tangents

news & views

by del mcintire

One of the most stupidly written and opinionated articles to appear in a long time "has crawled out of the sewer," to use the author Sidney Reed's own words; it is printed in the September 1961 issue of HushHush and is entitled "Reading for a Limp Wrist! Those Phony Magazines." This two-bit magazine, without apology, makes no attempt at an unbiased presentation of any subject not to mention homosexuality as it brings its own special slant to filthy, cheap muck-raking.

What is so ghastly is that HushHush, along with other filthy cheapies like it, wields a powerful influence with its many readers. Reed's article deals with the physical culture or muscle magazines and their appeal to many homosexuals. Considering the circulation and evident popularity of the muscle magazines among those who avidly follow them we agree they cannot be casually dismissed. But Hush-Hush does nothing to enlighten us on one of the profound contradictions of our time. Of course the publishers and everyone else included knows who buys the magazines with pictures. Hush-Hush misses the point entirely with its outpouring of lies and misinformation calculated only to sell their magazine. Here is a sample of what Mr. Reed has to say:

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The "NEW TYPE" of muscle magazines "are seldom put on display in daylight when the normal citizen is on the street.

"But in the dead of night, when the sex-sick creepsters begin to prowl these . . . periodicals start popping out . . . like pimples.

"From the covers you might think these... mags were body-building guides.

"But look again-if your stomach can take it.

"For these mucking male monthlies cater to no one else but SWISHY-SWASHY HOMOSEXUALS! "Who the hell do these PansyDans think they're fooling.

... they could just as well call them THE QUEERSVILLE QUARTERLY or THE FAGGOT GAZETTE. . . these panting, perverted publications.

"The real feature of these miserable, murky magazines are coy boys with seductive smirks on their ever-so-sweet and enticing faces... They are simpering swishes who swivel their hips into the kind of poses you'd expect to find on a pinup calendar.

"The whole thing is not only nauseating. It is downright dangerous! "HOW FAR CAN THIS GO?

"Well just grab hold of a porcelain basin, Jason because . . . what could be more inspiring to the

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