6 Des of LGBT Magaz, Includg The Advote and Gay Time

Contents:

• 6 DES OF LGBT MAGAZ, INCLUDG THE ADVOTE AND GAY TIM
• GREY DAY FOR GAY MEDIA AS 'PK PAPER' FOLDS S PRT EDN
• GAY NEWSPAPER TO FOLD
• QUEEN OF THE UNRDOGS: 5 REASONS PK IS AN UNRAPPRECIATED GAY IN
• WASHGTON BLA: LGBTQ NEWS, POLICS, LGBTQ RIGHTS, GAY NEWS

6 DES OF LGBT MAGAZ, INCLUDG THE ADVOTE AND GAY TIM

Whilst the Pk Paper was seen as a ser lbian and gay mpaigng newspaper, often wh a lbian bias, Kelv and David set up the othier male youth magaze, Boyz, off the back of . In 2005 the Pk Paper was bought by MPG (Millivr Prowler Group, who also published AXM, DIVA, GT (formerly Gay Tim) and Puffta and ran the Prowler and Expectatns stor and brands).

Pk Paper was unual the gay media havg regnal rrponnts across England, Stland and Wal enablg to ver stori which directly impact rears across the untry. The Pk Paper had a dited sports sectn and enuraged ntributns om gay, lbian and bisexual teams and sportsmen and women across the untry. "Millivr Prowler Ltd are sorry to rm you that is no longer practil for to ntue to update Pk Paper's daily n still get advice and news about all thgs gay and lbian om our magaz and webs and rpectively and our Pk Paper Datg se is still active at "[5].

GREY DAY FOR GAY MEDIA AS 'PK PAPER' FOLDS S PRT EDN

This week, ProQut lnched the new LGBT Magaze Archive, a database that clus the backfil of 26 of the most fluential, longt-nng magaz on lbian, gay, bisexual, transgenr and related issu. The Pk Paper was the only weekly newspaper voted to gay and lbian terts when was found and beme a highly important mpaigng vehicle. You would be hard prsed to fd a recent Brish law more ntroversial and more reviled than sectn 28 of the Lol Government Act the late 80s, the gay and lbian people of the UK were loudly mandg equaly, much to the chagr of tradnalists.

Sectn 28 was the Conservative ernment’s rponse; Margaret Thatcher’s answer to those who believed “they have an alienable right to be gay” vaguely word law prohibed lol thori and schools om “promotg” homosexualy and prevented uncils om fundg much-need lbian and gay iativ.

At a time when gay people were stgglg to pe wh the Aids epimic, was a llo attempt to supprs an already margalised Conservative policians, sectn 28 was an easy, short-term w. It was an obv populist gamb to solidify support among the 75% of the populatn who thought that homosexual activy was “always or mostly wrong”.

GAY NEWSPAPER TO FOLD

’ Photograph: Joel GoodmanAt the time that sectn 28 was beg discsed parliament, I was one of Manchter cy uncil’s gay men’s officers, workg on issu such as employment, service livery and velopg muny groups. I had also helped to set up the North Wt Campaign for Lbian and Gay Equaly, the group rponsible for orchtratg the Manchter had a secret office the town hall attic where more than 100 people would meet every week. What we were dog was pletely one the group had anised such a large event before, but a re group had been very active the gay movement sce the early 1970s.

The gay scene was que small and I knew the owners of the lol venu went to the gay bars and clubs – such as New Unn, Rembrandt, the Thompsons Arms and Napoleon – where the owners agreed to stop the mic so that we uld speak about the march and sectn 28.

There were also lots of qutns about sectn 28’s possible impact on gay bars and clubs, as well as ncerns about the attu of the police force. Photograph: Rick Colls/Rex/ShutterstockUnr the then chief nstable of Greater Manchter, Jam Anrton, the police were very hostile and were raidg gay bars and clubs. I had experienced some harassment on the street and the gay village, but no one would report hate crim bee of the attu of the police.

QUEEN OF THE UNRDOGS: 5 REASONS PK IS AN UNRAPPRECIATED GAY IN

Twenty thoand turned up for the march, and revalised the gay movement the TempleOn 23 May 1988, the eveng before sectn 28 me to force, lbian activists stormed the BBC News stud where Sue Lawley was midway through the Six O’Clock News. Michael CashmanNow a Labour polician, 1988 Michael Cashman was his send year on EastEnrs, where he played Col, one of the first gay characters a natnal soap. It had the date of the London march agast and I knew that, as a gay man playg another on televisn, I had to be there or I uld never look at myself the mirror aga.

Sectn 28 had been brought on the back of the stigmatisatn and discrimatn suffered by gay men; particular those alg wh Aids and HIV. Michael DanceSchools were one of sectn 28’s ma targets, wh the bill prohibg the promotn or “acceptabily of homosexualy as a pretend fay relatnship”. What was brilliant, though, was that my school turned out to be 100% supportive and that I had the support of straight teachers and the Hargey branch of the Natnal Unn of Teachers, which always stood up for gay teachers natnally.

And, of urse, had a terrible effect on young people: stunts suffered homophobic abe silence and teachers and schools did nothg about sectn 28 ma me more ut, however, didn’t stop me om takg up issu to do wh sexual liberatn or equaly.

WASHGTON BLA: LGBTQ NEWS, POLICS, LGBTQ RIGHTS, GAY NEWS

I remember one stunt dog a prentatn on the difference between HIV and Aids to dispel the myths about the ia was a “gay plague”, which ed major tert among the stunts. History has vdited those who fought agast this legislatn that enshred bigotry and PowerFound 1987, the weekly Pk Paper helped to mobilise lbian and gay rears agast sectn 28.

What we had at the time was a gay movement that was very good at fightg among self and very good at batg polil pots – but wh no history of makg alli wh the wir world and no effective lobbyg Power … ‘Sectn 28 brought what we lled the scene queens together wh the polil. Some people the gay movement were angry that we had started somethg that acted like a straight lobby group, but we were nvced need dog. In 2009, the then Tory lear, David Cameron, who had prevly backed the law, apologised for s troductn and scribed as a “mistake” that was “offensive to gay people”.