviews ;advice column "Ask drum" ("One of the boys I work with has made it clear for the past couple of weeks that he is interested in going home with me. A reluctance to team up with a co-worker made me hesitant, but one day I finally asked him what he was doing after work. To my surprise, he gave me a non-commital answer..."); letters to the editor .

 

#14 of "drum: Sex in Perspective" (January 1966) Although stated Volume 5 #11, the Janus Society continued the volume and issue numbering sequence from earlier newsletters published by the organization before changing the format from newsletter to magazine. A glossy stapled digest-size magazine containing 40 pages including front and rear covers.

Highlights of this issue include: homophile news ; delightful entry entitled "Phrases You Know and Love" ("What they say - 'He gives such dull parties' - What They Mean - 'I've had all his friends'"); Part Two of article "The Homophile Puzzle" by Clark P. Polak ; short story entitled "First You Take A Live Goat" by James Barr [Fugate] ;advice column "Ask drum" ("I have scoured the library for books which offer to explain homosexuality, and virtually every one I find states that it is a pathological state"); list of national and international homophile organizations ;delightful cartoon of two astronauts sitting on the moon, arm in arm, looking back at planet Earth: "What would they say if they could see us now?"

 

#20 of "drum" - no longer containing a subtitle - (1966, no month indicated). A glossy stapled digest-size containing 44 pages including front and rear covers.

Highlights of this issue include: homophile news ; short article "Different Drummer" by Monty Howard (inspired by Henry David Thoreau); a short, splendid history of New York's Astor Hotel entitled "Mrs. Astor's Bar" (the New York Times announced on Thursday, June 30, 1966: "Astor Shuts Its Doors - Waits Wreckers"); gay travel article "Winston Reynolds in Scandinavia" ; part two of article on sexuality in male prisons ; delightful "Gay Moments In News Coverage" (featuring a reproduction of a photograph taken by the New York Daily News of two fallen boxers in the ring, literally on top of each other, lip-to-lip); short story "The Van Scoons" by Jerry Short ; another delightful "Gay Moments In Advertising" (featuring a reproduction of an A&P Beef advertisement); advice column "Ask drum"; a full-page fashion advertisement for Ah Men Shop For Men (with five photos); delightful spoof "The How To Books" ("How To Find Your Socks in the Bedsheets"; "How To Look Butch With a Purse"; "How To Say 'Got a Match' in 84 Languages and Shorthand"); list of national and international homophile organizations ;letters to the editor entitled "Dear drum"; classified advertisements.

 

#23 of "Drum" (1967) published by Drum Publishing Company out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the auspices of the Janus Society of America. A glossy stapled digest-size containing 44 pages including front and rear covers. Drum was a delightful alternative to the more solemn and staid homophile magazines issued in its day, and contains a mixture of seriousness and humor. Contents include:

*male physique photography by Jean-Paul David, Mel Roberts, Galaxy Studio, Jay Mitchell Studios, and Bruce of Los Angeles;

*illustrations by Dolphus Smith, Jr.;

*homophile news;

*book reviews (including a delightful one-line review of "Song of the Loon" by Richard Amory that simply reads "The final answer to flacidity");

*column "Ask Drum" (including letter from reader who writes, in part: "It probably happened to a lot of other homosexuals - getting involved with a married man...");

*delightful five-page photospread entitled "Gay Moments in News Coverage" (featuring ten photographs from mainstream newspapers);

*article "Winston Reynolds in Germany" (who begins, "If you don't like well-built, red-cheeked, fair-haired boys, don't go to the Northern sector of Germany");

*fabulous fairy tale entitled "Camp Woe" ("Once upon a time in the enchanted land of Gaf there was a little man named Yves. He lived in a rather posh West 60's garden flat which was done in what he imagined as 'nouveau'");

*gay cartoons;

*full-page questionnaire for new gay dating service "Computer Compatibles";

*list of homophile organizations;

*four-page list of titles available from the Trojan Book Service;

*letters to the editor "Dear Drum";

*classified ads ("I would like to meet new friends who are sincere and friendly betwn. 23 and 30. #932").

 

 

#24 of "Drum" (March 1967) published by Drum Publishing Company out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the auspices of the Janus Society of America. A glossy stapled digest-size containing 48 pages including the unpaginated four-page stapled photographic insert. Drum was a delightful alternative to the more solemn and staid homophile magazines issued in its day, and contains a mixture of seriousness and humor. Contents include:

 

*male physique photography by Bob Anthony, Troy Saxon, Bruce of Los Angeles, Models Studio, Mel Roberts, and Zodiac Productions;

*illustrations by Dolphus Smith, Jr.;

*gay comics by Bob Vann;

*delightful "Gay Moments in Advertising" (an advertisement with gay undertones reprinted from the mainstream press);

*homophile news, articles, directory of homophile organizations, letters to the editor ("Dear Drum"), classified ads, and four-page advertisement spread from the Trojan Book Service listing gay books (mainstream and pulp) for sale.

