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LGBTQ Publications Collection

 Collection
Identifier: SPC-2018-031

Scope and Contents

The LGBTQ Publications Collection (1935-2022, undated; bulk 1975-2000) consists of over 300 magazines, newspapers, newsletters, reports, and other publications related to the LGBTQ+ community, and are produced by and/or reporting on LGBTQ+ issues, sexuality, sexual identity, and culture. This collection contains publications written in multiple languages and publications published mostly in the United States and some abroad.

Dates

  • 1935-2023
  • Majority of material found within 1975-2000

Conditions Governing Access

Most publications in this collection do not have access restrictions. However, some publications are restricted, are hidden from view in this finding aid, and are not accessible for public viewing for the forseeable future. If you have questions or concerns, please email us at archives@csudh.edu.

Conditions Governing Use

All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Archives and Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Special Collections as the owner of the physical materials and not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Biographical / Historical

Publications dedicated to LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) communities and issues have been in existence since the early twentieth century, but started to become more prevalent in the 1960s-1970s when there was an increase of activism and visability in regards to the LGBTQ community. This collection, which spans decades, contains a wide variety of material devoted to the LGBTQ community, from more prominent and bestselling publications, to lesser known and more obscure publications. Some of the publications in this collection include:
  1. Ache was a monthly journal created in 1989 by black lesbians for black women and ran until 1994. Ache’s goals were: “1) To celebrate ourselves, our communities, and our accomplishments. 2) To document black lesbian herstory and culture. 3) To provide a forum where issues impacting our communities can be openly discussed and analyzed. 4) To keep black lesbians in touch with each other's activities locally, nationally, and globally. 5) To provide a place where black visual artists and writers can develop and display their skills. 6) To help organize and empower ourselves; so that we may become more effective allies in the struggle to end the oppression that we, as black people, women and members of the gay community, face daily” (Ache, February 1990).
  2. The Advocate was first published in 1967 by an activist group known as Personal Rights in Defense and Education (PRIDE) in response to a police raid at a Los Angeles gay bar and the demonstrations that followed. The Advocate focuses on news, arts, politics, opinions, and entertainment of interest to the LGBT community, and is the oldest and largest LGBT publication in the United States.
  3. After Dark, first published in 1968, was an entertainment magazine that covered cinema, theater, and other performing arts, as well as topics of interest to the LGBT community. The last issue of After Dark was published in January 1983.
  4. The Bay Area Reporter is a free weekly newspaper that has been serving the LGBT community in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1971. It is the United States’ oldest continuously published newspaper of its kind and is one of the largest circulating LGBT newspapers.
  5. BLK: The National Black Lesbian and Gay Newsmagazine was a monthly magazine published in Los Angeles from 1988-1994, and featured people, events, and issues related to the African-American LGBT community.
  6. Common Lives/Lesbian Lives was a quarterly publication that ran from 1981-1996 and was produced by and for lesbians. Published out of Iowa City, Common Lives/Lesbian Lives was one of the first lesbian magazines to be published outside of New York and California, and focused its contents on diversity within the lesbian community.
  7. Frontiers Magazine, was Southern California’s oldest and largest LGBT magazine during its run from 1981-2016. The bi-weekly publication was freely distributed throughout Southern California and focused on news and entertainment regarding the LGBT community. Along with its magazine, Frontiers Media also published an escort listing section entitled Frontiers4Men.
  8. Gay Sunshine Journal was first published in 1970 by a collective loosely affiliated with the Berkeley Gay Liberation Front (GLF) and reported on issues surrounding gay liberation. After the GLF dissolved, the paper was revived in 1971 by Winston Leyland and continued to focus on publishing material regarding gay liberation and activism until 1973, when it shifted its focus to include interviews featuring gay writers and artists, essays, poetry, and politics. The last issue of Gay Sunshine Journal was published in 1982.
  9. Metrosource Magazine, published by Metrosource Publishing, is a bi-monthly gay and lesbian lifestyle magazine. Metrosource has three editions: Metrosource NY, Metrosource LA, and Metrosource National. First published in New York as a local magazine in 1990, and distributed nationwide starting circa 1995, Metrosource covers popular culture, design, travel, health, and entertainment.
  10. RFD Magazine is a quarterly publication for the gay community that focuses on country living and alternative lifestyles. Produced by volunteers and reader-written, RFD Magazine was founded in 1974 and contains poetry, photographs, stories, and artwork.
  11. Transgender Tapestry was a magazine founded by Merissa Sherrill Lynn and published from approximately 1979-2008 by the International Foundation for Gender Education. Transgender Tapestry was a magazine “for and about crossdressers, transgendered, transexual, intersexed, and other gender-variant persons, and those who support them” (Transgender Tapestry, Spring 2000) and covered a variety of topics such as transsexualism, politics, cross-dressing, and more. Throughout its run, Transgender Tapestrywent through several name changes including The TV-TS Tapestry, Tapestry, and The Tapestry Journal.
  12. Transvestia was a magazine started in 1960 by Virginia Prince, a transgender activist and founder of the Society for the Second Self (Tri-Ess)- an international educational, social, and support group for heterosexual cross-dressers, their partners, and their families (https://www.tri-ess.org). (Transvesita was published bi-monthly from 1960-1980 with a total of 100 issues, and included content such as: true and fictionalized stories; articles regarding transvestism; a question section; editorials; poems; and others.
  13. Update was a weekly newspaper established in 1979 for the gay and lesbian community. Based in San Diego, Update was distributed throughout Southern California and select cities in the Southwest.

