Periodicals & Newspapers

This page provides search strategies and a selection of recommended resources related to LGBTQ+ periodicals and newspapers. Periodicals and newspapers represent some of the earliest publishing opportunities available to LGBTQ+ people. As such, these resources can provide early primary-source accounts on a variety of topics.

City directories and phonebooks are an often overlooked but incredibly helpful periodical resource for determining where, when and with whom individuals spent their time. For example, this 1961 edition of the Phoenix white and yellow pages provides an address for the lesbian bar Kaye's Happy Landing.

Please Note: Periodical titles can be difficult to find in the online catalog. There are hundreds of relevant periodicals only accessible via microfilm or subscription databases, and which will not be found in a catalog search. If you want to confirm that the Library holds a periodical title, it is best to consult with librarians in the Newspaper and Current Periodical Reading Room.

Since the term "homosexual" is a relatively recent term, you will want to first attempt to figure out what terms were being employed during your era of research. For example, if I was researching lesbians through various time periods I might want to use additional vernacular and historical terms, such as: invert, butch, femme, tribade, sapphic, amazons, lavender menace, "rolling" a homosexual/queer.

Start searching historic newspapers from home on Chronicling America.

The following links will connect you to a description and connection to the online resource in the Library of Congress E-Resources Catalog or the Library of Congress Online Catalog.

Research Tip: If you are have trouble linking to any of these resources, you can Search By Journal Title (for online resources) or use the Library of Congress Online Catalog (for print resources).

Frighten the Horses by San Francisco, Calif. : Heat Seeking Pub.
Call Number: HQ75 .F75
Published/Created: 1990-
Includes original writings, photography, comics, and book and zine reviews.
QW by Mangan, Colleen, publisher. Masters, Troy, publisher. McDonald, Avril, 1965-2010, editor. Roshan, Maer, editor.
Call Number: HQ76.2.U52 Q3
Published/Created: 1992-
Queer Week by Media Committee of Queer Nation
Published/Created: 1990-
Breakthrough by Prairie Fire Organizing Committee
Call Number: HQ75 .B73

The following general titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

International Directory of Gay and Lesbian Periodicals by H. Robert Malinowsky
Call Number: HQ76.25 .M35 1987
ISBN: 0897742974
Published/Created: 1987-04-01
Lesbian Sources by Linda Garber
Call Number: Z5866.L4 G37 1993
ISBN: 0815307829
Published/Created: 1992-12-01
First published in 1993. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The Daughters of Bilitis began publishing The Ladder in 1956, becoming the first nationally distributed lesbian periodical in the United States. While Lisa Ben published the zine Vice Versa in 1947-8, it was never distributed nationally. Lisa Ben wrote several contributions to The Ladder over the years. The following list of Lesbian periodical titles is not comprehensive but is meant to offer a starting point for researchers. To research lesbian periodicals more comprehensively it is highly recommended that researchers consult periodical indexes and bibliographies, especially for 20th century materials. Search the Library of Congress Online Catalog to find these and additional titles:

13th Moon
Amazon Quarterly
Atalanta. Lesbian feminist newsletter published in Atlanta, Georgia.
Bay Windows
Big Apple Dyke
Black/Out: The Quarterly Magazine of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays
Common Lives, Lesbian Lives
Conditions
Distaff
Dyke: A Quarterly
Eidos Magazine: Erotice Entertainment for Women
The Furies
Gay Community News
Hag Rag (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Heresies
Hotwire: The Journal of WOmen's Music and Culture
Just Womyn Newsletter (Alaska)
Klondyke Kontact (Alaska)
The Ladder
Lesbian Connection
Lesbian Contradiction
Lesbian Ethics
Maize: A Lesbian Country Magazine
Motheroot Journal
On Our Backs
Rites: For Lesbian and Gay Liberation
Sinister Wisdom
Sojourner
Trivia: A Journal of Ideas
Vice Versa

