''Philadelphia Gay News'' (PGN) is a

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, gay,

bisexual Bisexuality is a romantic or sexual attraction or behavior toward both males and females, or to more than one gender. It may also be defined to include romantic or sexual attraction to people regardless of their sex or gender identity, whic ...

and

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

(

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

) newspaper in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

area. The publication was founded in 1976 by

Mark Segal Mark Allan Segal (born 1951), is a social activist and author. He participated in the Stonewall riots and was one of the original founders of the Gay Liberation Front where he created its Gay Youth program. He was the founder and former president ...

, who was inspired by activist

Frank Kameny Franklin Edward Kameny (May 21, 1925 – October 11, 2011) was an American gay rights activist. He has been referred to as "one of the most significant figures" in the American gay rights movement. In 1957, Kameny was dismissed from his po ...

when they met in 1970. ''PGN'' is the oldest LGBT publication founded as a weekly in the United States and is the largest on the East Coast with 25,000 weekly readers. ''PGN'' is a member of the

National Gay Newspaper Guild The National Gay Newspaper Guild is an organization of LGBT newspapers located in the United States. Through Rivendell Media, the guild gathers statistics on the readership of the member publications. Member publications *''Bay Area Reporter' ...

Mission

The mission of ''Philadelphia Gay News'' is to serve as a forum for LGBT community discussion, and to act as a platform for communicating LGBT issues with mainstream media. "My initial goal for PGN was to be the publication that informed our community," Segal said in an interview with Julia Klein. "It was very modest. Then as we went on, I began to realize how powerful a communications medium that connected our community together could be, and my goals changed. I wanted to do more."

History

1976 - Mark Segal founds ''PGN'' on January 3 as a monthly publication. 1993 - ''

Philadelphia Magazine ''Philadelphia'' (also called "''Philadelphia'' magazine" or referred to by the nickname "Phillymag", once called ''Greater Philadelphia'') is a regional monthly magazine published in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by the Lipson family of Philadelphia ...

'' bestows ''PGN'' publisher Mark Segal with "Best of Philadelphia" award for "Clout". 2016 -

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

writes an op-ed for ''PGN'', which is the first time a major-party presidential candidate writes an op-ed for an LGBT newspaper. 2020 - In March, ''PGN'' is approved for a commemorative marker from the

Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) is the governmental agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania responsible for the collection, conservation and interpretation of Pennsylvania's historic heritage. The commission cares fo ...

. The sign will read: “First published in 1976, this early newspaper of the LGBTQ community was an outlet for intracommunication when few others were available. It served as a community-building vehicle at a time when the LGBTQ rights movement was still forming. At the outbreak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, it became a lifesaving source for a community in need. It is now the most-awarded LGBTQ publication in the nation.”

Circulation

The ''Philadelphia Gay News'' is distributed for free and can be picked up in vending boxes throughout Greater Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Delaware.

Vending Machines

The ''Philadelphia Gay News'' received its batch of around 30 vending boxes in 1976. They were provided for free by the ''Philadelphia Evening Bulletin'', who were retiring an old fleet. PGN’s longtime distribution manager, Don Pignolet, took them to Earl Shibe Auto for painting. The shop was willing to donate paint for the boxes, but only one color: fresh plumb, or RAL-0007. “No one else had that color,” Pignolet said, “and it just seemed so gay.” Pignolet and his father attached the coin mechanisms to the boxes, initially charging 50 cents an issue. Today the paper is free. Throughout the years the boxes have been used as trash cans and vandalized with stickers and graffiti. People have glued the boxes shut and scrawled homophobic graffiti on them, such as “Gay=Got AIDS Yet?” On several occasions, the boxes were blown up with homemade bombs consisting of M-80 fireworks.

References

External links

''Philadelphia Gay News'' Online
{{Newspapers published in Pennsylvania LGBT culture in Philadelphia LGBT-related newspapers published in the United States Newspapers published in Philadelphia Publications established in 1976 1976 establishments in Pennsylvania