''Drum'' (sometimes subtitled ''Drum: Sex in Perspective'') was an American gay men's culture and news magazine published monthly in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, featuring

homoerotic Homoeroticism is sexual attraction between members of the same sex, either male–male or female–female. The concept differs from the concept of homosexuality: it refers specifically to the desire itself, which can be temporary, whereas "homose ...

photographs as well as news, book reviews, editorials, and fiction. It was published (usually monthly) beginning in October 1964 by the

homophile Terms used to describe homosexuality have gone through many changes since the emergence of the first terms in the mid-19th century. In English, some terms in widespread use have been sodomite, Achillean, Sapphic, Uranian, homophile, lesbian, g ...

activist group the Janus Society as a continuation of the group's monthly newsletter. Edited by

Clark Polak Clark Philip Polak (15 October 1937 – 18 September 1980) was an American businessman, publisher, journalist, and LGBT activist. Polak was from a Jewish, middle-class family in Philadelphia. He was the youngest son of Arthur Marcus Polak and A ...

, the president of the Janus Society, the magazine represented Polak's radical approach to the homophile movement by emphasizing sexual liberation when other homophile organizations were focused on assimilating with straight society.

Title

The magazine's title was inspired by a quote from ''

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published in 1854 as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part ...

'' by Henry David Thoreau that appeared in every edition: "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears the beat of a different drummer."

Content

''Drum'' was published most months between October 1964 and November 1966, but after issue number 21 the magazine was published sporadically for another 10 issues until January 1969. The magazine's exclusive coverage of gay men's issues was controversial within the Janus Society because the group focused on all LGB issues. The magazine was the most popular homophile magazine in the country, with a circulation of 10,000 by 1966, far surpassing similar homophile magazines '' ONE'' and '' The Ladder''. Drum's success came from its bold portrayal of gay sex and culture in erotica, fiction, and humor. The magazine maintained a

clipping service A media monitoring service, a press clipping service or a clipping service as known in earlier times, provides clients with copies of media content, which is of specific interest to them and subject to changing demand; what they provide may include ...

to identify news coverage of gay issues from across the country which were often reprinted in ''Drum''. Polak wanted to "put the 'sex' back in homosexuality", and the magazine was the first in the country to publish full frontal male nudity in 1965. However, copies of the magazine sold at

newsstands A newsagent's shop or simply newsagent's or paper shop (British English), newsagency (Australian English) or newsstand (American and Canadian English) is a business that sells newspapers, magazines, cigarettes, snacks and often items of local ...

never featured nudity and only subscribers received copies with a

centerfold The centerfold or centrefold of a magazine is the inner pages of the middle sheet, usually containing a portrait, such as a pin-up or a nude. The term can also refer to the model featured in the portrait. In saddle-stitched magazines (as opp ...

-style insert of additional pages. A ''Life'' magazine expose titled "Homosexuality in America" in 1964 inspired a parody article in ''Drum'', "Heterosexuality in America", written by "P. Arody" that jokingly treated heterosexuality as a deviation that exists in all walks of life across the country. Drum began the first gay comic strip, '' Harry Chess: The Man from A.U.N.T.I.E'', by A. Jay (Al Shapiro), which featured Harry Chess and his sidekick Mickey Muscle as top secret agents working for Agents Undercover Network to Investigate Evil, a spoof on comic strips from the time and ''

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a secret ...

'' The comic was discontinued in 1966 but reappeared in gay magazines ''Queen’s Quarterly'' and ''Drummer''.

Demise

In March 1967, Polak was arrested when his home was raided by the police and over 75,000 gay books, photos, and magazines were seized. Polak was indicted by a grand jury; however, a judge threw out the case because one of the warrants was filled out incorrectly. In February 1969, Polak was arrested for a second time for distributing obscene materials and operating a

peep show A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot. Several historical media provided voyeuristic entertainment through hidden erotic imagery. Before the development of the c ...

at one of his adult bookstores. In April 1969, Polak was found guilty and sentenced to two years in prison, which was reduced to two months. Polak sent a letter to ''Drum’s'' subscribers in May explaining that the previous January issue was the magazine's last. After two additional arrests, Polak was found guilty by two federal grand juries in 1969 and 1970. Polak moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

in 1970 and in 1972 pleaded no contest to the charges of mailing obscene publications and was sentenced to five years probation contingent on giving up his pornography businesses in Philadelphia. The Janus Society succeeded ''Drum'' with another magazine, ''PACE!'', named from the same Thoreau quote. ''PACE!'' covered lesbian and gay issues but only ran for two issues.Stein, p. 300-301

Notes

References

* Gross, Larry (2001). ''Up from Invisibility: Lesbians, Gay Men, and the Media in America''. New York, Columbia University Press. * Kranz, Rachel and Tim Cusick (2005). ''Gay Rights'' (3rd ed.). Infobase Publishing. *Murphy, Michael (March–April 2014). "The Life and Times of Harry Chess." ''The Gay & Lesbian Review'': 22–24. * Stein, Marc (2000). ''City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves : Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-1972''. University of Chicago Press. . *Streitmatter, Rodger (1995). ''Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press in America''. Boston, Faber and Faber. *

Title

Content

Demise

Notes

References

See also