Date: Sat, 4 Oct 1997 23:15:39 -0400
From: "Barry A. Popik" Bapopik[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]AOL.COM
Subject: ONE: In & Out of a homosexual magazine
Actor Armand Assante--my al dente friend--won the Emmy Award last month
for his performance in HBO's GOTTI. My dentist and I were so proud.
But did anyone see Assante's rambling acceptance speech? He thanked his
girlfriend who had a pierced navel, his agent who was bald:
"...And last but not least, I'd like to thank my dentist, who's the dentist
for Barry Popik, who's gay."
O.K., O.K., I made that part up.
ONE: THE HOMOSEXUAL MAGAZINE started in January 1953 in Los Angeles.
It's one of the earliest magazines of its kind. The title comes from a
quote by Thomas Carlyle, "A mystic band of brotherhood makes all men one."
Surprising, the RHHDAS never includes any citations from ONE. Here are
some.
----"GAY"----
Returning to the origin of "Gay," I found no evidence that the
longrunning column "Boy Dates Girl" by Gay Head in the Scholastic Magazines
had any influence. The name "Gay Head" was never used.
However, "gay cat" was never used, either.
"Gay" probably comes from the phrase "the gay life," which was used
often in ONE.
May 1953, pg. 18.
"Gay" friends; "gay" people. ("Gay" in quotes like this--ed.)
May 1953, pg. 22, col. 2.
"Gay" bar. ("Gay" in quotes.)
May 1953, pg. 24.
"Every voyage a Gay Cruise..." (parody--ed.)
July 1953, pg. 18.
"Gay" life. ("Gay" again in quotes. The article mentions "'gay' life"
four times.)
September 1953, pg. 12.
"Gay life" (in quotes) in col. 1, "gay" bars (in quotes) in col. 2.
November 1953, pg. 15.
"THE CHRISTMAS ISSUE WILL BE NOTHING BUT FICTION AND FUN! WE'VE
SELECTED FIVE OF THE FINEST SHORT STORIES ON THE SUBJECT EVER TO COME
OUR
WAY. THEY'RE HILARIOUS AND MOVING, MAD AND TOUCHING...AND GAY, GAY,
GAY!"
February 1954, page 12-13.
Article describes "gay" men and women (in quotes), "homo" (in quotes),
"swishing around" (in quotes), "gay" society, "gay" people, and "gay"
gatherings (all in quotes).
March 1954, pg. 19.
"GAY
This page begins a test
offers a sample
and otherwise
dips its toe in a tempting lagoon
that makes mad
all who swim therein
GAY
will be light-hearted,
light-headed
and a bit off-and-on
whenever the space can be spared.
It will be pictorial, too,
(phabulous photos)
fictional and satirical
and just plain sabbatical.
Let us know if we should continue it?"
("Gaylord Pedestrian" comic followed--ed.)
January 1956, pg. 16.
"Gay life in the neon-charged paradise land of the cherry blossoms...."
----"GAY GIRL"----
February 1954, page 11.
"Gay girl" is used in quotes. "Lesbian" was used infrequently. "Dyke"
was not used in this publication's early years.
----"BUTCH"----
October 1953, page 12, col. 2.
(Letter.) "...'Egg-sized cuff-link type who just can't be bothered.
The majority of your readers, I am sure, are of the more substantial type,
who even by their 'butch' appearance eliminate themselves from the category
your writer (though--unquote!--I suspect he's on the editorial staff, just up
to all this for the hell of it!) so generously relegates us all to.
Homosexuals are people. Period. Swish or butch, they ARE worth bothering
with...."
----"HOMOPHILE"----
March 1955, page 8.
No "homphobes" here, but "homophiles" are. The paper "The Homophile in
Society" is reprinted here; it was delivered in its original form to the
International Congress for Sexual Equality at its 1953 session in Amsterdam
by its author, Prof. G. Th. Kempe, PH.D. of Utrecht, Holland.
OED's first "homophile" citation is 1960. (OED otherwise does a fine
job--ed.)
February 1956, page 22.
"The Male Homophile in Black Africa" by Tery. This article is from
ARCADIE (a French gay publication), November 1954.
