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Advocate Days & Other Stories
What does it mean to be an advocate? To become a person who speaks out and defends a cause? In this collection of moving essays, longtime journalist Mark Thompson charts his own journey of becoming both a witness and participant in the gay liberation movement. He then goes on to describe other advocates of personal and political freedom he has known and how these friendships further informed his activism. His story begins in 1968 when, as a curious teenager in the throes of coming out, he accidentally discovers one of the first issues of The Advocate, a tiny Los Angeles newsletter that would grow into the gay movement's most important national journal of record. Little did he know that only in a few more years he'd be working for the publication-first as an enterprising young writer and then, after nearly two decades, as its Senior and Cultural Editor. Filled with historic eye-witness accounts of a movement and its primary chronicle always in flux, as well as profiles of artists and activists who have made a difference, Advocate Days and Other Stories is more than the sum of its parts. Taken together, these keenly observed tales offer a stirring testament to the significance of living a life graced with meaning and purpose.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
6 people want to read
About the author
Mark Thompson
12 books8 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.
Mark Thompson is an American writer, editor and activist. His work centers around gay issues, particularly spirituality.
Mark Thompson is an American writer, editor and activist. His work centers around gay issues, particularly spirituality.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2010
This book is a stirring set of memories, interviews, recollections, and personal experiences of the author, Mark Thompson. Above all though, this is a tribute to gay history through the eyes of one man, intimately involved in so many ways. The first part of the book is early recollections and memories from Thompson’s 20-year career at The Advocate. Thompson’s dedication and hard work is shown through the history of the publication as he went through it, ending such an illustrious career with a whimper. From that end, Thompson went onto new beginnings which litter the second half of the book with memories, personal experiences, and introductions to influential men in gay history. The collection is beautifully written with stirring prose and an emotional content that is also educational. Thompson walks the literary tight rope of entertaining a reader while also educating about important people and events in gay history.
The early memories of The Advocate begin with a fevered first look to an indelible mark upon the publication. From elation and success to heartbreak, frustration, and betrayal, the telling never rants or shows bitterness. Instead, the publication is laid bare in all its faults and glory. The heyday is remembered alongside the missteps. Meanwhile, the importance of advocacy is shown through the actions of others and their impact. Influential men, journalists, and activists drift through the author’s life, each showing the importance of belief and action. Well known advocates and speakers exist alongside lesser known, but no less important friends. Both shaping the life and work of what was to become a renowned journalist and advocate.
The second part of the book offering memories, friendships, relationships, and events is slightly more mixed. The personal dedications are beautiful tributes to friends, mentors, and loved ones that show a rich, textured history in Thompson’s eloquent voice. From well known gay advocates to religious figures, the advances through the years for the Gay community are both staggering and minuscule. The massive progress is offset by the continual backsliding of culture. However, through the birth and horror of AIDS, riots, and hatred, the theme of hope for today and the future shines brightly. The memoirs of men who have lived their entire lives with dignity, respect, and charisma are nothing less than inspirational for a new generation that could learn so much from the past.
The only slight negative within this brilliant collection is that sometimes the memories of important men felt more like a biography and recitation of their many and varied accomplishments. Some of these lost their personal touch which helps make the writing so engaging and moving. However, there is no question why Mark Thompson is such a celebrated voice and writer of this time. This book is an eloquent voice and memory that speaks from the heart and offers an “earnest” authenticity that everyone can learn from.
The early memories of The Advocate begin with a fevered first look to an indelible mark upon the publication. From elation and success to heartbreak, frustration, and betrayal, the telling never rants or shows bitterness. Instead, the publication is laid bare in all its faults and glory. The heyday is remembered alongside the missteps. Meanwhile, the importance of advocacy is shown through the actions of others and their impact. Influential men, journalists, and activists drift through the author’s life, each showing the importance of belief and action. Well known advocates and speakers exist alongside lesser known, but no less important friends. Both shaping the life and work of what was to become a renowned journalist and advocate.
The second part of the book offering memories, friendships, relationships, and events is slightly more mixed. The personal dedications are beautiful tributes to friends, mentors, and loved ones that show a rich, textured history in Thompson’s eloquent voice. From well known gay advocates to religious figures, the advances through the years for the Gay community are both staggering and minuscule. The massive progress is offset by the continual backsliding of culture. However, through the birth and horror of AIDS, riots, and hatred, the theme of hope for today and the future shines brightly. The memoirs of men who have lived their entire lives with dignity, respect, and charisma are nothing less than inspirational for a new generation that could learn so much from the past.
The only slight negative within this brilliant collection is that sometimes the memories of important men felt more like a biography and recitation of their many and varied accomplishments. Some of these lost their personal touch which helps make the writing so engaging and moving. However, there is no question why Mark Thompson is such a celebrated voice and writer of this time. This book is an eloquent voice and memory that speaks from the heart and offers an “earnest” authenticity that everyone can learn from.
November 9, 2024
“MY ADVOCATE DAYS”
Mark Thompson’s Advocate Days & Other Stories was published in 2009. The book consists of two parts: Advocate Days is the first part, and Other Stories is the second part. I’ll let Thompson describe his book in his own words: “The first section records my own awakening as an advocate and the form that took as a journalist—from student paper days to finally Senior Editor of the world’s most prestigious journal of record for the gay and lesbian community . . . The rest of the book is comprised of favorite recent stories and recollections about meaningful people and events that reinforced my core beliefs.”
Mark Thompson’s account of his days at the Advocate is wonderfully engrossing. He unforgettably describes his first meeting with David B. Goldstein in 1975, the millionaire owner of the Advocate: ”As I walked down the long hallway to Goodstein’s private office, I momentarily flashed on the image of young Dorothy Gale nervously making her way on the emerald carpet to meet the Wizard of Oz. Would Goodstein be like that? All fire and smoke? His presence was that formidable, but as similarly unseen by most.”
