Menergy: Gay Men's Magazines from the 1940s-1980s

Until very recently, gay men simply did not exist in mainstream media. They were all but erased from cultural consciousness, except for when they were depicted as examples of moral turpitude. But around the middle of the 20th century, a subculture of underground magazines started to thrive, catering to and celebrating a community that was ready to claim visibility. Eventually, as the gay rights movement grew, small zines developed into full-size glossies that were prominently displayed in queer bookstores. Each of these publications catered to specific niches and espoused individual points of view, but together they offered gay-related news and humor, ways to meet other men, and, of course, sexually arousing imagery. This exhibition focuses on gay male media and culture at a time when Grindr, LGBTQ Nation, and RuPaul’s Drag Race were not only non-existent, but utterly impossible to imagine. 

Exhibit downstairs in the Little Underground Gallery.