This month, Philadelphia Gay News is beginning a yearlong celebration of a major milestone: 40 years in publication.
The first issue of PGN hit the streets Jan. 3, 1976. Gerald Ford was president. The Super Bowl was only in its 10th year. Patty Hearst was on trial for bank robbery. And the LGBT community was a fledgling, yet quickly flourishing, entity.
Fast-forward four decades. Just this week, our president heralded marriage equality and growing LGBT awareness in his final State of the Union address. Companies across the country are recognizing the value of diversity and inclusion. LGBT people are experiencing unprecedented visibility in public and private sectors, mainstream media, sports and nearly every other arena.
It’s been an incredible 40 years. And PGN has had a front-row seat through it all: police raids of gay bars, the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, the growth of grassroots activism, the evolution of the Gayborhood, progress and pitfalls on the legislative front, the election of LGBT officials, the opening and shuttering of LGBT-owned businesses, the changing political will toward inclusivity, acts of violence, quests for justice, coming-out announcements, scandals, wins small and large for LGBT rights — and so much more.
All this year, PGN will be looking back at the journey from 1976 to 2016, and our own role in that evolution. This spring, we are planning a commemorative 40th-anniversary issue, where, from cover to cover, we will focus on 40 years of memories. Staff, past and present, will reflect on how this publication has impacted them personally and professionally; we will look back on some of the biggest stories we’ve covered; explore how our community has changed in that time; and examine the future through the lens of the past.
Through all the changes PGN has gone through in the last 40 years, one thing has remained constant: We are a community newspaper. As such, we take every opportunity to invite the community into our work. So, in the next few weeks and months, we encourage readers, longtime and newer, to share with us how PGN has impacted you, offer suggestions on coverage you’d like to see in our anniversary edition and tell us what you think are some of the biggest lessons from the last 40 years.
Please email [email protected] with any 40th-anniversary stories or suggestions. We look forward to celebrating this milestone year with our readers.