Destroyer Magazine

Destroyer – Journal of Apollonian Beauty and Dionysian Sexuality was a Swedish-based gay magazine published by Karl Andersson, with the objective "to bring back the adolescent boy as one of the ideals of gay culture".[1] The magazine contained features, essays, interviews, reviews, columns, culture articles, fiction and sexually suggestive shots of boys as young as 13.[2]

Destroyer
EditorKarl Andersson
CategoriesGay
FrequencyTwice a year
First issue2006
Final issue2010
CountrySweden
LanguageEnglish
Websitedestroyerjournal.com
ISSN1801-8203

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 accused Destroyer editor Karl Andersson of "giving gay people a bad name",[3] an accusation they stood by when questioned by international LGBT media.[4] The magazine also received criticism from child-protection activists for allegedly "sexualising" children.[5]

Destroyer's 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 published a favorable review,[6] which was criticized by the culture editor of Expressen.[7] Key players in the initial scandals were interviewed[8] by Svenska Dagbladet, including Andersson himself and the former chairman of the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights.

The English translation Gay Man's Worst Friend - the Story of Destroyer Magazine[9] 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[10] may or may not include, and how that can change over time.

One doctoral dissertation describes Destroyer's 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."[11]

See also
  • List of LGBT publications

References
  1. Hafkamp, Hans (11 January 2012). "The Short But Turbulent History Of Destroyer Magazine". Gay News.
  2. Van Meter, William (2012-01-11). "Eternal Youth: Destroyer, the controversial zine that objectified teen idols". Out.
  3. "P1-Morgon". Sveriges Radio. 2006-06-22.
  4. "Scandalized Scandinavians". The Guide. 2006-08-01.
  5. ""Tonårspojkar är väldigt vackra" Unga pojkar visar könsorgan i ny gaytidning". Aftonbladet. 2006-06-21.
  6. Stahre, Ulrika (27 October 2010). "En sorglig pojkdröm". Aftonbladet.
  7. Olsson, Karin (3 November 2010). "Gossedyrkan". Expressen.
  8. Brandel, Tobias (27 October 2010). "Bögarnas värste vän är tillbaka". Svenska Dagbladet.
  9. Andersson, Karl (2011), Gay Man's Worst Friend - the Story of Destroyer Magazine, ISBN 9789163368998
  10. Kerstinsdotter, Reb (18 February 2008). The Beautiful Boy, The Destroyer: Sexradikalers förhandlingar om tidskriften Destroyer – en intervjustudie om anständiga bögar, fula gubbar och sexualiserade barn (Thesis). Stockholm University.
  11. Warburton, Timothy Ryan (2014). From AIDS to Assimilation: Representations of Male Homosexuality in Swedish Literature (Ph.D. thesis). University of Washington. p. 131.
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