Wow, do those names ever bring back memories! Those magazines were available in my youth in Iowa too, in the late 70s, early 80s. In the right news agents or book stores. (I hid a couple under my mattress as a teenager.) Also, the mainstream Des Moines newspaper had a thriving gay personals section.

That was a little strange. Official society marginalized/criminalized queer people and behavior, but you could still find access into a queer demimonde from all sorts of respectable places, even in quite conservative areas.

When I became bold enough to seek out other queer folks, I learned that subscriptions to The Advocate were common. I remember going home with a young gay friend when I was about 18, finding a copy of The Advocate on his coffee table, and poring over it entranced. (My poor friend had his ego bruised a tad, because while he was ripping his shirt off, I was ... reading a magazine.)

Toronto's Stonewall was going on at roughly the same time as Canadians objected fiercely to police persecution of queer people. The demimonde was breaking free. The first couple years of the 1980s felt thrilling from a queer perspective. Mores were changing. Acceptance was surging. Politics were beginning to reflect that.

Then, everything went sideways.

The virus didn't destroy the push for queer equality, but it sure did change it. I sometimes wonder where we'd be if progress has continued without the plague.