The Bromfield Street Educational Foundation
The Bromfield Street Educational Foundation (1973–1999) was the oldest organization in Boston, Massachusetts's gay community.
An advocate for gay rights, the foundation promoted awareness of the gay and lesbian community through the publication of the
The foundation sponsored four other influential projects: OutWrite, Off the Page, Queer Progressive Organizing School, and the Prison Project.[3]
History
The Gay Community News published its first newsletter in the
In less than one year, the Gay Community News upgraded from a two-page newsletter to a sixteen-page weekly newspaper. The office relocated to 22 Bromfield Street.
On March 8, 1975, the publication became a voice in the gay community in the Northeast. Three years later, in the summer of 1978, members of the Gay Community News voted to become a national newspaper. The publication touched upon topics such as feminism, antiracism, multiracialism, class issues, AIDS, and sexual liberation.[4]
In 1979, the foundation fought to be recognized as a
In the 1990s, the foundation sponsored projects such as OutWrite and the Queer Progressive Organizing School that were beneficial to the gay community. In the last decade of operation, it moved from Tremont Street to Berkeley Street to 25 West Street and finally to 29 Stanhope Street.[3]
Funded projects
The foundation funded projects that were progressive and beneficial to the gay and lesbian community. OutWrite was an annual conference between 1990 and 1999 for gay and lesbian writers. Between 1993 and 1995, Off-the-Page was a monthly readings series in Boston of gay and lesbian authors. Lastly, the Queer Progressive Organizing School was a forum in 1997 to organize progressive gay activists.[3]
The Prison Project
From 1975 to 1999, the Prison Project supported gays and lesbians in prison. The project began when a staff member of the Gay Community News, Mike Riegle, responded to prisoners' letters. In return, he granted the prisoners a free subscription to the newspaper.[7] The foundation helped fund the sending of books, legal assistance, and publishing the letters written by the prisoners.
In 1977, both the foundation and the
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids. (November 2012.) "The Bromfield Street Educational Foundation (1963–2003) (bulk 1985–1993)".
- ^ ISBN 9780815318804.
- ^ a b c Archives and Special Collections Finding Aids. (November 2012.) "The Bromfield Street Educational Foundation: Prison Newsletter Collection (1972–1996)".
- ^ Blasius, Mark; Phelan, Shane. W are Everywhere: A Historical Sourcebook of Gay and Lesbian Politics=2011. New York, NY: Taylor & Francis.
- ^ Straight News: Gays, Lesbians, and the News Media. New York City, New York: Columbia University Press. 1998.
- ^ An Army of Ex-lovers: My Life at the Gay Community News. Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication Data=Washington, D.C. 2007.
- ^ "Boston LGBT History Resources". The History Project.