While gathering research materials for my fragrance, I stumbled across Christopher Street magazine in the archives of the New York Public Library. Founded in the 1970s, this early gay literary magazine, alongside publications like the Village Voice, proved invaluable for understanding the evolving philosophies of the West Village in post-Stonewall New York. The magazine captured the energized activist spirit of the time, reflecting the momentum and optimism that I explored in my “Dance on Skin” post—a spirit that would later inform the Christopher Street fragrance.

“There was a great deal of discussion that we were living under an oppressive society, and the worst form of oppression was the internalized homophobia that we had incorporated into our own thinking. What was needed was a cultural change. We needed to change our imaginations.” – Michael Denneny (maryliterary.com)

By exploring the pages of Christopher Street, I was able to trace the mix of cultural and political forces shaping the neighborhood, offering insight into how past events on Christopher Street continued to influence the community decades later.

Christopher Street magazine was founded in New York City in 1976 by Charles Ortleb and Michael Denneny, operating under the editorial direction of Thomas Steele. This monthly New Yorker-style gay literary magazine featured fiction, nonfiction, poetry, news, book reviews, illustrations, and photography. Its content focused on serious discussions of issues important to the gay community while also including witty satire aimed at anti-gay criticism.

The magazine was one of the few platforms where emerging gay authors could speak with an authentically gay voice. Over its 19-year run, it highlighted notable and upcoming queer writers, including Christopher Bram, Scott Heim, and Edmund White. A total of 231 issues were published before the magazine closed in December 1995.

Christopher Street magazine remains a fascinating piece of West Village history, a testament to the continued evolution of the Stonewall message. It offers rich insight into queer cultural life in New York and remains worth exploring for those interested in queer history and literary expression.

In addition to fiction and political commentary, Christopher Street featured extraordinary cartooning and illustration work. A collection of these pieces can be found at Visual Humor, with artwork credits, as well as on the Christopher Street Magazine Pin Board.

Some of my favorite images from the magazine’s first year include the cover of the July 1976 inaugural issue, featuring a shot of “the closet.” During early brainstorming for the Christopher Street fragrance, this image sparked many conversations about the confines and possibilities of the perfume closet. Opening the pages of Christopher Street revealed how beauty and creativity could blossom from even the smallest spaces, a lesson that still resonates in fragrance design today.

Modern perfume culture often reflects the same rigid boundaries, favoring gendered scent palettes and ingredient biases. Exploring these early magazines reminded me how much creative freedom can come from challenging these norms.

For additional inspiration and historical context, the following printed collections provide rich material: The Christopher Street Reader, Aphrodisiac: Fiction from Christopher Street, First Love, Last Love: New Fiction from Christopher Street, and Le Gay Ghetto: Gay Cartoons from Christopher Street. Back issues and related archival materials are also housed at the New York Public Library.