 

 

 

#28 of "Drum" (January 1968) published by Drum Publishing Company out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the auspices of the Janus Society of America. A glossy stapled digest-size containing 48 pages including the unpaginated four-page stapled photographic insert. Drum was a delightful alternative to the more solemn and staid homophile magazines issued in its day, and contains a mixture of seriousness and humor. Contents include:

 

*male physique photography by Bob Anthony, Jay Mitchell Studios, Dean, Models Studio, Neil Edwards, VIP Studios, and the Athletic Model Guild;

*illustrations by Dolphus Smith, Jr.;

*fabulous three-page comic strip by A. Jay entitled "HARRY CHESS AS POPPERMAN!";

*delightful "Gay Moments in Advertising" (an advertisement with gay undertones reprinted from the mainstream press);

*gay short story "My Last Inclination" by J.N. Knebels;

*article "Prostitution in Ancient Greece" by Anthony J. Papalas;

*homophile news (which includes report and four photographs of a Roman Catholic "wedding" of two men, immediately invalidated), book reviews, full-page ad from the Trojan Book Service offering gay magazines, letters to the editor ("Dear Drum"), classified ads.

 

 

 

#31 of "Drum" (January 1969) published by Drum Publishing Company out of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania under the auspices of the Janus Society of America. A glossy stapled digest-size containing 48 pages including the unpaginated four-page stapled photographic insert. Drum was a delightful alternative to the more solemn and staid homophile magazines issued in its day, and contains a mixture of seriousness and humor. Contents include:

 

*male physique photography by DOM (front cover), Neil Edwards, International, Dean, David of California, Champion Studio, and Bob Anthony;

*illustrations by Dolphus Smith, Jr.;

*fabulous three-page comic strip by A. Jay entitled "HARRY CHESS AS POPPERMAN! with Mickey Muscle";

*delightful "Gay Moments in Advertising" (an advertisement with gay undertones reprinted from the mainstream press); "Gay Moments In Sports" (photo from the Arizona Wildcat);

*article entitled "Pot" by William F. Damon (on marijuana);

*one-page German male fashion spoof (with four photos: "The James Bond muffs keep your handsie-wandsies warm");

*homophile news; book reviews; letters to the editor ("Dear Drum"); directory of homophile organizations; classified ads.

 

 

GAY Click Here for Gay

 

 

 

 

GAY POWER

 

Premiere issue of the gay liberation underground newspaper "GAY POWER" (Volume 1 #1, August 1969) published by Joel Fabricant and Gay Power out of New York City. A large quality newsprint paper measuring 11-1/4" by 17-1/4" and containing 24 pages including front and rear covers.

 

Highlights include:

*"GAY POWER" Statement written by John Heys, Lordan Kimbrell, Rocky, and Joel Fabricant ("For the straight, uptight politicians, bourgeois, and naive and maybe a pioneer here and there and yes, for you power freaks who adore exciting in the good of any cause, add to the list that of 'GAY POWER'");

*splendid full-page male artwork;

*tasteful, artistic male nude photography, some full-page;

*article "Return To (Non-Piss, Unless It's Your Thing) Elegance" by Clayton Cole;

*short article, with psychedelic artwork, on the recent fourth annual convention of the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO);

*fabulous fabulous fabulous fiction/non-fiction piece "The Caterpillar Who Made IT" by Taylor Mead - here is an excerpt from the opening:

"Once upon a time there was composed by Mr. God a large caterpillar and it went from place to place feeding upon tender green shoots. The government kept spraying these shoots with DDT and so the Caterpillar sickened and it looked like he would never turn into a butterfly. But he had no choice; he had to continue eating, and then one day they discovered DDT was killing some heterosexual caterpillars too, so f-. 'This has got to stop!' the government of the caterpillars and green shoots said, but it was slow in coming, the legislation, and meanwhille millions of nascent butterflies shrank in prisons and hospitals, for it was illegal to eat green shoots in the first instance or to park your caterpillar car at the feet of Christopher Street and West Street, the Manhattan equivalent of the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, where green shoots, or a facsimile thereof (anyway a stop-gap) are nurtured, cross bred, and have their pollen blown. Of course later it was discovered 99% of the green shoots in this neighborhood were not the virgin masculine plant they pretended to be, but were invert self-pollinating, hebrous, mirroritis, self-sexuitis, vanitas, if-you're-a-celebrity-I'll-let-you-blow-me faggots";

*lengthy book review of "The Magical Dilemma of Victor Neuberg" by Jean Overton Fuller (with good discussion of Aleister Crowley);

*full-page illustration "ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE - [GUYS] ARE A BALL";

*poem "Pornographic Poem" by John Giorno (used with permission from the Mother Press);

*fabulous full-page photograph of Mario Montez wearing a costume for Charles Ludlam's new play, "The Grand Tarot."

 

 

 

TANGENTS

A scarce and historical homophile publication with very limited distribution in its day, and long-defunct. Published and edited by Don Slater and the Homosexual Information Center out of Hollywood, California.

 

"Tangents" (Volume 2 #2, November 1966) A glossy stapled digest containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.

