Alternative Sex: Some 'Zines, Comics, Books, and Sources

The following list focuses on, but is not limited to, lesser‐known printed publications which feature writing and images about sex and sexual politics. Besides representing a fair amount of irreverence, satire, scholarship, and unabashed eroticism, the list includes citations for material on topics sure to offend: pedophilia (some would say child abuse) and fetishism, to name just two. For an extensive list of more mainstream sex periodicals, consult Ulrich's International Periodicals Directory (Bowker). Don't bother looking there for categories like EROTICA or SEX, however. Ulrich's cities titles like Gent (“Home of the D‐cups”), Penthouse (circulation 2 million, but how many library subscriptions?), Swinging Times, and Uncut (“The magazine of the natural man”), under MEN'S INTERESTS, while some gay and lesbian erotica appears under the heading HOMOSEXUALITY. Also: while accounting for very little sexually‐oriented material of a general nature—Playboy (under MEN), Playgirl (under WOMEN), and Yellow Silk (under GENERAL EDITORIAL)—Bill and Linda Katz's Magazines for libraries, another Bowker publication, features an extensive annotated bibliography of lesbian and gay periodicals (Polly Thistlethwaite and Daniel Tsang, compilers), which includes titles like NAMBLA Bulletin: Voice of the North American Man/Boy Love Association and On Our Backs.