A Decade of Power: A Comparison of Urban and Rural Gay Print in the 70’s

This research sought to compare urban and rural gay print produced in the United States in the 1970’s. I focused on the first 22 issues of RFD published in Iowa and the full 48 issue run of the Gay Liberator published in Detroit. My comparison of the two publications is grounded in geographical location and included an investigation into the social/political topics each magazine covered, how they operated, their level of community engagement, and financial backing. Feminist methodology was employed to remain aware of the vulnerability the LGBTQ+ population has faced through historical erasure in mainstream media, legislation, and educational institutions. The Gay Liberator and RFD provided necessary information for gay people across the United States and catered their content to topics relevant to the geographical location of their readers. RFD was grounded in its connection to nature and spirituality as many articles and advertisements involve gay communes, farming, and living off the land. RFD’s focus on the intersections of farming, country lifestyles, and the gay identity was unique because it created a platform for rural gays who were not connected to the gay political landscape that was prominent in cities to voice their opinions, concerns, and experiences. The Gay Liberator was more focused on political activism, social justice, and making legal changes. They featured political content focused on the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality in Detroit. Both publications were unique in that they gave a free subscription to incarcerated individuals and had a section dedicated to showcasing prisoners’ works and perspectives. Additionally, both publications heavily relied on subscriptions, sales of their issues, fundraisers, and donations for financial income. The staff of both publications acknowledged that they had bias to decide what content was included in their issues and wanted to present a range of voices from the gay community. Future research should collect oral history from individuals who lived in the 1970’s in order to supplement archival data and provide a personal/emotional perspective