Contents include: editorial by Don Slater ;article "The Rights of Spring" by Norman R. Spevack (on California trends in the field of homosexual criminal litigation and procedures); poem "The Wayside Affair" by Leslie de Noronha ;homophile news column entitled "Tangents" ;poem "Excerpts from the Sadness Suite" by Adrian Stanford ;short story "The Piano Player" by James Colton (pseudonym of Joseph Hansen, later author of the popular Dave Brandstetter mysteries); book reviews ("The Why Not" by Victor J. Banis; "Hell's Angels" by Hunter Thompson); popular literature review column entitled "Reader at Large" by Gene Damon (pseudonym of Barbara Grier); a continuing installment of a spoof entitled "The Jeremiah Daisy Chain Letters" ("Readers of 'Tangents' will be interested to learn that another letter has been released to us from the collection of Jeremiah Daisy. These Chain Letters represent correspondence carried on by a secret group of homophiles during the American Revolution"); letters to the editor.

 

"Tangents" (Volume 2 #6, March-April 1968) A glossy stapled digest containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.

Contents include: editorial by Don Slater entitled "Sex by Fiat" ;article "A New Constitutional Safeguard for Films and Pictures" by Dana Hobart (on the July, 1967 ruling by the California Supreme Court related to search and seizure of "obscene material"); short story "Shade" by James Ward ;homophile news column "Tangents "; article "Political Rumbles" by W.E. "Dane" Mohler (on Governor Ronald Reagan: "Some time back when Gov. Reagan was worrying about 'black power', 'flower power' and 'hippie power', someone advised him that he was really in danger of 'fairy power'"); book reviews ("Sex Driven People" by R.E.L. Masters; "The Anarchy of Love" by Colin Spencer); popular literature review column entitled "Reader at Large" by Gene Damon (pseudonym of Barbara Grier); article "Books to Feel Guilty By" by "R.M ." ("There appears to be only one plan formula: MAN meets faggot. MAN hates sex with faggot, but does it again and again. MAN feels guilty as hell, so MAN beats up faggot. MAN meets WOMAN with big breasts and open-end thighs. MAN feels clean again"); article "Western Homophile Leaders Meet in Seattle" by Jim Schneider ;poetry "Empty Skins" and "Worms From My Apple" by P.E. Britton ;letters to the editor.

 

"Tangents" (Volume 2 #7, May-June 1968) A glossy stapled digest containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.

Contents include: editorial by Don Slater ("From Boston to Berkeley last month, hundreds of students still burned or turned in draft cards to show continuing opposition to the Vietnam conflict. As if to make up for this resistance, the Defense Department stepped up the induction of young homosexuals into military service despite its official policy which categorically excludes them as medically unfit"); article "Victimless Crimes: A Legal Dilemma" by Michael Hannon ("...a police officer who probably spent most of the preceding night sitting in a bar trying to talk his girl friend into bed will spend his working hours of tax-supported time hanging around in a public toilet - swishing and staring at anyone and everyone who comes in, waiting for a man to make the same suggestion to him so that he can put that man in jail"); homophile news column "Tangents "; lengthy article "Dr. [Irving] Bieber's Enormous Carrot" by Jim Kepner (from ONE, Inc.); short story "The Cruelest Part" by Bob Waltrip ;book reviews ("Numbers" by John Rechy); popular literature review column entitled "Reader at Large" by Gene Damon (pseudonym of Barbara Grier); letters to the editor .

 

"Tangents" (Volume 3 #1, October 1968) A glossy stapled digest containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.

Contents include: editorial by Don Slater ;lengthy book reviews ("The Gay World: Male Homosexuality and the Social Creation of Evil" by Martin Hoffman , reviewed by Dr. Evelyn Hooker ; "Growing Up Straight" by Peter and Barbara Wyden , reviewed by James Colton - Joseph Hansen ; "Homosexual Behavior Among Males: A Cross-Species Investigation" by Wainwright Churchill , reviewed by Vern L. Bullough Ph.D .; and "Homosexuality and Creative Genius" by Hendrik M. Ruitenbeek , reviewed by Jim Kepner ); poetry "Shoes" and "That Country" by Leo MacAlbert ;popular literature review column entitled "Reader at Large" by Gene Damon (pseudonym of Barbara Grier); homophile news column "Tangents "; letters to the editor .

 

 

VECTOR

 

Then operating out of a small office before a permanent center was established (early meetings were held at the Glide Memorial Fellowship Hall), S.I.R. was founded at a time when the homophile organizations of the 1950s (ONE, the Mattachine Society, and the Daughters of Bilitis) were faced with diminished memberships, publishing revenue, community interest, and influence.

 

S.I.R. thus provided an important bridge between the waning non-activist philosophy of the homophile movement and the burgeoning gay liberation movement (by 1967, although remaining predominately regionalized, S.I.R. had become the largest homophile organization in the country). In addition, and probably more importantly, S.I.R. was the first gay rights organization to actively court, with great and lasting success, local, county, and state political candidates in San Francisco County .

