A new exhibition will highlight the history and diversity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer periodicals produced in Northern California from the 1940s through the 2000s.
“Empowerment in Print: LGBTQ Activism, Pride and Lust ” draws on the world-class collection of more than 5,000 periodical titles preserved in the archives of the GLBT Historical Society.
“From sober to sleek, from coy to explicit, from apolitical to militant, these publications demonstrate some of the myriad ways LGBTQ people have found empowerment in print,” note co-curators Joanna Black and Jeremy Prince. “The exhibition celebrates the important role San Francisco and our wider region have played in the creation of queer periodicals.”
With one title on display for each letter of the alphabet, the show reflects queer people from diverse communities using periodicals to form social networks, create culture, express desire and inspire activism. The magazines, newspapers, newsletters and zines in the exhibition — many of them graphically striking — offer a distinctive window into the intersectional identities, culture and politics of LGBTQ people at the high point of print periodicals as a means of mass communication.
“Empowerment in Print” opens Friday, March 2, at the GLBT History Museum, 4127 18th St., San Francisco, with a public reception set for 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. The curators will offer introductory remarks, and light refreshments will be served. Admission is $5.00; free for members of the GLBT Historical Society.
The exhibition runs through May 21. For more information, visit www.glbthistory.org.
