ARTICLES & FICTION
8 "THE MILE HIGH CLUB"
By Joseph Santino
20 "CONVERSATION WITH BEVERLY SILLS"
By George Heymont
28 "THE MONSTERS OF JAMES WHALE"
By Anthony Slide
48 "BRIEFS RAPTURE"
By Hank Avatar
52 "David ASHFIELD: STUNT COCK"
By Robert W. Richards
68 "BELLE GLADE: AIDS CITY"
By Tim Barrus VISUALS
15 "THE GREAT OUTDOORS"
From Graven Image Studio
23 "BENTLEY: THE LUXURY MODEL"
From Eagle Studios
37 "PHOTO SHOOT"
From Malexpress Studios
48 "BRIEFS RAPTURE"
By Naakkve
63 "RETURN OF THE TURK"
From Surge Studio
71 "THE YOUNG AND THE HUNG"
From Catalina Video MONTHLY FEATURES
4 QUICKIES
11 ROUNDUP (Film, Books, Theatre, Music)
32 VIDEO VIEWS
44 LETTERS TO CASEY
58 CONTACTS EDITORIAL
Beware the self-appointed guardians of public morality, for they are the ones
most anxious to impose their personal standards on the public at large. The
1973 Supreme Court decision that obscenity be determined by "local community
standards" has proven for more than a decade to be an open invitation to
chaos, and what constitutes obscenity in one place does not necessarily in others.
The latest outbreak of such self-styled morality, which recently occurred in
Rockville, Maryland, is particularly frightening for several reasons.
Here's what happened, as reported by Washington, D.C.'s gay newspaper, The Blade:
A police officer joined a video rental club in Montgomery County, Maryland,
and "subsequently checked out a number of pornographic videotapes."
After (presUmma-porn-star">Umably) viewing them, he returned them to the store, flashed his
police credentials, ordered a "heterosexual sado-masochistic tape"
removed from the shelves, and threatened criminal prosecution if the shop failed
to comply. Three days later, he returned to the store and ordered 300 x-rated
tapes featuring "gay and lesbian acts" be removed. His action was
defended as a response to "citizen complaints," though the number
and sort of such complaints has not at press time been publicly revealed.
In order to avoid the hassle, the harassment, and the expense, the Maryland
store owners buckled to this individual's demands. Such tactics are becoming
more and more common across the country — as are such responses. The trend
is dangerous. As Barry Lynn, legislative counsel for the national American Civil
Liberties Union has pointed out, "Unfortunately, (many store owners) cave
in to police pressure, the issue never gets to court, and standards of decency
in a community are never determined."
We find this sort of censorship by intimidation particularly despicable. In
this instance, censorship imposed by a police officer carried the suggestion
(and the force) of legality, while in no way conforming to due process of law.
What's more, the growing trend toward the sufficiency of mere threat, rather
than the scrutiny of public trial, is reprehensible, and it seems to us, unconstitutional.
The real problem is that the police rarely if ever get complaints when such
materials are removed from the shelves. But who among the gay citizenry of Rockville,
Maryland — and there must have been a certain number to warrant a library
of 300 gay tapes — dares to come forward and complain?
Jerry Douglas
Editor