 

The seventh issue of "Vector: Responsible Action by Responsible People in Responsible Ways" (Vol. 1 #7, June 1965), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing ten pages. Contents include:

 

*"In Memorium: Dean Xavier Wernet 1934-1965";

*news article "Marie Angell [Psychiatric Social Worker for the San Francisco City Health Department] Addresses SIR";

*news article "SIR Meets the V.A." (San Francisco Veterans Administration);

*letters to the editor, including one headlined "SFL Needs Pickets" (from Jefferson Poland of the Sexual Freedom League);

*short news articles "CBS Reports", "Police Brutality?", others;

*editorial "President's Corner" by Bill Beardemphl;

*Part I of article "A Nation of Sleepwalkers" by Mark Forrester;

*June and July Calendar of Events;

*Part II of readership column "Speaking Out" (this from SIR member Nancy May, who begins "So far, SIR has not lived up to my expectations...");

*SIR news and upcoming events;

*local San Francisco advertisements;

*classified ads.

 

 

The tenth issue of "Vector: Responsible Action by Responsible People in Responsible Ways" (Vol. 1 #10, September 1965)

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing ten pages. Contents include:

 

*SIR's "'Pocket Lawyer' Ready" (legal information for gay men);

*Editorial "The Courts Are To Blame?";

*column "President's Corner" by SIR President Bill Beardemphl;

*news on recent and upcoming SIR meetings and activities;

*announcement for a "Homophile Alert System" ("The Homophile Liaison Committee has expressed the need for a specific intergroup agency to handle cases where homosexuals are in trouble, emphasizing aid to those cases where brutality, beatings, and harassment are involved");

*report on SIR's recent "Labor Day Camp Out";

*"SIR's Picture Gallery of Activities in September" (with several small photos);

*news article "Police Meeting on 'Homosexuality'";

*SIR's September 1965 Calendar of Events;

*news item "Rev. [Ted] McIlvenna Receives Award";

*local San Francisco advertisements;

*classified ads.

 

 

 

The twelfth issue of "Vector: Responsible Action by Responsible People in Responsible Ways" (Vol. 1 #12, November 1965), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing ten pages. Contents include:

 

*front cover headline and article "SIR ENDORSES ATTORNEY [ROBERT] GONZALES FOR SAN FRANCISCO SUPERVISOR";

*column "President's Corner" by SIR President Bill Beardemphl ("We are living in a time of protest...");

*Editorial "Declaration of Decency Hoax" ("...going uner the deceptive name of Declaration for Decency, the proposition has but one oppressive goal - to overturn the California Supreme Court decision of In re Carol Land which struck down a Los Angeles ordinance - a law that made it a crime for unmarried adults of the opposite sex to have sex together!");

*news article "Citizen Alert Goals & Purposes Ready";

*editorial "Police Review Board Needed" ("More and more we find evidence that the police department is usurping the powers of deciding the interpretation of laws and what shall be the moral standards...");

*news article "[Saul] Alinsky Says 'ACT'";

*article "The Judicial Branch of Government - Watchdog of Liberty" by Evander Smith (on the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut: "The defendant, Dr. Estelle Griswold, a professor at Yale Medical School, violated the sex control law and was convicted and fined...");

*SIR's November 1965 Calendar of Events;

*news on recent and upcoming SIR meetings and activities;

*news article "Conversation Groups Discuss Homosexual Role in Society";

*"An Open Letter To Mayor Shelley" (from SIR President Bill Beardemphl);

*local San Francisco advertisements;

*classified ads.

 

 

The special "VECTOR EXTRA" edition headlined "SIRlebrity Capades Brings Down The House" (issued November 1965 separate from SIR's regular newsletter).

Containing six pages, the cover page contains news of huge gala held on October 30, 1965 - the first major fundraiser for San Francisco's Society for Individual Rights.

It reads, in small part: "For the first time since 1906, the walls shook and the floor rocked at the Russian Hall on Sutter Street last Saturday night, October 30th. From the rousing opening chorus to the last resounding note of SIR'S SIRlebrity CAPADES, the sellout audience roared, applauded, and stomped their feet with approval..."

The following four pages are packed with 36 photographs of the best of San Francisco's gay entertainers, drag queens and male beefcake who lit up the evening Many of the performers are listed by name in the front page article .

The rear page is an advertisement for the upcoming Thanksgiving Dinner ("2 For The Price Of 1") to be held at 524 Union Street (the proceeds of which, I believe, were to benefit SIR).

 

 

February 1966 issue of "Vector: Responsible Action by Responsible People in Responsible Ways" (Vol. 2 #3, February 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights.

 

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 14 pages. Contents include:

 

*news article "Mardi Gras Ball II A Success" (with nine photos);

*article "So. Cal. ACLU Policy On Sex";

*article "The Tenderloin Project" by the Rev. Ed Hansen;

*article "The Judicial Branch of Government: Watchdog of Liberty" by Evander Smith;

*SIR gossip column "Chatter Matter" by "Anonymous";

*announcement "Kansas City Conference Of Homophile Leaders Set";

*SIR social activities, calender of events, Bulletin Board (classified ads), Letters to the Editor, vintage advertisements; much more.

