For immediate release: Contact: Joan Ilaqua

Tuesday, October 24, 2023 (617) 545-9429

Celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of Gay Community News

The History Project Examines Lasting Impact of Influential Publication

In 1973, a small group of gay men and lesbians founded "Gay Community News," a local Boston newsletter to report on LGBTQ+ events. That community-driven newsletter grew into a hub of activism, an incubator of LGBTQ+ leadership, and a major newspaper with an international readership.

On the 50^th anniversary of GCN’s founding, The History Project, in collaboration with the Massachusetts Historical Society, Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections, and the American LGBTQ+ Museum, examines the impact the newspaper had and continues to have on queer literature, political theory, and policy. 

“GCN played a vital role in creating and defining a progressive gay identity, covering and debating issues such as AIDS, feminism, anti-racism, imperialism, prison abolition, and more,” said Joan Ilaqua, executive director of The History Project. “Although GCN ceased publication in the 1990s, its impact on lives. The History Project is proud to commemorate GCN's 50th anniversary and reflect on its relevance to our work today.”

As Leon Neyfakh wrote in the Boston Globe, GCN enjoyed a "national reach that was considered the movement's 'paper of record' throughout the '70s, and whose alumni at one point occupied so many leadership roles around the country that they were called the 'GCN mafia'".

The History Project holds a complete run of Gay Community News (1973-1999), as well as the extensive Gay Community News photograph collection, all of which can be explored online by anyone. Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections, which holds the Bromfield Street Education Foundation records, has digitized the majority of its run.

Anniversary activities include three panel discussions: 

Wednesday, October 25, 2023

Defining GCN

Panelists: Loie Hayes, Gordon Gottlieb, and Russ Lopez with moderator Richard Burns.

Wednesday, November 8, 2023

Content, Controversy, and Coverage

Panelists: Chris Bull, Gayle Rubin, Chris Guilfoy, and Gary Bailey with moderator Amy Hoffman

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

GCN’s Impact and Legacy

Panelists: Gerard Cabrera, Gilda Bruckman, and Haden Smiley with moderator Michael Bronski.

All panels take place from 6-7pm both online and in person at Massachusetts Historical Society,1154 Boylston Street, Boston.  The in-person events include receptions which start at 5:30pm. For more details and to RSVP, visit www.historyproject.org/events or www.masshist.org/events.

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The History Project is an independent non-profit organization founded in 1980 that holds LGBTQ+ historical records and ephemera, supports LGBTQ+ history research, and shares LGBTQ+ history through public exhibits and events.