Image: Gay Community News Office Manager Ron Arruda driving a GCN birthday cake in the 1974 Pride parade and celebration in Boston. (Courtesy The History Project)
On June 17, 1973 the Gay Community Newsletter debuted. It listed a handful of local events, phone numbers of local LGBTQ organizations, and the names of the few TV and radio shows that covered gay and lesbian issues. It is unlikely that many took notice of the 5-page publication when it came out. But within a year, GCN became Gay Community News, tripled in size, and began to feature a variety of information from news stories to commentaries to personal ads and more. In many ways GCN revealed what queer life was like in New England in the immediate post-Stonewall era. The paper would continue to grow and by the end of its 26-year run, it would reach audiences across the nation and beyond.
Now, GCN’s archives have been digitized by Northeastern University’s Archives and Special Collections, with nearly every issue available online. This article from WBUR talks about the role of GCN within the LGBT community of Boston, and how it can still serve as a resource for better understanding the people, places, issues, and ideas that influenced the LGBT community in Boston and across the country.
Read the full article here!