Sinister Wisdom by Desmoines, Harriet. Nicholson, Catherine.
Call Number: PS508.W7 S54
Published/Created: Vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1976)-
Harrington Lesbian Fiction Quarterly by Haworth Press
Call Number: PS508.L47
Conditions: A magazine of writing by women with an emphasis on writing by lesbians by Brooklyn, New York : Conditions
Call Number: PS508.W7 C58
Published/Created: 1977-

The following list of Trans and Non-conforming gender periodical titles is not comprehensive. Browse the Library of Congress Online Catalog using the subject headings below to find relevant titles:

The following selected titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Turnabout: A Magazine of Transvestism by Abbé de Choisy Press
Call Number: HQ77.T8
Published/Created: 1963-
The Glad Rag: Journal of the Transvestite/Transsexual Social Group (UK) by TV/TS Group, Central Office, 274 Upper St., Islington, London N1 2UA
Call Number: HQ77.9 .G55
Published/Created: N.D.
Cross-Talk by Kymberleigh Richards
Call Number: WMLC 93/3372
Published/Created: 1988-
International Journal of Transgenderism: Official Journal of the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association by Haworth Medical Press
Call Number: RC560.G45 I58
Published/Created: 1997-
Transgender Studies Quarterly by Duke University Press
Call Number: HQ77.9 .T718
Published/Created: 2014-
Transsexual News Telegraph by Sondegaard, Gail, editor. Ogborn, Anne, 1959- publisher. San Francisco, CA : TNT.
Call Number: HQ77.9 .T73
Published/Created: 1991-2002
Published in the U.S. but provides international coverage of trans communities, health, art, politics and news. Considered to be a valuable primary source for researching the evolution of trans activism and social movements in the U.S. and beyond.

The following list of LGBTQ+ youth periodical titles is not comprehensive. Browse the Library of Congress Online Catalog using the subject headings below to find relevant titles:

The following title links to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Harmonious Hearts by Tallahassee, FL : Harmony Ink Press
Call Number: PS508.G39 H37
Published/Created: 2014-
Gay teenagers--Fiction--Periodicals.
Lesbian teenagers--Fiction--Periodicals.
Transgender youth--Fiction--Periodicals.
In the Family: A Magazine for Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and their Relations
Call Number: HQ75 .I5
Published/Created: Takoma Park, MD : Family Magazine, c1995-

Vanguard Magazine External
Created by LGBTQ+ youth from the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. One print issue is available in the Rare Book and Special Collections. The rest are online only. Many topics are covered here that you will not find in mainstream publications. Topics include: violence against LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, police brutality, drug addiction, and various forms of discrimination.

The following list of international LGBTQ+ periodical titles is not comprehensive. The titles below link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Arcadie
Published/Created: 1953-
Published in France
Der Kreis
Published/Created: 1932-
Available also via database Archives of Sexuality and Gender. Earlier title: Freundschaftsbanner.
Damron Women's Traveller by Damron Company
Call Number: E158 .W89
Published/Created: 1997-
The most up-to-date and complete travel guide made by and for lesbians, and includes international travel.
Flaunting it! : a decade of gay journalism from the Body Politic: an anthology by Ed Jackson (Editor); Stan Persky (Editor)
Call Number: HQ76.8.C3
ISBN: 0919888313
Published/Created: 1982-05-01
Electronic version available through the Electonic Resources Online Catalog
Homologie by Stichting Homologie
Call Number: HQ75 .H647
Published/Created: Began in 1978; ceased with jaarg. 19, no. 3 in 1997.
In Dutch, published in Amsterdam.
LEGATRA news : public views on lesbians, gays, bi-sexuals, and transgender persons. by LEGATRA news, c/o Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PAFLAG), P.O. Box 39393, Lusaka, Zambia, Southern Africa
Call Number: HQ76.8.Z36 L44
Published/Created: 1999-
Shamakami by Shamakami Collective
Call Number: HQ75.5 .S55
Published/Created: 1990-
Newsletter for Asian lesbians and bisexuals.

