Images of Lust: Sexual Carvings on Medieval Churches

These drawings are not from  recently discovered mediaeval or rustic fore-runner of ZIPPER magazine, but from the book Images of Lust: Sexual Carvings on Medieval Churches by James Jerman (Author), Anthony Weir published in May 1993.  The book is about “obscene” carvings on twelfth-century churches, and is called ‘Images of Lust: Sexual Carvings on Medieval Churches’and it established that carvings of men, women and animals in exhibitionist or otherwise flagrant posture, were not caprices of bolsy stonemasons, nor bizarre objects of “fertility-rites”, but part of the Benedictive and Augustinian concern over sins of the flesh and luxury and greed, which increased greatly as a result of the 12th century boom in commerce, travel and pilgrimage to Rome and Santiago, made possible by these monastic orders themselves.  Seven hundreds of years later the concern about sins of the flesh remains slightly diminished – but, alas, luxury and greed are no longer regarded as even distasteful – except, of course, when enjoyed by film stars, Boy George, perverts like the Shah of Iran, and members of the Onassis family.
Reprinted from Gay Star Issue No 15 Spring 1985