Boston's LGBTQA+ History

Gay Community News

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 Collection contains the majority of issues between 1973 to 1999 with only a scattering of issues missing.

The Bromfield Street Educational Foundation also sponsored other projects, including the Prisoners Project, an effort between 1975 and 1999 to support gays and lesbians in prison; OutWrite, an annual conference between 1990 and 1999 for gay and lesbian writers; Off-the-Page, a monthly reading series between 1993 and 1995 in Boston of gay and lesbian authors; and the Queer Progressive Organizing School, a forum in 1997 to organize progressive gay activists.