Aché: A Free Publication for Black Lesbians External
Published in California, available via the gale database Archives of Sexuality and Gender.
BL Blacklight: for the Black Gay Community External
Published in Washington, D.C.
National Association of Black and White Men Together newsletter : a quarterly publication of NA/BWMT, a gay multiracial organization for all people External
See also: regional newsletters and publications from local chapters of Black and White Men Together
Onyx: Black Lesbian Newsletter External
BLK: The National Black Lesbian and Gay Newsmagazine External
Available online via the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

The following list of 20th century LGBTQ+ periodical titles is not comprehensive. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Christopher Street by Ortleb, Charles, editor, publisher.
Call Number: HQ75 .C48
Published/Created: 1976-
Beginning in 1976, the Christopher Street magazine provided quality literary content to the gay community. The pages of Christopher Street featured fiction, non-fiction, satire, poetry, news, book reviews, and photography.
Chrysalis: The Journal of Transgressive Gender Identities by American Educational Gender Information Service
Call Number: HQ23 .C55
Published/Created: 1995-
Audre Lorde served as poetry editor. Each issue (of 12) looks at a different theme, examining closely gender discrimination, transitioning, hormonone therapy, health care, and more.
Drum: Sex in Perspective by Janus Society of America
Call Number: HQ76 .D7
Published/Created: Irregular, Sept. 1966-
Publication began in October of 1964 and content included: Physique photography, campy comics, news stories, editorials, and reviews. Considered one of the more radical gay periodicals of the time, Drum challenged respectability politics with a renewed radicalism.
The Ladder by Daughters of Bilitis
Call Number: HQ75 .L32
Published/Created: v. 1-v. 16, no. 11/12; Oct. 1956-Aug./Sept. 1972
Associated with the Daughters of Bilitis, The Ladder is considered to be the first US lesbian publication to reach national distribution. Editors have included Phyllis Lyon, Barbara Gittings, Del Martin, and Barbara Grier.
One Institute Quarterly of Homophile Studies by One Institute of Homophile Studies
Call Number: HQ76.O56
Published/Created: 1958-1970.
Outlook by Out/Look Foundation
Call Number: HQ76.3.U5 O99
Published/Created: 1988-
Publication began in 1988. Out/Look published articles about issues faced within LGBTQ+ communities. It is notable that donations to fund the start of the magazine were collected at the March on Washington.
Out week : New York's lesbian and gay news magazine by Outweek Pub. Corp
Call Number: HQ76.3.U5 O98
Published/Created: 1989-
Co-founded by ACT UP activist Gabriel Rotello, Outweek is considered one of the best sources for researching AIDS activism in New York in the late 80s.
RFD Magazine by RFD Collective, publisher.
Call Number: WMLC 93/2259
Published/Created: 1974-
Sinister Wisdom by Founding editors: 1976-1981, Harriet Desmoines; and: Catherine Nicholson.
Call Number: PS508.W7 S54
Published/Created: Vol. 1, no. 1 (July 1976)-
Gay window by Publisher/editor: Alyn R. Toler
Call Number: PS509.H57 G39
Published/Created: Chicago, IL : Gay Window, c1993-
Amethyst: A Journal for Lesbians and Gay Men by Southeastern Arts, Media & Education Project,
Call Number: WMLC 91/2975
Published/Created: 1987-
The Gay Blade by Lilli Vincenz, etc.
Call Number: Microfilm (o) 87/794
Published/Created: 1969-
Breakthrough : Political Journal of PFOC by San Francisco : [PFOC],
Call Number: HQ75.B73
Published/Created: 1977-

The following list of LGBTQ+ periodical titles is not comprehensive. The following titles link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to additional online content are included when available.

Black Women, Gender & Families by National Council for Black Studies (U.S.), issuing body
Call Number: E185.86
Journal of Bisexuality
Call Number: HQ74 .J68
Published/Created: 2001-
Also available via subscription databases
Journal of Homosexuality
Call Number: HQ75 .J68
Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review
Call Number: HQ75 .G2
Published/Created: 1994
The Journal of Sex Research by Society for the Scientific Study of Sex
Sexuality & Culture
Call Number: HQ32 .S429
Published/Created: 1997-
Sexuality Research & Social Policy: Journal of NSRC by National Sexuality Resource Center
Call Number: HQ60
Published/Created: 2004-

Historic LGBTQIA+ Periodicals Available Online

Freely Available Online
More Titles

This is a list of historic LGBTQIA+ publications which have been made freely available online.