----"OUT"----
December 1954, pg. 18+.
"Coming Out Party" is the title of a story.
February 1955, pg. 36.
"OUT of the past" is the headline of "Reprints from the classics;
biographies of famous homosexuals." Plato is the first in the series.
----"PLAYING THE QUEERS"----
November 1954, page 18.
"'FROM HERE TO ETERNITY' HURTS HOMOSEXUALS." (Title--ed.)
"...The homosexuals maintain that Mr. Jones promotes, in a subtle way,
the professions known as 'Playing the queers.' If there has been an increase
in 'The Vilest of the Rackets,' as Esquire magazines in a series of articles
several years ago referred to blackmail, jackrolling, and other criminal
practices, some instigation of it might well stem from those who read the
book and 'got ideas,' as it certainly maps out a blueprint for preying on
this unfortunately defenseless and weak group of citizens.
"Quite a sizeable portion of the story is devoted to discussion of 'the
queers,' as soldiers refer to them. This of course makes sensational reading
in a book that is full of the sensational--'Boldest book of our times' they
say--but it is rather hard on those that are put in such a bad light.
"In one chapter in particular of 'From Here to Eternity' we are told of
the trick used by the heroes Prew and Maggio to roll their host of his money.
Winning the confidence of Hal and Tommy, the two homosexuals, and enjoying
their host's liquor and hospitality, the soldiers then proceed to frighten
Hal into paying off. He offers $5, $10, $20, $30, and finally $40 before
Prew will agree to leave the place and keep his accomplice, Maggio, from
being picked up by the military police. They felt quite pleased at earning a
little money in such an easy way."
(So much for "Don't ask, don't tell."--ed.)
----"THIRD SEX"----
October 1954, page 17.
Undated article by Jack W. Roberts of the Miami Daily News: "In
California the homosexuals have organized to resist interference by police.
They have established their own magazine and are constantly crusading for
recognition as a 'normal' group, a so-called 'third sex.'"
----"HOMOSEXUAL MARRIAGE"----
August 1953.
An article on "homosexual marriage" appeared in this issue, followed by
other letters, articles, and notes.
----"FAIRY FINGER"----
May 1955, page 11.
From "The Margin of Masculinity" by James Douglas Margin: "Learn to
control the little finger. The 'fairy finger,' I've heard it called.
Brawny truck drivers can stop at their diners and while sipping coffee hoist
their little fingers to the ceiling--and get away with it. But you can't,
Johnnie. If you let you little finger extend to give natural balance to a
heavy cup of coffee, you will let it pretend to give balance to the lightest
things you handle. And that exquisite mannerism will be noticed. So tuck
the offending member well in toward the palm, and learn to _keep_ it there."
----"HEN PARTY/STAG PARTY"----
April 1955, page 39.
From "The Feminist Viewpoint:" "The 'hen party' arouses no suspicion at
all, but 'stag parties' are not generally held in bachelor apartments."
----"PERVERTERS"----
July 1955, page 5.
From "tangents/news & views" by Dal McIntire: "But where (Senator)
Kefauver chose to go easy with these 'perverters' his audience snatched up
the task.
----"QUEER ALLEY"----
September 1955, page 8.
From "tangents/ news & views" by Dal McIntire: "In Santa Monica, Cal.,
a beachfront block between a bathhouse and two gay bars has been a hot issue.
Gordon Mackey, columnist for a weekly paper, decided in January 'Queers'
were giving his city a bad name. 'Close Queer Alley!' became his battlecry."
---(VARIOUS TERMS)----
October 1955, pages 7-8.
"Watch Your Language!" by Anthony Sande includes "deviation,"
"homosexual," "illness," and "invert."
----"JESUS JAZZERS"----
Mach 1956, page 6, col. 2.
Dal McIntire's column mentions "Group of warbling evangelists ('Jesus
Jazzers,' the inmates called them) long wont to serenade their captive
audience from the corridors of Kings County Jail, Seattle, till prisoner
complained that by being forced to listen he was denied religious freedom,
and that prison rules forbade services outside chapel. Judge Findley,
sidestepping the constitutional question, upheld rule limiting services to
chapel, with voluntary attendance."