Off Christopher Street

David Sessions and Blake Smith
  • 5.0 (1)
  • SOCIETY & CULTURE

Historians David Sessions and Blake Smith dive into the archives of the gay literary magazine Christopher Street as a window onto the gay life of the past and the gay discourses of the present.

Episodes

  1. 2D AGO

    Gay Men and the Politics of Hotness

    We read George Stambolian's "Interview With a Hot Man" from the February 1983 issue of Christopher Street and talk about the central, yet perennially controversial, role that physical beauty plays in gay culture. We compare notes on our own experiences of feeling hot and wanting hot people, and about the competing – but perhaps not ultimately opposed – tendencies in gay life toward competitive elitism and democratic collectivity.  Follow us Christopher Street on Substack Christopher Street website Blake on Substack David on Substack Sources Joe Bernstein, “Handsome at Any Cost,” New York Times, February 13, 2026.Jordan Castro, “Getting the Pump,” Harper’s, February 2024.Blake's Substack posts about George Stambolian's interviews and his archival diaryGeorge Stambolian, “Interview With a Hot and Handsome Man,” Christopher Street, 1983.George Stambolian, Gay Fantasies / Male Realities (1984).David's Substack post about looksmaxxing and contemporary anti-beauty discourse.

    1h 7m
  • 1 Episode

Ratings & Reviews

About

Historians David Sessions and Blake Smith dive into the archives of the gay literary magazine Christopher Street as a window onto the gay life of the past and the gay discourses of the present.

Information

  • Creator
    David Sessions and Blake Smith
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    1
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 David Sessions and Blake Smith