VOICES of Gay, Lesbian, and Feminist Activists in the Prairies

Drawing on materials from periodicals produced in the Canadian prairies, this essay illustrates the range of ways that gay and lesbian magazines and newsletters fostered the creation of self-identified gay and lesbian communities in the 1970s and 1980s. At a time when mainstream media was openly hostile to gay and lesbian content and refused to run announcements for gay organizations, magazines like Grassroots, After Stonewall, and VOICES were vital sources of community for prairie gays and lesbians. The small regional publications examined in this paper strove to create self-identified, proud lesbians and gay men and communities of gay and lesbian urban prairie culture. As this essay explores, these periodicals played a key role in kickstarting political conversations, providing an interesting blend of feminist and gay and lesbian activist messages. Focusing on small regional periodicals and exploring the social and political communities within which they circulated, this essay highlights the ways that niche gay and lesbian newsletters and periodicals offered important regional and local spaces for feminist ideas and voices to circulate.