The Advocate, August 7, 1984

Periodical: “The ADVOCATE”
Issue: August 7, 1984 (issue #400)
Publisher: Liberation Publications, Inc., Los Angeles, California.
Pages: 66
Provenance: Unknown
Table of Contents: Gay Pride Wrap-up 1984: Celebrations Coast to Coast; For the Record: Boston Passes Gay Rights Ordinance; Louisville: Dave Williams on Bluegrass Gays; Interview: French Philosopher Michel Foucault; THE ADVOCATE 400: A Who’s Who of Gay Liberation; Writers: French Author George Bataille and His Work; Paul Cadmus: The Artist and the Gay Sensibility.
Regular Features: Opening Space; Opinions; Health; The TICKET Section; Film; Theatre; Pop Music; People; Books; Market Space; Next.
Cover Photography: Fred Bisonnes (1940-)
Random Passage: “This is the 400th issue of The ADVOCATE—a milestone for us. During the past 16 years The ADVOCATE has gone from being a small newsletter read by just a handful o people to being the most widely read, most influential gay periodical in the world. The publication’s level of professionalism has steadily increased in that time. We at The ADVOCATE pledge to keep striving for excellence, and we hope our contribution to gay people will continue to grow.” (from “The ADVOCATE Four Hundred”)
Notes: This particular issue of the legendary LGBT magazine The ADVOCATE (yes, it used caps back then) comes from its midpoint when the publication was transitioning from a newsletter to a glossy magazine format. It strongly reminds the Cowboy of Rolling Stone magazine, which also started in 1967 and continues publishing today (albeit less frequently). The content emphasizes the G in LGBT, with news, interviews and reviews targeting the intellectual/aspirational side of contemporary gay life. The magazine would gradually become more superficial over the course of the ’80s, although its coverage of the AIDS crisis remained strong. The “Pink Pages” section in the middle contains more adult-oriented fare such as personal ads, sexy comics (“Wendel” by Howard Cruse), and ads for adult phone lines, videos, toys, etc.