Twenty-five years ago, Savage Love began with the salutation “Hey, Faggot.” Dan insisted readers address him this way, claiming the term “in strength and pride.” The first column ran with a preface, explaining that it was “written by a queer nationalist.”
Though early columns lacked the punchy acronyms that later became characteristic of Savage Love, even in the earliest months, readers were asked to counter homophobic comments in other publications with phone calls and letters. In one Savage Love, Savage (as “Dan Landers”) even created a coupon readers could clip out and mail to Ann Landers, telling her, “I’m glad I’m queer. I wouldn’t be straight if you paid me” (or, alternatively, “I’m not queer, but I wish I were”). This was Dan teaching us how to fight with pride.