Propaganda Pride Police

Text & Photos by Fred Berger

Having originated in New York’s early ‘80s punk rock scene, which was a bastion of straight male ultra machismo, Propaganda had evolved into a queer-curious periodical by the mid-1990s. It was a time when the goth scene was being inundated with twink and trans club kids, and the most drop-dead gorgeous among them inevitably found their way onto its glossy pages. They were simultaneously photogenic and uninhibited, and therefore made the perfect models for the magazine’s increasingly risqué themes.

One such creature of the night was Louis, the last of the Propaganda supermodels. He first modeled for me in early 2001 and was an instant sensation. The photos featured here are from that shoot, which appeared in a pictorial entitled “Police State” in the Winter 2001-2002 issue of the magazine. A number of heterosexual men told me they’d turn gay just for him, and likewise there were lesbians who said they would turn straight on that individual basis as well. Such confessions, which have also applied to several other models in Propaganda, are a tribute to its androgynous and pansexual appeal.

AGE NOTIFICATION: The model appearing in these photos was over the age of 18 when they were taken. A photocopy of the model’s U.S. passport and a signed model release from this photo-shoot are on file with the photographer, Fred Berger.