Lesbian

Vice Versa 1947-1948 External
Early lesbian zine
The Ladder External
Almost every issue of the Ladder. For missing issues, request copies at ask.loc.gov
Curve Archive External
Archive of Curve Magazine, "America’s most loved and trusted source of information for lesbians, bisexual, transgender, queer women and non-binary folks."
The Furies: Lesbian Feminist Monthly External
Washington, D.C. Lesbian Feminist Collective. Vol.1 Issue 1 available at Duke

Gay

Empty Closet External
The Empty Closet is one of the oldest continuously published LGBT papers in the United States. It was begun at the University of Rochester by Bob Osborn and Larry Fine, the founders of the UR student group, Rochester Gay Liberation Front, and later transferred to the Gay Alliance of the Genesee Valley (GAGV).
Gay Community News External
"The Gay Community News was established in 1973 and later went on to operate as the Bromfield Street Educational Foundation. Until the Bromfield Street Educational Foundation ceased operation in 1999 due to financial difficulties, the Gay Community News was one of the oldest, most progressive national newspapers in the gay community. Eight Boston gays and lesbians started the newspaper in 1973 to create a community voice for gays and lesbians in the Boston area. In 1978, the Gay Community News became national in scope and distribution. Recently all the issues of the Gay Community News in the Northeastern Collection have been digitized."
The Gay Peoples Union Collection External
The Gay Peoples Union (GPU) was the most important gay and lesbian rights organization in Milwaukee during the 1970s. Beginning as a student organization at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, the group gradually became a resource for the entire Milwaukee community. They published GPU news.
Bay Area Reporter External
"Founded in 1971, the Bay Area Reporter is known for its original reporting on news, culture and entertainment relevant to LGBTQ people. The newspaper is published every Thursday by BAR Media, Inc., and the print edition is distributed free of charge in San Francisco and other Bay Area cities.
The GLBT Historical Society in San Francisco, which maintains one of the world's largest collections of LGBTQ historical materials, holds a near-complete run of the Bay Area Reporter."
Christopher Street External
Selected issues

Bisexual

Anything That Moves External
An online archive of Anything That Moves, the bisexual magazine published from 1990-2002. Select issues available to download.
Bi Women Quarterly External
Newsletter of the Boston Bisexual Women's Network. Current issues can be found at http://biwomenboston.org/newsletter/archive/
Journal of Bisexuality External
"Publishes research on bisexuality and its meaning for the individual, the community and society, covering aspects like bisexual therapy, history, and more."

Transgender

Periodicals from the Digital Transgender Archive External
Hundreds of titles including Drag Magazine, Transvestia, Chrysalis, Transgender Tapestry, Turnabout, and more!
Vanguard Zine External
Created by LGBTQ+ youth from the Tenderloin district in San Francisco. One print issue is available in the Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Reading Room. Topics include: violence against LGBTQ+ individuals and communities, police brutality, drug addiction, and various forms of discrimination.

Queer

Out/Look Magazine Archive External
Out/Look, the National Lesbian & Gay Quarterly, published from the spring of 1988 (issue 1) through the summer of 1992 (issue 17).
Outweek Magazine Archive External
This site contains the entire 105 issues of OutWeek Magazine, published in New York from June, 1989 to July, 1991.
The Gay Blade
Digitized by the DC Public Library

Focus Point External
"Focus Point was published and edited by Craig Lindahl-Urben. It included articles of interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (GLBT) communities of Minnesota, especially the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Topics included news, events, politics, entertainment, and the arts. Many of these stories were not covered by the mainstream press in Minnesota."
Alliance of Massachusetts Asian Lesbians and Gay Men (AMALGM) Newsletter External

LGBTQIA+ Studies: A Resource Guide