BONUS NUMBER 68 IS A DOUBLE FEATURE: "A BIZARRE HISTORY OF THE PENIS" and "UNCUT SCENES FROM GAY HISTORY"
(Did You Sleep With the Models?)
Both features are by Leigh W. Rutledge, who was our most frequent contributor of nonfiction and stories, while Kristen Bjorn was our top photographer.
The second feature here, “Uncut Scenes from Gay History,” was Leigh’s debut in Mandate. I was new in the job when, in March 1982, I received the manuscript. The author, who lived in Pueblo, Colorado, was Leigh W. Rutledge. The information in his article was new, engrossing, and unlike anything I had read in a gay publication — or elsewhere. Spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure required no copyediting. That fact alone set it apart.
Fascinating material, and almost unbelievable. Are you sure? I wanted to ask. Where did he find all of this, I wondered. I wrote to him that day:
"Dear Leigh,
"I received your ' Uncut Scenes from Gay History ' in today's post. I plan to use it in a future issue of Mandate, but I feel that it cries out for a bibliography. Can you supply one? Please get it to me as soon as possible."
I ran the bibliography, which was of interest in its own right, as a sidebar to the article. This was the beginning of a professional relationship that lasted until the day I left Modernismo Publications.
And beyond. We’re still in touch, usually by late-night telephone. If you’re unacquainted with Leigh’s two dozen books — on gay history, cats, and other subjects — you might want to consult his bibliography.
More on Leigh and his work in Chapter Seventeen, “Springtime for Rutledge,” which posted on April 14, 2023.
Stay tuned to Did You Sleep With the Models? for more reprints of Leigh’s work.