 

 

March 1966 issue of "Vector: Responsible Action by Responsible People in Responsible Ways" (Vol. 2 #4, March 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 14 pages. Contents include:

 

*headline article "Kansas City Conference Finds: Specific Immediate Reliable Goals" (on the historic National Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations held February 19-20 in Kansas City, Missouri);

*related article "Homophile Organizations Adopt Statement";

*article "Sweethearts' Ball Huge Success" (the annual St. Valentine's dance sponsored by SIR in North Beach on February 12, 1966);

*announcement "DOB Memorial Scholarship" (the San Francisco Chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis);

*"A Single Man" by Christopher Isherwood reviewed by SF gay author James Ramp;

*article "Bill Beardemphl Re-elected SIR President: Pledges 'Honest Deal' as Homophile Goal";

*article "CRH Proposes Meeting on the Homosexual and the Draft" (the Council on Religion and the Homophile);

*article "Toward a Positive View of the Functioning Homosexual" by Frank J. Howell;

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President's Corner" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Bulletin Board (classified ads), Letters to the Editor, vintage advertisements;

 

 

 

May 1966 issue of "Vector" Magazine - no longer with subtitle (Vol. 2 #6, May 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 14 pages. Contents include:

 

*headline article "COMMUNITY CENTER OPENS" ("The long-awaited SIR Community Center was formally opened on Sunday afternoon, April 17, 1966" accompanied by a photograph of SIR's Vice-President William May shaking hands with Sergeant James Doran of the San Francisco Police Department);

*announcement "4th DOB National Convention" by Phyllis Lyon (the Daughters of Bilitis);

*announcement "Armed Forces Day" (regarding the ad hoc committee "The S.F. Committee to Fight Exclusion of Homosexuals from the Armed Forces");

*SIR gossip column "Chatter Matter" by "Anonymous";

*"Wild Strawberry Patch" by San Francisco gay author James Ramp reviewed;

*article "To the Entire Synanon Foundation: Our Grateful Appreciation" by SIR President Bill Beardemphl;

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President Speaks" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Bulletin Board (classified ads), Letters to the Editor (including one from "an ex-sailor and a devout coward"), vintage advertisements;

 

 

 

June 1966 issue of "Vector" Magazine - no longer with subtitle (Vol. 2 #7, June 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 14 pages. Contents include:

 

*headline article "HOMOSEXUALS PROTEST DRAFT EXCLUSION" (accompanied by nine photographs, one of protesters holding a sign that reads "SEXUALITY DOES NOT DETERMINE PATRIOTISM");

*article "Dr. Richardson Addresses Open Meeting" (Dr. Harold Richardson of San Jose State College, who spoke on "Research and the Homosexual");

*article "Politicians Show Courage" by Nancy May ("Several weeks ago SIR sent letters to 27 candidates asking their views on the Dorn amendment and the Moral Penal Code");

*article "Censorship Issue Back" (on the petition then circulating from the California League Enlisting Action Now [CLEAN]");

*news item "Homosexuality Not Grounds For Deporting Aliens";

*article "VD Clinic Discussed" by Don Miesen;

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President Speaks" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Bulletin Board (classified ads), vintage advertisements;

 

 

 

August 1966 issue of "Vector" Magazine (Vol. 2 #9, August 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 14 pages. Contents include:

 

*special unpaginated two-page insert "NATIONAL PLANNING CONFERENCE OF HOMOPHILE ORGANIZATIONS AND DOB CONVENTION, SCHEDULE OF EVENTS, August 19th-28th 1966";

*article "S.F. To Host National Conference" (the second National Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations);

*news article on the upcoming "Homosexual Booth at State Fair";

*article "UCLA Homosexual Study";

*article "Entrapment and the Vice Squad";

*news article "Preparation of Obscene Material Not Illegal - California Supreme Court Rules";

*SIR Announcement "Community Center A-Go-Go Features KSIR Disc Jockey";

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President's Column" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Bulletin Board (classified ads), vintage advertisements;

 

 

 

September 1966 issue of "Vector" Magazine (Vol. 2 #10, September 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 12 pages. Contents include:

 

*headline article "STATE FAIR BOOTH CANCELLED" ("The homosexual information booth at the State Fair in Sacramento was abruptly cancelled by State officials last month because of the alleged 'controversiality of its subject matter'");

*article "Legal Panel Cites Need to Litigate Homosexual Reforms" (regarding the seminar entitled "Homosexuality and the Law" held at the SIR Community Center on August 23, 1966: participants included Stefan M. Mason, Editor-in-Chief of the UCLA Law Review; Ephraim Margolin, attorney and lecturer on law at the University of California; Douglas Corbin, Senior Attorney for the San Francisco Public Defender's office; and Assemblyman Willie L. Brown, Jr);

*news update "Post Mortem on Outrageous Conduct Statute";

*full-page ad from the Golden Cask at 1725 Haight Street, San Francisco ("THE GOLDEN CASK congratulates the delegates to the NPCHO on a meaningful and successful conclave [the National Planning Conference of Homophile Organizations held in San Francisco]";

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President's Column" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Letters to the Editor, Bulletin Board (classified ads), vintage advertisements;

 

 

 

November 1966 issue of "Vector" Magazine (Vol. 2 #12, November 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 12 pages. Contents include:

 

*headline article "Answer To Police Harassment: ATTORNEY HALLINAN ADVOCATES 'GAY POWER'" (Patrick Hallinan, "attorney and socialist scion of the controversial Hallinan family of San Francisco");

*news article "SIR Awards Motorcycle Trophies";

*SIR gossip column "Chatter Matter" by "Anonymous";

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President's Column" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Letters to the Editor, Bulletin Board (classified ads), vintage advertisements;

 

December 1966 issue of "Vector" Magazine (Vol. 3 #1, December 1966), the official publication of the historical gay liberation organization (now long-defunct) Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964.

