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The emergence of the LGBT community in Monterey County has encouraged different forms of media to develop in order to bring the community closer together. These forms of media include newspapers, magazines, radio, and some tv. These forms of media have impacted the LGBT community because they provide information regarding local support groups, gay friendly bars, self defense classes for lesbian and bisexual women, as well as support groups for lgbt youth. Packed with ads for gay-and lesbian-friendly companies and services, the Manifesto provides readers with places to go for HIV/AIDS support groups, upcoming events- both NSFW (Not Safe for Work) and family friendly.
The Manifesto newspaper gave the LGBT community the opportunity to raise awareness regarding different resources such as advice and events which are open to the LGBT community. It was known as the ‘Gay Newspaper for Monterey Bay’ and it was inclusive to other religions and languages. In this newspaper, individuals from the community were allowed to submit free personals and classified ads where others could find support groups to join. Many advertisements in the newspaper posted by community members were often events or meetings which served as a safe space for community members to attend and discuss issues within the LGBT community. For instance, on February 22nd at 6 p.m., the GLBT Network and Queers of Color (QoC) sponsored a film showing with an open forum discussion after the film which was facilitated by members of the two organizations. [1] Another example is the ad HIV-Negative Gay Men which was part of a ten-week group facilitated by Robin Keeler. Discussions within these meetings consists of sex, dating, relationships and more. [2]
The paper also included resources for individuals on campus as well as families. The CSUMB All in the Family student group was also listed in the newspaper. Many other organizations listed under campus resources include student alliances and task forces as well as their contact information. Under family, there are many different support groups for individuals who has family members or friends who either identify with the LGBT community, has aids/hiv, or are gay themselves and would like to seek for ways to learn about how to better their relationships with their family and friends. [3] Because of Monterey County’s diverse population, the Manifesto was careful to include several sections written in Spanish so as not to prevent anyone from being able to reach the resources available to them.<.p>Being inclusive to different genders, sexualities, and races was important to LGBT media. Demeter magazine is distributed as a women’s magazine and focusing on LGBT women in the Monterey Bay community. [4] Demeter offered sections for different types of readers, there was a section for those who enjoyed art, a section for those who enjoyed community events, and a section for the readers to write to the editors of the magazine. It included articles about women making music, about activities that LGBT women could participate in (softball league), and about myths of women’s movements and gay right liberation. There were also able to find out about national news, such as, an article about the first women to sail around the world and they happened to be apart of the LGBT community. In a sense, Demeter was the magazine where LGBT women could find a community for themselves. In comparison PPN, which stands for Public Participation Network, had letters and business cards inviting people to a PPN gathering that included different members of the community. Many of the sources we found from PPN were letters inviting those in the community to different events around Monterey County. This is different from the Demeter magazine which featured full articles about different issues in the community.
Across many different campuses, student organizations used kiosks and flyers as a way to not only advertise their events but to serve as a source of communication amongst one another in order to raise awareness. [5] These sources gives historians context around what kind of topics and issues the LGBT community tackled at the time as well as how they went about expressing themselves through the events they advertised. [6] Not only that but these events were used as ways for the LGBT community to connect and socialize. Ephemeras are able to explain what kind of events were put on for networking amongst the LGBT community. For instance, a great example found in the archives was an ephemera made by the Cypress Swim Club for an event called the Red and White Ball which took place in 1986 in Carmel. [7] By reading the letter we were able to get a sense of what the event was and who were the people involved in putting the event together.
Overall, LGBT media changed the lives of the LGBT community since the beginning. It brought a sense of community to those who have been marginalized and helped them find a place to belong. Whether it was finding community events to attend through these different media or it was through helping with the different media types it gave LGBT individuals a community to connect with.
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References
[1] Manifesto Newspaper Feb 2000.
[2] Manifesto Newspaper Feb 2000.
[3] Jane Lee, "Group A Hedge Against Suicide." Monterey County Herald (CA), November 7, 2010: A1. NewsBank:https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=NewsBank&docref=news/1335BBDFF9BDA590.
[4] Demeter Volume 2 No 3 June 1979.
[5] David A. Reichard, “Animating Ephemera through Oral History: Interpreting Visual Traces of California Gay College Student Organizing from the 1970s.” Oral History Review 39, no. 1, p 40.
[6] Reichard, “Animating Ephemera” p 41.
[7] Cypress Swim Club, 1986.