Monday, November 10, 2008

Periodicals

Here are some selections from the Resources for Sexual Diversity collection at the University of Saskatchewan.
I picked these magazines for the covers, so they are mostly from the 1970's.










This next one is from 1956.
Can you imagine?
Here's a quote from the library website:

"The first openly gay or lesbian national publication in the United States . The magazine included personal essays, short stories, poems, historical studies and book reviews. In 1954 US postal officials seized and refused to mail an issue, calling its contents obscene and lascivious, prompting a long legal battle. In 1958 the justices of the US Supreme Court unanimously reversed the decisions of lower courts and established the right of gay publications to be distributed through the mail. For a more detailed history see http://www.planetout.com/news/history/archive/08021999.html"


This one is from the '80's, can you tell?


And this one is from the '90's.
I just like the "Monsters In Love" imagery.


I think the overall winner here is "Gay Sunshine".
The award for Best Title goes to "The Lesbian Tide".
And "Mouth Of The Dragon" wins Best Illustration for the inclusion of hanky code.
What are your favorites?


Oh, and here's a bonus.
It's a flyer from a 1977 benefit reading for Gay Sunshine.
Speaking of diversity, I only know John Rechy, Allen Ginsberg, and Dennis Cooper, but I can't imagine putting them on the same bill. Maybe the other writers bridge the gaps.

And yes, it does appear to be autographed by all of the participants.

6 comments:

David Michael said...

I couldn't agree more, Gay Sunshine is the best cover!

sogner said...

They're all pretty amazing.

Anonymous said...

Yes if it's one thing the gay community needs, it is to be compared to, um, let us see: Godzilla and King Kong.

LianaCatherine said...

OMG these are incredible. I have to say that Lesbian Tide might be Best in Show for me. With the Angles monster love as a close second! I want it on a t-shirt.

bs said...

Thanks for the comments guys.
It's so hard to pick faves.
CultWife: this could be our new business venture!
Bootleg shirts of old zine covers...

LianaCatherine said...

bs: I am on board! Let's Cafe Press it up!