Ultimately progressing to a finely-produced magazine, this early issue is in newsletter format containing 12 pages. Contents include:

 

*illustrated headline "Seasons Greetings from The Society for Individual Rights";

*cover article "Man and God Discussed at SIR Open Meeting";

*social news "Community Acclaims SIRLEBRITY CAPADES" ("The Sirlebrity Capades of 1966, the second annual presentation of SIR's marathon spectacular of talent, dancing, music, and comedy, was presented at the Russian Hall in San Francisco on November 11-12, 1966, to a capacity attendance");

*half-page sign-up insert "To Bob Koch, Sirporium Committee...I would like to join in the projects of the Sirporium Committee. My particular interests are [with several categories listed]";

*SIR social activities, editorial ("President's Column" by Bill Beardemphl), calender of events, Letters to the Editor, Bulletin Board (classified ads), vintage advertisements;

 

 

 

April 1967 issue of "Vector" Magazine (Volume 2 #5), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights A quality stapled Newsweek-size magazine containing32 pages including front and rear covers.Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and activities, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*article "Hidden Functions of Sexual Taboos" by Dr. Joe K. Adams;

*article "National Legal Defense Fund Becomes A Reality" by P. Lane;

*article "A Way Out...For Homosexuals" by W. Hinds (from the article of the same name appearing in the March 1967 issue of Harpers Magazine where author Dr. Samuel B. Hadden "assails homosexual attempts to organize claiming such groups 'perform a disservice when they insist that homosexuals cannot change and even attempt to glorify homosexuality as a desirable condition'");

*Open Forum entitled "The Wearing of Drag" by Larry Carlson (with readership-contributed opinions);

*article "CBS Remains Perplexed...So Does Its Audience" by John Bradley (on the CBS documentary entitled "The Homosexuals" anchored by Mike Wallace);

 

 

 

This issue contains a special community forum on the topic "The Anatomy of Pornography." The January 1968 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community" (Volume 4 #2), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964. A quality stapled Newsweek-size magazine containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.

 

Then located at 83 Sixth Street in San Francisco (the organization is long defunct), S.I.R. was founded at a time when the homophile organizations of the 1950s (ONE, the Mattachine Society, and the Daughters of Bilitis) were faced with diminished memberships, publishing revenue, community interest, and influence. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*"Sirlebrity Capades 1967: A Review" (with 12 photographs);

*editorial "The President's Corner" by Kevin Macre ("The following letter is one that I have sent to Governor [Ronald] Reagan. It concerns the recent public statements he has made concerning homosexuality and the position that is imperative for all members of our community to take"; included is a photo-reproduced copy of the response: "The Governor will stand by the statements he has made on homosexuals");

*short article "The Right to Work" by G. Coffman ;

*homophile news "Parries & Thrusts" ;

*lengthy report "Seattle Hosts Western Regional [Homophile] Conference" by William Beardemphl ;

*article "Police Community Relations Public Forum" by R. Lawson (a forum on "Skid Row and Alcoholism" sponsored by the Southern California District Police Community Relations Division and hosted by S.I.R. at their headquarters);

*lengthy "Open Forum: The Anatomy of Pornography" ;

*advice column "Ask Mme. Soto-Voce".

 

 

 

March-April 1968 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community" (Volume 4 #4), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964. A quality stapled Newsweek-size magazine containing 32 pages including front and rear covers.Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

*news article "S.I.R. Elections Are Held" (with two photos);

*recent S.I.R. events and political activities (with thee photos);

*poetry by Richard Tagett and Paul Mariah;

*homophile news column "Parries & Thrusts";

*lengthy public forum "Open Forum: Can Homosexual Love Be REAL??";

*article "The Psychopathology of Antihomosexuality" by David Pascal Wray;

*advice column "Ask Mme. Soto-Voce";

*second installment of a compiled "Bibliography of Non-Fiction Books Containing Significant Material on Homosexuality";

 

 

 

June 1968 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community" (Volume 4 #7), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights 32 pages including front and rear covers.

Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*article "Why Leather? or, 'What's a nice boy like me doing tied to a stake like this?" by L. Whipplasch;

*short story "Fritzkrieg's Arousal Disorder Syndrome" by Robey Conway;

*news article "150 Attend SFHL/SIR Psychiatric Forum" (San Francisco Homophile League and the Society for Individual Rights);

*poetry by Richard Tagett and Paul Mariah;

*homophile news column "Parries & Thrusts";

*lengthy public forum "Open Forum: Leather" by Larry Carlson (with readership-contributed views and opinions);

*gay bar column "The Bar Tour" by Tequila Mockingbird;

*fifth installment of a compiled "Bibliography of Non-Fiction Books Containing Significant Material on Homosexuality";

 

 

 

This issue contains a special community forum on the occasion of the Fourth Anniversary of the Society for Individual Rights.

