Empowerment in Print: LGBTQ Activism, Pride & Lust A–Z

The bisexual publication Anything That Moves, produced in San Francisco from 1991 to 2001, proudly announced “We will write or print or say Anything That Moves us beyond the limiting stereotypes,” adding that the publication “is about Anything That Moves: that moves us to think; that moves us to fuck (or not); that moves us to feel; that moves us to believe in ourselves.”

CTN (formally Coming Together Newsletter) was a nonprofit community publication that "strives to bring together our much scattered Deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing-signing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities through information, education and networking." In response to the reading this publication, a subscriber in Utah wrote to the editor, "I actually had tears in my eyes...tears of joy because for the first time I feel 'in touch' with my Deaf Gay community!I live in a small town and I am the only Deaf Gay that lives here.  thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing my community to me!"  Another letter from a reader in Dallas, TX, added, "I've never seen so many Deaf Queers of color anywhere in print!! Bravo to you! Please continue to show the diversity that exists in our small, but wonderful Deaf Queer community!"  

Covering the East Bay counties of Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano, East Bay OutNOW! focused on stories and people both from places like Oakland and Berkeley, who affiliated themselves with the San Francisco gay scene, and places like Vallejo and Vacaville who saw “the ‘gay Mecca’ as a curiosity that had little to do with your own lives.” This publication focused on the 22,000+ residence who had their cultures, concerns, and communities in the East Bay. 

GBM, short for Gay Black Men, was a “serious, sexual magazine for gay African-American men and their fans.”  The lives (and bodies) of gay black men are exposed, explored and celebrated in the photographs, fiction, and features of these quarterly issues.  Editor Graylin Thornton points out in the premier issue that the focus of GBM “is not only to appeal to the erotic mind of the reader but also to showcase the work of some of the most talented artists the African-American community has to offer.”

The GLBT Historical Society holds the full 12-issue run (1997-2000) of GBM.

Icon, “the thinking lesbian’s newspaper”, was originally entitled “Dykespeak.”  As the title changed, many wrote letters to the editor—femail—expressing their “disappointment” for a former name that “showed pride and boldness in retaking the work ‘dyke’ and infusing it with power and voice.” Beyond the title, this publication consisted of art, poetry, photographs, news, cartoon strips, ads and services, editorials, and personals.

At a point when San Francisco had several periodicals covering gay nightlife and news, Kalendar managed to hold its own against the competition for six years. Produced from 1972 to 1978, it focused on the emerging scene frequented by young gay men in the city — with ads from gay bars, bathhouses, restaurants and shops complementing the coverage ... and covering the publishing costs.The GLBT Historical Society archives hold a near-complete run of Kalendar.