INFORMATION
- Issue #7
- 10p
- 12 pages
- Undated. Approximate publication date: 14 September 1972
- The Other Love
- The Gay News editorial collective: Richard Adams (Design); Martin Corbett; Ian Dunn (Scotland); Denis Lemon; Glenys Parry (Manchester); Suki J. Pitcher; Doug Pollard; David Seligman; Jean Claude-Thevenin. Peter Holmes; and Julie Frost; Julian D. Grinspoon; Alastair MacDougall; Peter Waldschmidt.
- Gay News special friends: Denis Cohn; Lawrence Collinson; Graham Chapman; David Sherlock; Roger Baker; Barry Conley; Martin Grant; Antony Grey; Peter MacMillan; Manus Sasonkin; Brian Dax.
- Special thanks to: Richard & Norman; Ken & Allan; Michael, Angus & Ken and all the other Friends and Loved Ones.
- The cover story, by David J Sherlock, is an extended review of The Other Love by Harford Montgomery Hyde. First published in 1970, it had just had a paperback edition released. Denis Lemon got a £5 fine for “obstruction” (aka standing outside the Colherne gay pub). London GLF refused to stock Gay News because the people in the office “couldn’t give a shit about your little paper”. Solidarity! CHE’s Bob Sturgess interviews homophobic Edinburgh councillor Kidd and finds that bigots will be bigots. Reviews include Patience and Sarah by Isabel Miller and Cowardly Custard starring Patricia Routledge.
- Riding Mac Enthusiast, 34, London, seeks similar interested friends over 30 who are really keen on them. Box 215
- Would the person who placed Box 215 please contact Gay News as soon as possible. Telephone 01-402 7805 or write to Ads Dept, Gay News, 19 London Street, London W2 1HL. Thanks a lot.
- Het of the month: Liberace
Do we know why the Ads Dept sometimes wanted to get in touch with those who placed the ad? What would be a reason for doing this?
Also can somebody help me understand the box system – the box number correlate to boxes at the Gay News offices which people would pay a deposit for… people would send mail to the Gay News offices with the box number and then GN would forward the mail to the individual behind the box?
I wonder if the Ads department wanted to get in touch with those Box holders because there was an issue with the ad–maybe they couldn’t read it? The editor put a snippet at the end that advised posters to write carefully, as sometimes they can’t translate the handwriting. But maybe it also had to do with the content of the ad–like it was too sexual or the person was underage? Or maybe they’re a repeat ad poster and they haven’t given them a return address.
What I’ve always understood Box #s are alike the United States PO Box system. But then it was especially important in LGBTQ news contexts because you wouldn’t want just anyone to have your address. A lot of papers made people buy a box, so they wouldn’t post the address in the paper, because then homophobes could show up at their house, or doxx them.
That’s just my 2 cents, as a person who researches a lot in the queer personal ads.