July 1968 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community" (Volume 4 #8), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964. 32 pages including front and rear covers.Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*article "A.M.A. Attacks Homosexuals as Psycho [sic]-Pathological" by W. E. Beardemphl (Bill Beardemphl, past present of SIR, on the American Medical Association);

*editorial column "The President's Corner" by new SIR President Jim Skaggs;

*new women's column "Fluff, Buff & Butch" by Michelle Duloc and Rene Autil;

*Open Forum "What Has S.I.R. Meant For You - Organizationally and Personally" by Larry Carlson (with readership-contributed entries);

*sixth installment of a compiled Bibliography of Non-Fiction and Fiction Books Containing Significant Material on Homosexuality;

*glowing review of SIR's stage production of "Little Mary Sunshine" entitled "Sunshine a la 1920 Sparkles" (with several small photos);

 

 

 

This issue contains a special community forum on the "large, confusing political scene, 1968, that is affecting our lives" with statements from and articles on several candidates then running for office (see below).

October 1968 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community" (Volume 4 #10), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964. A quality stapled Newsweek-size magazine containing 40 pages including front and rear covers. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*article "Ma Bell Gets Yellow Suit!" (regarding the attempt of four homophile organizations - SIR, the Council on Religion and the Homosexual, the Tavern Guild of San Francisco, and the Daughters of Bilitis - to obtain a separate category heading in the yellow pages of the San Francisco Directory under the designation "Homophile Organizations");

*editorial "The President's Corner" by new SIR President Larry Littlejohn;

*homophile news column "Parries & Thrusts" by Bill Beardemphl;

*article "Candidates Seek Homosexual's Vote" (with photos of candidates Willie Brown, Bill Newsom, Nick Verreos, and John Burton);

*political ad from Willie L. Brown, Jr. running for Assembly in the 18th District ("He Supports the Model Penal Code");

*Open Forum on "The Homosexual Voting Power" with statements from, or articles about, several candidates (Willie Brown, Michael Carl Javelos, Paul Jacobs, Alan Cranston, Max Rafferty - a highly critical article, the Humphrey/Muskie ticket, the Nixon/Agnew ticket, and George C. Wallace);

*article "Insurance Discrimination Investigated" by "J.R.";

*slate of candidate endorsements from SIR;

 

 

 

This issue contains a special community forum entitled "ARE HOMOSEXUALS SICK?" January 1969 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homophile Community" (Volume 5 #1), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964. Now upgraded to a quality, glossy stapled Newsweek-size magazine containing 32 pages including front and rear covers. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*article "Telling It Like It Is: State College From A Homosexual Perspective" by Morgan Pinney;

*editorial "The President's Corner" by SIR President Larry Littlejohn;

*homophile news column "Parries & Thrusts" by Bill Beardemphl;

*article "MY BOSS KNOWS - Gay Is Good At Work, Too!" by Leo E. Laurence;

*poetry by Victor Borsa, Robert Berner, and G. (Gerald?) Langston Fabian;

*Open Forum on the subject "ARE GAYS SICK?" by W. E. (Bill) Beardemphl, with contributions from readers;

*bar column "The Bar Tour" by Tequilla Mockingbird;

*article "S.F. Police Hear Homophile Protest" by George Mendenhall;

 

 

 

March 1969 issue of "Vector" now subtitled: "A Voice for the Homosexual [rather than "Homophile"] Community" (Volume 5 #4), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights 32 pages including front and rear covers.Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*bar column "The Bar Tour" by Tequilla Mockingbird;

*editorial "The President's Corner" by SIR President Larry Littlejohn;

*news article "N.Y. Mattachine [Society] Hits TV";

*article "The Armed Services & Homosexuality: Suggestions and Recommendations" by SIR;

*article "CHARLES PIERCE RETURNS" by Cliff Reynolds (with three photos);

*article "Homosexuals: Should They Have Equal Rights?" by Helen M. Hacker, Ph.D.;

*short article "North Beach Revisited" by Sesto Chiarello;

*article "[The John Birch Society] and Homosexuals";

*poetry by Robert Duncan, Thom Gunn, and Edward Field;

*article "California Sex Laws To Be Changed" by Leo E. Laurence;

 

 

 

This issue heralds the appearance of a far greater number of photographs accompanying news, articles, columns, and reviews.

