In the 1980s, WH Smith was Britain’s largest – and most homophobic – newsagent. Its outlets had seen numerous protests in the 70s as activists fought the company’s ban on Gay News. The ban was eventually lifted and the 80s … Continue reading →
David Shenton’s career as a queer illustrator began with a half-joking challenge to the early gay Press’s perception of gay art. “In Gay News, [paintings] were usually this kind of soft porn – mainly male nudes…” His own exhibition – … Continue reading →
Up until its demise in April 1983 the fortnightly newspaper Gay News was an essential lifeline to Britain’s gay and lesbian communities. Born from the radical politics of the early 70s Gay Liberation movement, it was regarded – by most … Continue reading →
On 26th June, 1981, Graham McKerrow and Michael Mason (a former director and news editor of Gay News) published the first issue of Capital Gay. It was London’s first city-wide gay newspaper. The free paper was published weekly and distributed … Continue reading →
“The original Gay News collapsed on 15th April 1983 within two months of its 11th birthday. A 52 page tabloid, selling about 18,000 copies a fortnight, it was a business with a turnover of some £450,000 a year and employing … Continue reading →