About this item
In 1951, a new type of publication appeared on newsstands -- the physique magazine produced by and for gay men. For many men growing up in the 1950s and 1960s, these magazines and their images and illustrations of nearly naked men, as well as articles, letters from readers, and advertisements, served as an initiation into gay culture. The publishers behind them were part of a wider world of "physique entrepreneurs": men as well as women who ran photography studios, mail-order catalogs, pen-pal services, book clubs, and niche advertising for gay audiences. Such businesses have often been seen as peripheral to the gay political movement. In this book, David K. Johnson shows how gay commerce was not a byproduct but rather an important catalyst for the gay rights movement.
About the Author
Born in New England, David received his B.A. in history from Georgetown University. After studying in Paris, working for a Washington, D.C.-area research firm, and freelancing for the Washington Blade, he returned to graduate school and earned a Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
Now an associate professor in the history department at the University of South Florida, he teaches courses on the post-1945 U.S. and the history of gender and sexuality. His first book, The Lavender Scare, won The Herbert Hoover Book Award, the Randy Shilts Award, and a Gustavus Myers Outstanding Book Award. A documentary film based on the book is in production. To view the trailer, check out thelavenderscare.com.
His second book, The U.S. Since 1945, is an edited anthology of key speeches, articles, and government documents from modern American politics and culture. His current research, "Buying Gay," explores the history of gay consumer culture before Stonewall and the origins of the gay rights movement.
