Lesbians who held the essentialist view, that they had been born homosexual and used the descriptor "lesbian" to define sexual attraction, often considered the separatist opinions of lesbian-feminists to be detrimental to the cause of gay rights. Lesbian feminists eschewed gender role play that had been pervasive in bars as well as the perceived chauvinism of gay men many lesbian feminists refused to work with gay men, or take up their causes. As equality was a priority for lesbian feminists, disparity of roles between men and women or butch and femme were viewed as patriarchal. A dispute as to whether the primary focus of their political aims should be feminism or gay rights led to the dissolution of some lesbian organizations, including the Daughters of Bilitis, which was founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon but disbanded in 1970 following disputes over which goal should take precedence. Īs lesbians forged more public identities, the phrase "gay and lesbian" became more common. The first widely used term, homosexual, now a term used primarily in scientific contexts, has at times carried negative connotations in the United States. "We buy gay stuff," reads a sign at the base of the stairs leading up to Auto Erotica (4077A 18th St.) - which celebrated 25 years in the Castro this month.LGBT publications, pride parades, and related events, such as this stage at Bologna Pride 2008 in Italy, increasingly drop the LGBT initialism instead of regularly adding new letters, and dealing with issues of placement of those letters within the new title. Owner Patrick Batt has been buying and selling gay-themed memorabilia at this location since November 16, 1996. "I take comfort in the fact that I chanced on this whole little niche market that needs to be kept alive."Ī sign in front of Auto Erotica reads "we buy gay stuff." | Photo: Steven Bracco/Hoodline "I like the gay history aspect of it," said Batt. Prior to opening Auto Erotica, Batt says tells Hoodline he was the first manager of SoMA bar The Eagle Tavern (now SF Eagle) when it opened in April 1981, and he also worked for Mercury Mail Order across the street behind what is now Up Hair (4084 18th St). When Auto Erotica first opened in 1996, it was your typical adult store selling items like condoms, lube, and adult toys. "When I first opened the store there weren't five adult toy stores in the neighborhood," said Batt.
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"All of a sudden there were five and I had to figure out how to survive because you can only buy so many dildos."īatt said he decided to sell a bunch of magazine back issues and art on the walls, which attracted a lot of attention. "Ultimately I morphed into replacing all the sex toys, lubes, condoms, and leather goods with stuff that is historically important," Batt says, adding, "that decision ironically changed everything." #VINTAGE GAY PORN TO PURCHASE HOW TO# Now, Auto Erotica may be one of the last places of its kind in the Bay Area selling vintage and collectible gay porn and erotica - often obtained from personal collections. Books, DVDs, magazines, posters, artwork, buttons/pins, and other ephemera are just some of the items available to collectors and shoppers. While people can shop online for adult toys and lube just about anywhere, Batt said customers like to see the magazines in person. "They want to see it, they want to touch it," said Batt. The past 20 months of the pandemic have been a struggle for Batt, but at no point did he ever consider closing the store. "As long as people walk in the door with boxes of things," said Batt. "It's important that stuff goes to collectors and people who want it."Īs Hoodline previously reported, in order to help support the store he started a GoFundMe earlier this year with the help of Bradley Roberge. Initially, Batt said he didn't want to do it because "it's like begging." However, he was convinced by Roberge to give it a shot.Īuto Erotica set a modest fundraising goal of $16,275 to help cover costs like rent, a pre-pandemic advertising bill from a local LGBTQ newspaper, and other various fees.