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Destroyer (magazine)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Destroyer
EditorKarl Andersson
CategoriesGay
FrequencyTwice a year
First issue2006
Final issue2010
CountrySweden
LanguageEnglish
Websitedestroyerjournal.com
ISSN1801-8203

Destroyer – Journal of Apollonian Beauty and Dionysian Sexuality was a Swedish-based pederastic 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] The publication received intense criticism from the LGBT community.

Controversy

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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 sexualising children.[5] Many of the images were taken in developing countries, and it was unclear in some cases whether the depicted boys were aware that they were being photographed.[2]

Destroyer's final issue (#10), published in January 2010, was limited to 1,000 copies.

Book

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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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ Hafkamp, Hans (11 January 2012). "The Short But Turbulent History Of Destroyer Magazine". Gay News.
  2. ^ a b 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. Archived from the original on 2013-06-22. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
  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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