Who is running this Project?
Dr Russ J Graham, with administration support from the Transdiffusion Broadcasting System.
Who compiled this archive of Gay News editions?
The Campaign for Homosexual Equality (CHE) in Manchester, plus the personal collections of Chris Bowden-Smith and Paul Temperton.
What is the copyright status of Gay News?
Gay News is an unregistered orphan work, within the meaning of the EU Directive 2012/28. Since the UK left the European Union, this directive no longer applies, but UK government advice has not been updated to cancel it. Therefore we assume it still applies in the UK, as it does in Germany where this site is hosted.
We have attempted to contact the surviving editorial staff of the newspaper, and those we have spoken to are more than happy to see their pioneering work being made available here.
Can I reuse any or all of a Gay News edition?
Orphan works can be used on a non-commercial basis by paying the Intellectual Property Office a fee of 10p + VAT according to the UK government with commercial uses allowed under a more expansive but also more expensive licence. However, as Gay News is unregistered – the fees for registering each edition as an orphan work are beyond this Project’s means – the fee is not applicable.
Your “fair dealing” rights from the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988 are not affected by any of this, especially for academic use.
Can you supply me with a specific copy of the newspaper?
No. The Project doesn’t have the time, money or personnel available to do this.
Can you bring copies of the newspaper to my conference/film shoot/art exhibition/lecture?
No. The Project doesn’t have the time, money or personnel available to do this.
Why is this project so slow? Do you plan to go beyond the number of issues already scanned?
This Project is a labour of love, done around paid work and family commitments. It can only be done when there’s any free time to work on it. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this time was simply not available. But we do hope to be able to continue the scanning, OCRing, uploading and commenting as time allows.
Do you have a mailing list?
No. But when updates are made, the Twitter, Facebook and RSS feed for the site are automatically updated.
Where can I find other LGBT+ archives or physical copies of Gay News?
The Hall-Carpenter Archives at the London School of Economics is one place to contact. Another would be the Special Collections section of the Bishopsgate Institute. Please note that you may have to make an appointment and physically present yourself at each institution in order to read archived material.
Queer Britain is a new museum of LGBTQ+ life based in King’s Cross in London. Entry is free and there is no need to book.