A New York newspaper that chronicled gay and lesbian life is approaching a landmark anniversary. Founded by Alan Bell, Gaysweek published its first issue on 28 February 1977, bringing news, culture and community listings to readers during a defining period. Its surviving issues and records offer a vivid route into that history.

Essential Takeaways

  • A landmark first: Gaysweek was New York City’s first mainstream weekly lesbian and gay newspaper, and the first mainstream gay periodical edited and published by an African American.
  • A short but rich run: Published from 1977 to 1979, the paper covered news and politics alongside arts, entertainment and everyday community life.
  • More than headlines: Its pages included reviews, gossip, event listings and a monthly Arts and Letters section.
  • A record of tragedy: After the 1977 Everard Baths fire, which killed nine men, Gaysweek published a special extra on the disaster and its aftermath.
  • Archives to explore: Issues and related materials are held in physical archives and are also available digitally through ProQuest.

Gaysweek’s anniversary marks a vital chapter

A newspaper can preserve the texture of a community as well as its major events. Gaysweek did both: it reported on politics and local news, but also made space for the bars, books, theatre and music that shaped gay and lesbian life in New York.

The National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association says the first issue appeared on 28 February 1977. Founded by publisher Alan Bell, Gaysweek was the city’s first mainstream weekly newspaper for lesbian and gay readers, and the first mainstream gay periodical edited and published by an African American.

At its launch, the paper was one of only three gay weekly newspapers in the world, alongside San Francisco’s Bay Area Reporter and Boston’s Gay Community News. That small number gives a sense of how unusual a regular publication devoted to this community was at the time.

A weekly paper with room for everyday life

Gaysweek ran from 1977 to 1979, and its range reached well beyond hard news. The NLGJA says it covered local and national politics, community organisations, culture and entertainment, as well as the everyday lives of gay and lesbian New Yorkers.

According to the paper’s official website, it ran for 114 issues, growing from an eight-page, single-colour tabloid into a 24-page, two-colour publication. Reviews, fiction, poetry, gossip, event listings and community calendars sat alongside news and interviews, giving readers more than one reason to turn its pages.

Its monthly Arts and Letters section was edited by Byrne Fone and Richard Hall. Playwright Robert Patrick, theatre producer and activist David Rothenberg, Sandra Trimble and Brandon Judell were among its regular columnists. It’s a reminder that community journalism can be both a source of information and a place where cultural life is recorded.

The Everard Baths fire showed the paper’s urgency

In 1977, nine men died in a fire at the Everard Baths. The NLGJA says Gaysweek published a special extra devoted to the tragedy and its aftermath, bringing the paper’s reporting directly to a moment of profound loss.

Smithsonian Magazine recounts the fire at the New York bathhouse, which also injured twelve people, and describes the baths as a refuge and meeting place for gay men. That context helps explain why the disaster mattered beyond the building itself: the fire struck a place with a wider social role in the community.

Gaysweek’s attention to both the event and its aftermath sits alongside its coverage of daily life. The paper documented a period after Stonewall and before the AIDS epidemic, preserving a particular view of the people, places and concerns of gay New York.

Where to find Gaysweek’s records

The complete run is available digitally through ProQuest’s LGBT Magazine Archive, according to the NLGJA and the newspaper’s official website. Clarivate, which describes the archive, identifies Gaysweek as part of its collection of LGBTQ+ periodicals; access may depend on institutional or subscription arrangements.

For physical research, the New York City LGBT Community Center’s National History Archive holds a complete run, according to Gaysweek’s website. The Center says its archives are available to researchers by appointment, so it’s wise to arrange access before visiting.

Other records are held at the New York Public Library and Cornell University. The NYPL’s collection guide describes production sheets, manuscripts, press releases, clippings and correspondence from the paper’s later years, while the Gaysweek website points researchers to publishing and advertising materials at Cornell. These records can show how a newspaper was made, not just what readers saw.

A newspaper remembered through its pages

The surviving material makes Gaysweek more than an anniversary story. Its mix of reporting, arts coverage and community listings captures how a publication could serve as both a weekly guide and a record of a changing social world.

For readers and researchers, the most useful next step is to check the relevant archive’s catalogue and access arrangements before setting out. Some of the paper can be explored digitally, while its physical trail is spread across several institutions.

Gaysweek’s pages remain a vivid way to encounter the people and everyday life behind a landmark in journalism.

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