Extent

190 boxes

142.61 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

Multiple languages

Additional Description

Abstract

The LGBTQ Publications Collection (1935-2022, undated; bulk 1970-2000) contains newspapers, magazines, newsletters, reports, and other publications devoted to the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer) community.

Arrangement

Academic and literary journals; advertisements and classifieds; anthologies; brochures; broadsheets; bulletins; calendars; catalogues; comics and graphic novels; directories; guidelines; magazines; newspapers; reports; surveys; and travel books and guides are arranged alphabetically by title.

Ephemera, event programs, and posters are arranged alphabetically by subject matter.

Correspondence and letters; event calendars; newsletters; and press releases are arranged alphabetically by their associated organization. If a publication is not associated with an organization, they are arranged alphabetically by title.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Most of the items in this collection were donated as duplicates from other institutions. A portion was also donated by Charles Schewene in 2020 and 2021 and some were purchases that were made between 2020 and 2023.

Related Materials

David Hensley LGBT Magazine Collection

Drag Performance and Cross-Dressing Resources Collection

Transgender Resources Collection

Zine Collection

Separated Materials

The following books were separated from this collection and can be found and requested through the University Library catalog or WorldCat:

"Queer Identities and Politics in Germany: A History, 1880-1945" by Clayton J. Whisnant

"Queering the Countryside: New Frontiers in Rural Queer Studies" edited by Mary L. Gray, Colin R. Johnson, and Brian J. Gilley

Note Concerning Subject Headings

The subject headings used in this finding aid were current at the time it was authored. We understand that termanologies, vocabularies, and languages constantly change, so feedback from the community is always welcome. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, please email us at archives@csudh.edu.

Note Concerning Representation

This collection contains publications that are mostly representative of gay, white, and cisgender men and is a work-in-progress. We will continue to diversify its contents and eventually add to the collection so that it is more representative of the LGBTQ+ community today.

Note Concerning Explicit and Suggestive Content

Please be aware that this collection contains publications featuring strong language and very explicit and/or suggestive content.

Note Concerning Temporarily Unavailable Items

Some items from this collection are not available for viewing due to the fact that they are currently being featured in our exhibit "Alternate Takes".

Processing Information

Processed by Jennifer Hill and Karen Clemons, 2018. Accruals processed by Lindsay Anderson, Priscilla Avitia, and Deena Marie Santos, 2022-2023.

Subjects

Related Names

Source

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Inventory of the LGBTQ Publications Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Jennifer Hill and Karen Clemons, 2018; updated by Lindsay Anderson, Priscilla Avitia, and Deena Marie Santos, 2022-2023
Date
2018-08-09
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the California State University Dominguez Hills, Gerth Archives and Special Collections Repository

https://libguides.csudh.edu/archives-home
Contact:
University Library South -5039 (Fifth Floor)
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson CA 90747
310-243-3895

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