''Destroyer – Journal of Apollonian Beauty and Dionysian Sexuality'' was a
Swedish-based
pederastic
Pederasty or paederasty ( or ) is a sexual relationship between an adult man and a pubescent or adolescent boy. The term ''pederasty'' is primarily used to refer to historical practices of certain cultures, particularly ancient Greece and an ...
magazine published by
Karl Andersson, with the objective "to bring back the adolescent boy as one of the ideals of gay culture". The magazine contained features, essays, interviews, reviews, columns, culture articles, fiction and sexually suggestive shots of boys as young as 13.
[
] The publication received intense criticism from the LGBT community.
Controversy
''Destroyer'' was subjected to massive criticism by the gay establishment in Sweden, because of its young male models. In a live radio debate, the chairman of the
Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights ( sv, Riksförbundet för homosexuellas, bisexuellas, transpersoners och queeras rättigheter, RFSL, formerly ) is a Swedish organization working for LGBT rights. Lawy ...
accused ''Destroyer'' editor
Karl Andersson of "giving gay people a bad name", an accusation they stood by when questioned by international LGBT media. The magazine also received criticism from child-protection activists for sexualising children. Many of the images were taken in developing countries, and it was unclear in some cases whether the depicted boys were aware that they were being photographed.
''Destroyers final issue (#10), published in January 2010, was limited to 1,000 copies.
Book
Karl Andersson's Swedish book ''Bögarnas värsta vän - historien om tidningen Destroyer'' was published in October 2010 and covers the reactions to the magazine.
The book made headline in several national newspapers. ''
Aftonbladet
''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries.
History and profile
The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan Hi ...
'' published a favorable review, which was criticized by the culture editor of ''
Expressen
''Expressen'' (''The Express'') is one of two nationwide evening newspapers in Sweden, the other being '' Aftonbladet''. ''Expressen'' was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and its slogans are "it stings" or "''Expressen'' to your rescue". ...
''. Key players in the initial scandals were interviewed by ''
Svenska Dagbladet
''Svenska Dagbladet'' (, "The Swedish Daily News"), abbreviated SvD, is a daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden.
History and profile
The first issue of ''Svenska Dagbladet'' appeared on 18 December 1884. During the beginning of t ...
'', including Andersson himself and the former chairman of the
Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights
The Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Rights ( sv, Riksförbundet för homosexuellas, bisexuellas, transpersoners och queeras rättigheter, RFSL, formerly ) is a Swedish organization working for LGBT rights. Lawy ...
.
The English translation ''Gay Man's Worst Friend - the Story of Destroyer Magazine'' was published in March 2011.
Academic interest
The reactions to ''Destroyer'' have repeatedly been used in academic discourse as an example of what kind of expressions gay culture or sex radicalism may or may not include, and how that can change over time.
One doctoral dissertation describes ''Destroyers relevance thus:
"The tension along the culturally determined barrier between ‘good’ and ‘bad’ sexual expressions is demonstrated in the scandal of ''Destroyer'' magazine and the outrage it sparked within gay rights debates."
[
]
See also
*
List of LGBT publications
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official website
2006 establishments in Sweden
2010 disestablishments in Sweden
Biannual magazines
Defunct magazines published in Sweden
Magazines established in 2006
Magazines disestablished in 2010
English-language magazines
Gay men's magazines published in Sweden
LGBT-related controversies in literature