10 Lessons Learned From 60s-Era Gay Skin Mags

From:  OUT

(An image from Mr. Sun,
which we ironically had to censor due to penis-phobic corporate overlords.)

 9. 

GOD, CENSORSHIP AND THE PENIS

These magazines were published in a swirl of censorship and battles for the freedom of speech. It was around this time that Ralph Ginzburg, publisher of the gay magazine Eros, was convicted of violating federal "obscene mail laws."

References to this and similar cases pepper most of the gay skin mags of this era, and in some scenarios, such as Drum's, led to their demise. Two magazines I found, Hombre and Tiger, waded into the debate by

writing complete proclamation on the topic. Or was it a self-defense a la Mr. Sun? Either way, their words are enough to bring a tear to the most anti-gay of conservative patriots.

"[The publishers] hold that all of us, every citizen, have a common ground to defend… Those concerned with freedom have a responsibility of seeing to it that [all publications are] given the freedom of expression granted to it by the First Amendment of the Constitution…" You get the idea.

But even before this creed, both magazines include a message like the one pictured left. In it, they describe their publications as "naturalist" magazines -- we know what that means -- and defend their nude stance as a celebration of "God's handiwork." Again, one wonders what the modern right-winger would say to this: "It is our belief that the ability of man to be at one with himself, to have a high opinion of the portions of his body so long rejected and degraded, will make him strong, not weaker; more moral instead of less moral."

Penises for morality!