Celebrating Pride Month: Gaysweek, first gay and lesbian weekly publication

 

In 1977, Alan Bell, a black gay publisher, began publishing Gaysweek, the first gay and lesbian newspaper in the US.  It started as an 8-page weekly tabloid, and when it ended in 1979 after 104 issues, it was a 24-page, two-color publication.  

At the time, it was one of only three gay weeklies in the world. 

A portion of the Gaysweek archives are kept at Cornell University Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections. 

Alan Bell short

Celebrating Black History Month: Alan Bell, first black gay publisher

In 1977, Alan Bell founded Gaysweek, a gay and lesbian newspaper based in New York City.  It was an 8-page tabloid, and one of three weekly publications geared towards gay and lesbians.  It was the only mainstream gay publication owned by a black man.  It only ran for two years but by the time it close, it had grown to 24 pages and two colors.