I got this paper being unsure of its contents except for this wonderful cover:
Get the full hi-res scan here.
I know, I know, I'm an irreverent bastard. But Rooster Cogburn's big mug above the teaser "John Wayne: A Man's Man?" is just too good to resist. A few people have pointed out his name is Marion, so maybe he had a little of the Boy Named Sue thing going for him.
My first impression was that this was going to be mostly a sex newspaper along the lines of Screw (from the warning box on the cover), but really this paper is not very much different from most of these I've been scanning. Mainly it seems like a paper catering to the gay community of New York. I know EVO had a paper called Gay Power and surely there were others as well. There are a couple nudes in here (as in all of these underground papers) but I certainly wouldn't call it simply a smut paper.
A look at the news page reveals a concern with an emerging gay rights movement and a variety of politcal interests:
Also in this issue: The editors on steamroom harassment and the poor quality of gay films, Mardi Gras 1970, gay cops, growing up gay in the bible belt, the pentagon procurers, psychiatrists: witch doctors of the 20th century, british theatre, poetry, wanton ads, and more.
The John Wayne article:
Which it turns out is not so much an exploration of John Wayne's sex life but an examination as his role as cultural icon. What is the masculine ideal John Wayne projects, and where does that leave homosexuals. Certainly the duke carries much weight in the icon department as groups like Public Enemy have referenced his role in the dominant culture. I'd also note here, I love John Wayne movies and will watch them til the day i die.
Enjoy!
Darwin
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