''Erie Gay News'' is a monthly

newsletter A newsletter is a printed or electronic report containing news concerning the activities of a business or an organization that is sent to its members, customers, employees or other subscribers. Newsletters generally contain one main topic of int ...

reporting news and current events concerning the

gay community The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...

in the

Erie, Pennsylvania Erie (; ) is a city on the south shore of Lake Erie and the county seat of Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. Erie is the fifth largest city in Pennsylvania and the largest city in Northwestern Pennsylvania with a population of 94,831 a ...

, region. It was first published by a local gay man as a double-sided single sheet on a monthly/bi-monthly basis, beginning in early 1992. Beginning in January 1993, it was published on a monthly basis as a multiple-page document.

History

First published n a monthly/bi-monthly basis by a local gay man in Erie, Pennsylvania in early 1992 as a double-sided, single sheet, the Erie Gay News grew in popularity among members of Erie's gay community as a source for news and current events. By January 1993, it had become a multiple page publication distributed on a monthly basis. The first local Family Portrait was taken on the steps of the Erie County Courthouse on October 28, 1995, and appeared in the special December 1995 issue for Erie PA's Bicentennial, and a copy of that issue was placed in a time capsule in the

Bicentennial Tower The Bicentennial Tower is an observation tower located in Erie, Pennsylvania and features panoramic views of Lake Erie, Presque Isle State Park, and downtown Erie. The tower was built to signify the city's bicentennial year 1996. It is tall and h ...

at the foot of State Street. The time capsule is scheduled to be opened in 2095. The first run of ''Erie Gay News'' was published monthly through December 1999. The editorial staff for most of the first run was Deb Spilko, Michael Mahler and Mike Miller. At that point, it was exclusively published on the web. In September 2002, the decision was made to again begin publishing in print, beginning with the issue cover dated for December, 2002. The editorial staff currently consists of Deb Spilko and Michael Mahler. In February 2008, ''Erie Gay News'' was selected for inclusion in the

EBSCO Publishing EBSCO Information Services, headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is a division of EBSCO Industries Inc., a private company headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. EBSCO provides products and services to libraries of very many types around the ...

''LGBT Life with Full Text'' index. This index is marketed to the library marketplace. All current and past issues are now included."EGN to included in EBSCO index at libraries" in February, 2008 issue of ''Erie Gay News''
/ref> Archive copies of both runs of the print editions are also in the collections at

Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives The ArQuives: Canada's LGBTQ2+ Archives, formerly known as the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives, is a Canadian non-profit organization, founded in 1973 as the Canadian Gay Liberation Movement Archives. The ArQuives acquires, preserves, and pro ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Gerber/Hart Library in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, Homodok-LAA/IHLIA of

IHLIA LGBT Heritage IHLIA LGBT Heritage, formerly known as the International Gay/Lesbian Information Center and Archive ( nl, Internationaal Homo/Lesbisch Informatiecentrum en Archief; IHLIA), is an international archive and documentation center on homosexuality, bi ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

ONE National Gay & Lesbian Archives ONE National Gay and Lesbian Archives at the University of Southern California Libraries is the oldest existing lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) organization in the United States and one of the largest repositories of LGBT materials ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, The Pat Parker/Vito Russo Center Library in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, and Sexual Minorities Archives in Holyoke, MA. Archive copies are also included in

ProQuest ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...

's collection.

Notes

External links

''Erie Gay News''
— official website {{Newspapers published in Pennsylvania 1990s LGBT literature LGBT culture in Pennsylvania LGBT-related newspapers published in the United States Mass media in Erie, Pennsylvania Newspapers published in Pennsylvania Newspapers established in 1993 1993 establishments in Pennsylvania