Thompson tells Goldstein that he was saving for a trip to Europe. Goldstein calls in John Preston. Goldstein and Preston suggest several stories which Thompson could pursue while in Europe: interview David Hockney in Paris, investigate gay life in Amsterdam, and locate and talk with gay activists in Spain who were being persecuted by the Fascist government. Thompson triumphantly fulfills all three assignments. He writes that after his trip to Europe, “My commitment to the liberation of gay and lesbian people from oppression was now an unwavering command.” He also proudly observes, “My career at The Advocate was off to a spectacular start. I was twenty-three years old.”
Thompson’s descriptions of his last days at the Advocate are unflinching and heartbreaking: “By mid 1992 my T-cells had fallen to an AIDS diagnosis . . . Besides, my advocate days were numbered anyway with snobby new controllers putting an evermore-corporate spin on things.” He writes, “I gathered my things and walked out of The Advocate’s offices alone, after nearly two decades of work, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridors.”
In Other Stories, the second part of the book, Mark Thompson writes about other advocates who influenced his life, such as James Broughton, Harry Hay, Paul Monette, Ethel Eichelberger, and, of course, Malcolm Boyd, Thompson’s life-partner. I really enjoyed the variety of subjects of these stories. Thomspon says, “these individuals . . . provided vivid, passionate examples of what living an advocate’s life means.”
I treasure the following passage by Mark Thompson: “My golden dream is one of finding unwavering equality and justice for my kind and me. Of simply being understood for whom we are. Of wanting love and family at our side. To live a life of meaning and giving to others. To accept love and return it freely. Oh, America, land of my ancestors, this is my dream. I have been both advocate and witness for it.”
I must mention that Mark Thompson doesn’t let us, his readers, off the hook. He tells us, “May all the stories told here at the very least entertain. Then, to some degree, reflect upon and reinvigorate your own advocate sensibilities in a day and age when each voice must be heard, every person’s vision shared.”
During his life, Mark Thompson fulfilled his definition of an advocate: “To be an advocate means to own a voice, further a cause, to stand up and shout about something that matters.” Mark Thompson wrote other books, including Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning (1987), Gay Soul: Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature (1994), and Gay Body: A Journey through Shadow to Self (1997), He was a longtime survivor of AIDS. Mark Thompson died in August 2016 at the age of 63.
Mark Thompson’s Advocate Days & Other Stories was published in 2009. The book consists of two parts: Advocate Days is the first part, and Other Stories is the second part. I’ll let Thompson describe his book in his own words: “The first section records my own awakening as an advocate and the form that took as a journalist—from student paper days to finally Senior Editor of the world’s most prestigious journal of record for the gay and lesbian community . . . The rest of the book is comprised of favorite recent stories and recollections about meaningful people and events that reinforced my core beliefs.”
Mark Thompson’s account of his days at the Advocate is wonderfully engrossing. He unforgettably describes his first meeting with David B. Goldstein in 1975, the millionaire owner of the Advocate: ”As I walked down the long hallway to Goodstein’s private office, I momentarily flashed on the image of young Dorothy Gale nervously making her way on the emerald carpet to meet the Wizard of Oz. Would Goodstein be like that? All fire and smoke? His presence was that formidable, but as similarly unseen by most.”
Thompson tells Goldstein that he was saving for a trip to Europe. Goldstein calls in John Preston. Goldstein and Preston suggest several stories which Thompson could pursue while in Europe: interview David Hockney in Paris, investigate gay life in Amsterdam, and locate and talk with gay activists in Spain who were being persecuted by the Fascist government. Thompson triumphantly fulfills all three assignments. He writes that after his trip to Europe, “My commitment to the liberation of gay and lesbian people from oppression was now an unwavering command.” He also proudly observes, “My career at The Advocate was off to a spectacular start. I was twenty-three years old.”
Thompson’s descriptions of his last days at the Advocate are unflinching and heartbreaking: “By mid 1992 my T-cells had fallen to an AIDS diagnosis . . . Besides, my advocate days were numbered anyway with snobby new controllers putting an evermore-corporate spin on things.” He writes, “I gathered my things and walked out of The Advocate’s offices alone, after nearly two decades of work, my footsteps echoing in the empty corridors.”
In Other Stories, the second part of the book, Mark Thompson writes about other advocates who influenced his life, such as James Broughton, Harry Hay, Paul Monette, Ethel Eichelberger, and, of course, Malcolm Boyd, Thompson’s life-partner. I really enjoyed the variety of subjects of these stories. Thomspon says, “these individuals . . . provided vivid, passionate examples of what living an advocate’s life means.”
I treasure the following passage by Mark Thompson: “My golden dream is one of finding unwavering equality and justice for my kind and me. Of simply being understood for whom we are. Of wanting love and family at our side. To live a life of meaning and giving to others. To accept love and return it freely. Oh, America, land of my ancestors, this is my dream. I have been both advocate and witness for it.”
I must mention that Mark Thompson doesn’t let us, his readers, off the hook. He tells us, “May all the stories told here at the very least entertain. Then, to some degree, reflect upon and reinvigorate your own advocate sensibilities in a day and age when each voice must be heard, every person’s vision shared.”
During his life, Mark Thompson fulfilled his definition of an advocate: “To be an advocate means to own a voice, further a cause, to stand up and shout about something that matters.” Mark Thompson wrote other books, including Gay Spirit: Myth and Meaning (1987), Gay Soul: Finding the Heart of Gay Spirit and Nature (1994), and Gay Body: A Journey through Shadow to Self (1997), He was a longtime survivor of AIDS. Mark Thompson died in August 2016 at the age of 63.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews