"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, it is because he hears a different drummer."

Home Blogs Fondly, Pennsylvania "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, it is because he hears a different drummer."

"If a man does not keep pace with his companions, it is because he hears a different drummer."

2015-06-24 19:05

HSP's Tyler Antoine explores one of the earliest gay magazines in the US, Drum, as part of a new blog series: "Beats of the Drum." Published here in Philadelphia in 1964, Drum represented a radical break from the past through its stark portrayals of homosexuals in mid-century America. For his inaugural post, Tyler discusses the immediate cultural milieu into which Drum emerged.


One of the more colorful items to be found in HSP’s Digital Library is the first issue of Drum, an early gay pride magazine first published by Clark Polak in Philadelphia in 1964. In this series, entitled “Beats of the Drum,” we aim to explore some of the more fascinating facets of this important document of LGBT history.

If you haven’t heard of Drum, you might be surprised at how much of a landmark magazine it was within mid-century gay American culture. First published in 1964, the climate in which the magazine appeared was hardly hospitable to homosexuals. Only six years had passed since the striking down of the Comstock laws forbidding the postage of homosexual materials.

In the early 1960s, homosexuality was still considered a mental disorder. The American Psychology Association listed homosexuality as a form of psychosis, recommended electric shock therapy, lobotomy, and other “treatments.” Far from the Equal Opportunity Employers of today, federal agencies were firing any employees suspected of being homosexual. Public LGBT demonstrations were few and far between, with the first Christopher Street Pride Parade still years away.

Put plainly, it was very dangerous to be gay at the time Drum appeared.  There was a serious lack of visibility due to the threat of being outed. In this time of ubiquitous gay pride events – everything from parades to dance parties – it’s easy to forget how these traditions are steeped in a longtime struggle from near invisibility to visibility and an appreciation for the public figures and unsung heroes who paved the way for these traditions to become so accepted.

The cover of Drum's inaugural issue in October, 1964

 

This is why Drum magazine represents such a revolutionary break. Unlike preceding LGBT publications – such as lesbian publication The Ladder, which relied on innocuous covers without any visual hint as to what could be found inside – the cover for the first issue of Drum displays the back-end of a man wearing only his swim trunks. Despite its frank appearance, Drum boasted a monthly circulation of about 10,000 at its peak – the largest circulation number for any magazine of its kind at that time.

More salacious photos and spreads would follow in subsequent issues. In 1965, it became the first American magazine to feature a full-frontal male pictorial. Polak's fearless approach to sexuality would ultimately be his downfall, however. The magazine ended in 1969 after a raid of Clark Polak's offices, resulting in Polak being brought up on 18 counts of publishing and distributing obscene material via his Trojan Book Service -- particularly obscene films. His business destroyed, Clark Polak would leave Philadelphia the following year.

A note from editor Clark Polak & Thoreau's quote that inspired the magazine's title. 


A seriously unsung hero, Polak was the founder of the Janus Society, an early homophile organization. After relocating to Los Angeles following his conviction, Polak continued a life of activism, founding a gay chapter at his local ACLU before ultimately taking his life in 1980.  The alienation he and his homosexual brethren felt can be observed from the Thoreau quote from which Drum takes its namesake – “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears the beat of a different drummer.”

 

 

Comments

Submitted by Bob Skiba (not verified) on

Just to be clear, the raid on Polak's office in February of 1969 had little to do with Drum Magazine itself. The accusation was against his Trojan Book Service for displaying "obscene material," specifically films. After the indictment, with his business destroyed, Polak left Philadelphia in 1970.

He was an important gay activist in the 60s, in many ways progressive and ahead of his time.

Thanks for featuring Drum and Clark Polak! Anyone can drop by the William Way Community Center's LGBT Archives, around the corner from HSP1071, where we have a full run of Drum.

Submitted by Tyler Antoine (not verified) on

Thanks so much for the clarification, Bob! I agree that Clark Polak was way ahead of his time. Looking forward to stopping in and seeing that full run of DRUM sometime soon!

Tyler Antoine, HSP

Submitted by Bob Skiba (not verified) on

Just to be clear, the raid on Polak's offices in February of 1969 had little to do with Drum. The attack was against his Trojan Book Service for displaying obscene films. His business destoryed, Polak left Philadelphia in 1970.

Polak was one of the most progressive gay activists of the 1960s, definitely ahead of his time.

Thanks for featuring Clrak Polak and Drum Magazine.

By the way, anyone can browse through a complete run of Drum at the William Way Community Center's LGBT Archives, right around the corner from HSP.

Submitted by John Anderies (not verified) on

Great post! Glad to see Drum getting some attention, too! I just wanted to point out a couple small issues in your blog post. It might not be entirely accurate to call the Annual Reminder picket, first staged on July 4, 1965, "the first public LGBT demonstration." Certainly it is the first series of repeated demonstrations, the first demonstrations clearly geared toward "equality," and probably even the most important prior to Stonewall. But the Reminder Day pickets were preceded by such demonstrations as the Dewey's sit-in here in Philadelphia on April 25, 1965 and the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C. picket of the White House on April 17, 1965, as well as their picket of the U.S. Civil Service Commission on June 26, 1965. Also, Drum magazine continued to publish until January 1969 (no. 31), not 1967, a mistake that has been frequently perpetuated by a faulty entry on "Drum (American magazine)" in Wikipedia. A complete set of Drum is available in the Archives of the William Way LGBT Center.

John Anderies, Archivist
John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives
William Way LGBT Center

Submitted by Tyler Antoine (not verified) on

Thanks for your comment, John! And thank you also for the corrections on the "first" public LGBT demonstration, and the "last" issue of DRUM -- these facts will be incorporated into the blog post. It is important to recognize the efforts of all the activists that demonstrated for LGBT rights before Reminder Day.

Tyler Antoine, HSP

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