ONE Archives Exhibit Highlights Queer L.A. Mags Dating Back to the 1940s

An exhibit from the ONE Archives in Los Angeles showcases the role of Southern California in the creation of LGBT publishing and activism. Check out some of these daring and confrontational publications.

A fascinating exhibit opens Saturday night at West Hollywood's ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives Gallery and Museum: "Queers Print," a study of LGBT publishing that emanated from Los Angeles in the mid-century. The exhibition includes issues of The Ladder, ONE, The Lesbian Tide, and The Advocate, which launched 46 years ago. With over 40 different magazines, newspapers, newsletters, and zines, "Queers Print" allows the public to peruse six decades of LGBT history. "Los Angeles's significance as a center for the queer press, as well as more broadly the history of queer activism, is often overlooked in national histories of LGBTQ struggle and it is the intention of this exhibition to raise awareness of this region's importance, specifically in the realm of the history of publishing," Jamie Scot, ONE's project and development manager, said in a statement.

"Queer Print" runs at the ONE gallery, 626 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood, 90069, until March 17. Check out some of the exhibit's covers and issues below.

Vice Versa, Vol. 1, No. 6 (November 1947)

Arguably the first lesbian publication in the country and possibly the world, Vice Versa: America’s Gayest Magazine was produced almost single-handedly by its creator Edith Eyde. Each issue had only twelve copies and were distributed hand-to-hand to ensure safekeeping.

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