''Perceptions'' was an

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

news magazine which began publication in 1983 in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

History and profile

The periodical, founded in 1983 by

Gens Hellquist Gens Douglas Hellquist (October 12, 1946 – September 28, 2013) was a Canadian activist and publisher, noted for his prominent role in founding and developing the organized LGBT community in the province of Saskatchewan. Background Born in North ...

,"Gay health pioneer and advocate Gens Hellquist dies"
''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former p ...

'', October 2, 2013. was the longest-running GLBTQ publication in Canada. The magazine was first published in March 1983 as a bimonthly publication. It provided broad geographical news coverage, but with emphasis on the three Canadian prairie provinces (

Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to its west, Saskatchewan to its east, t ...

, and

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

). Issues also often carried opinion pieces, book and music reviews, articles on local GLBTQ history, and analytical pieces. Health issues in the GLBTQ community were an ongoing concern of the publishers. A directory of GLBTQ prairie organizations was printed in each issue. Later the frequency of the magazine switched to eight times a year. A detailed index, covering the period 1983 through 2004, is available electronically and in print. The electronic index is freely available to all for searching through the

University of Saskatchewan The University of Saskatchewan (U of S, or USask) is a Universities in Canada, Canadian public university, public research university, founded on March 19, 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatch ...

Library's Saskatchewan Resources for Sexual and Gender Diversity website. Copies of the magazine are held in a number of Canadian libraries, in full or partial runs. See, for example, the holdings of Library and Archives Canada, University of Saskatchewan Library (Saskatoon), University of Toronto's Thomas Fisher Library, and the

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 ...

(now renamed ArQuives) (Toronto). A collection of articles from the periodical has been published under the title: ''Gay on the Canadian Prairie: Twenty Years of Perceptions, 1983-2002''. This collection is available in a limited number of Canadian academic libraries. ''Perceptions'' folded in 2013 when its founder Gens Hellquist died.

References

1983 establishments in Saskatchewan 2013 disestablishments in Saskatchewan Defunct LGBTQ-related magazines published in Canada LGBTQ in Saskatchewan Magazines established in 1983 Magazines disestablished in 2013 Defunct magazines published in Saskatchewan Mass media in Saskatoon Bi-monthly magazines published in Canada Eight times annually magazines {{LGBT-mag-stub