LGBTQ Genealogy – Part 10

Exploring LGBTQ Media: Connecting Through Newspapers and Magazines

Our ancestors’ stories unfold in various ways, and for some, their experiences are captured in the vibrant pages of LGBTQ newspapers and magazines. In the wake of Stonewall, numerous publications have emerged, serving as vital platforms for the LGBTQ community. Two notable early publications that predate the Stonewall event were:

• The Mattachine Review
  • Founded: 1950
  • Coverage: Multiple U.S. cities
  • Note: The Mattachine Society played a pioneering role in LGBTQ advocacy, fostering chapters across the United States.
• The Ladder
  • Founded: 1955
  • Coverage: San Francisco
  • Note: The Ladder was a publication of the Daughters of Bilitis, a lesbian civil and political rights organization founded by Del Martin and Phyllis Lyons.

These early publications provided a platform for connection, advocacy, and community building. They paved the way for a multitude of LGBTQ newspapers and magazines that continue to flourish today.

The table below highlights key details about these publications, including their names, coverage areas, start dates, and availability of back issues online.

Exploring these archives offers a window into the diverse narratives, challenges, and triumphs of the LGBTQ community throughout history.

UC Berkeley has an extensive collection of online historic LGBTQ periodical, most of which are no longer in print.

Addendum:

A blog reader let me know of another online resource for old LGBTQ Periodicals.

Check out The Independent Voices Collection for backissues from the following titles.

• Come Out!
• Common Lives/Lesbian Lives
• Conditions
• Detroit Gay Liberator
• Detroit Liberator, The
• DYKE
• Dykes & Gorgons
• Furies, The
• Gay Alternative, The
• Gay Flames
• Gay Liberator, The
• Lavender Vision
• Lavender Woman
• Lesbian Connection
• Lesbian Tide, The (1974)
• Motive (Feminist)
• New Gay Life
• ONE
• Open Road, The
• Outlook
• Philadelphia Gay News
• Phoenix, The
• Sinister Wisdom
• Tangents
• Tide, The