Gay semiotics

Fischer: Periodically, over the years, people would ask me to reissue the books. The first thing I thought when I pulled everything out was, How could I do so much in five years? Particularly when you think about how much partying there was going on. Fischer: No, not at all.

Gay Semiotics ♂ by Hal Fischer

What It Was Like to Be a Gay Man in 1970s San Francisco

This piece identifies fashion as signals among homosexual males, using photography to highlight the five gay archetypal images: classical, natural, western, urbane, and leather. Additionally, the photos and research are based in San Francisco, and, having been born in San Francisco, I love any acknowledgement of San Francisco as a historically queer city.

Gay Semiotics: Hal Fischer’s Landmark 1970s Photo Series, in His Own Words

It was commissioned by the Eyes and Ears Foundation and was one of 7 billboards created by Bay Area photographers for a exhibition. The phone number and title, conveying no obvious commercial message, were contradictory to the usual informational function of a billboard.