After Dark was a groundbreaking entertainment magazine published monthly from May 1968 to January 1983, originally emerging from Ballroom Dance Magazine. Though it never explicitly labeled itself as a gay publication, it cultivated a strong gay male following by blending sophisticated cultural coverage—spanning theater, cinema, performance art, fashion, and music—with striking homoerotic photography and candid features on stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liza Minnelli, and Peter Berlin .
With a circulation peaking at around 300,000, After Dark offered a rare, stylish space for queer men to see their desires reflected—even if subtly—during an era when visibility was dangerous. Its glossy pages and playful eroticism resonated deeply, and it became a quiet but powerful voice in the journey from Stonewall to AIDS. Losing ground to more overtly gay magazines, After Dark closed in 1983, leaving behind a legacy of cultural daring and concealed affirmation that still echoes in queer media today.