August 1969 issue of "Vector" now subtitled: "A Voice for the Homosexual [rather than "Homophile"] Community" (Volume 5 #8), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights 40 pages including front and rear covers. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*news items (with photos, including "SIR Sues To Halt Police East Bay 'Decoy' Squads"; "Rev. Troy Perry To Address August Open Meeting");

*editorial "The President's Column: Sticks, Stones, and Names" by SIR President Larry Littlejohn;

*new column by Daughters of Bilitis Founder Del Martin entitled "The Police Beat" (this one on the appointment of black officer Rodney Williams as director of San Francisco's Police-Community Relations Unit who pledged to address the problems faced by the San Francisco gay community related to law enforcement);

*article and photospread of Tom Gillard, SIR's Groovy Guy candidate (with six beefcake photos);

*poetry from the SIR Poetry Workshop;

 

 

September 1969 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homosexual Community" (Volume 5 #9), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights founded in San Francisco in 1964. A quality, glossy, stapled Newsweek-size magazine containing 40 pages including front and rear covers.Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*early article on Dianne Feinstein entitled "A Liberal for Supervisor?" (with photo: "Charming, young (34), attractive, intelligent, and articulate - this is Dianne Feinstein");

*Los Angeles gay bar and social news column "Los Angeles '69" by Jeff Buckley;

*column "The Police Beat" by Del Martin, this article on "Women's Rights and SIR";

*article on the Glide Methodist Gay Show entitled "Gay Life With Style";

*poetry by Judy Grahn, Paul Mariah, and William Barber;

*Dorr Jones interviewed (with portrait photo: Dorr Jones was past President of SIR and the New York Mattachine Society, and was then involved in a number of gay organizations and activist causes);

*SIR legal column "Decoy Violates Right of Privacy";

 

 

 

This issue heralds the first appearance of a very tasteful male nude layout. October 1969 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homosexual Community" (Volume 5 #10), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights 40 pages including front and rear covers. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*column "Homophile News Fronts";

*profile and interview, with photograph, of San Francisco Board of Supervisors candidate Jack Morrison;

*article "Fashions Revisited" (with three photos);

*review of the Rex Harrison and Richard Burton film "Staircase" entitled "Staircase - A Gay But Sad Movie";

*gay romantic short story "The Natural Know Only Innocence" by Don Collins (with six tasteful male nude photographs, including front cover, of unidentified model shot by Walter Rinder);

*review of Matt Crowley's play "The Boys in the Band";

*column "The Police Beat" by Del Martin (the topic is "Crime in the Streets");

*news item "Sociologists Favor Homosexual Rights" (the American Sociological Association);

*poetry by Cheri Abot, Paul Mariah, Frederick Joseph Thompson, and Jay Johnson;

 

 

 

November 1969 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homosexual Community" (Volume 5 #11), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights 40 pages including front and rear covers. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*splendid quarter-page political ad "San Francisco needs Dianne Feinstein on the Board of Supervisors" (with photo);

*quarter-page political ad "Re-Elect Supervisor Roger Boas" (with photo);

*two photographs taken during the rehearsal of "SIRLEBRITIES '69";

*column "Homophile News Fronts";

*article "Candidates Night Speakers Receive Stamps of Approval" (regarding SIR's Candidates Night, with photos of Roger Boas, Dianne Feinstein, Gordon Lau, and Jack Morrison who attended and spoke);

*double-page male beefcake ad from the "Luxurious and Intimate Park Show Room" - a gay male erotic theatre in San Francisco ("Midnight Shows Every Night");

*column "The Police Beat" by Del Martin (the topic "Yes On 'D' Hot Issues"; Proposition D was a police reform measure of interest to the gay community);

*news article "NACHO Meets" (the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations held in Kansas City, Missouri, August 25-28, 1969);*much, much more.

 

 

 

December 1969 issue of "Vector: A Voice for the Homosexual Community" (Volume 5 #12), the official publication of the Society for Individual Rights 40 pages including front and rear covers. Containing editorials, news items, articles, columns, reviews, SIR updates and events, letters to the editor, calendar of events, classified ads, photographs and fabulous period advertisements. Highlights include:

 

*article "'Gay Vote' is Real! S.I.R. Political Campaign Sweeps [Dianne] Feinstein Into Presidency" (with photograph of Dianne Feinstein);

*columne "The Police Beat" by Del Martin ("What started out as a peaceful Halloween picket line resulted in a Tactical Squad roust with 16 arrests and four injuries...");

*full-page ad for SIR's Night at Matt Crowley's stage play "The Boys in the Band";

*article "Living Purgatory" by "Joel" ("written by a homosexual who has spent 17 years in prison");

*article "Jesus...The Man" (with two photographs by Walt Rinder);

*review of "SIRLEBRITIES '69" (with six photos);

*photospread of SIR's HALLOWEEN celebration (with six photos);

*article "Christmas in NYC" by Jay D. Norman;

*full-page ad from Aquarius Steam Baths, with several other vintage ads;

 

VECTOR IN THE 1970's

 

 

 

 

About this site:

Ebay is an amazing place and reasource. There I found these wonderful detailed and annotated descriptions of various important and early gay publications. I felt compelled to save and share them. They are published here with the author Brad Confer's consent. They were written for the sole purpose of selling the material on Ebay and not with scholarly intent, but they are such a rich resource as is, that I present them here. It has taken me almost as much work as Brad to collect, reformat, organize and publish this information. Please write me if this site is helpful to you. If you want to contact Brad, his business is Bloomsbury Books and you can email him at bloomsbury@earthlink.net

Most of these issues can be found at the one National Gay & Lesbian Archives in Los Angeles, the New York Public Library, McCormick Library of Special Collections and the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archive among other places. Online most are available through EBSCO LGBT Life - http://www.ebscohost.com/academic/lgbt-life-with-full-text

 

 

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