The Body Politic

The Body Politic
The Body Politic (Issue 1, November–December 1971, Toronto)
CategoriesLGBT
Frequencymonthly
PublisherPink Triangle Press
FounderJearld Moldenhauer
First issueNovember 1, 1971 (1971-11-01)
Final issueFebruary 1987
CountryCanada
Based inToronto, Ontario
LanguageEnglish

The Body Politic was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987.[1] It was one of Canada's first significant gay publications, and played a prominent role in the development of the LGBT community in Canada.[1]

The Body Politic was a queer, activism-based Canadian monthly magazine that published from 1971 to 1987. It was one of the first significant gay publications in Canada, and played a large role in amplifying the Gay Liberation Movement and creating a space for queer issues and voices to be heard. The Body Politic focused on issues related to Gay and Lesbian sex, Queer culture, and other issues relating to the LGBT community at the time. Although The Body Politic was often criticized for talking about taboo topics such as queer sex and relations, queer media continued to grow. Xtra!, an LGBTQ focused magazine expanded in 1993 by launching its sister editions, Xtra! West, based in Vancouver, and Capital Xtra!, based in Ottawa. All three of these publications remained in print until 2015, when Pink Triangle Press discontinued the print publications of the magazines, however, Daily Xtra continues to publish as an online magazine. The Body Politic was ranked as the 17th most influential magazine in Canadian publishing history by Masthead, and in May 2016 the Canadian actor and playwright Nick Green premiered his historical play, Body Politic. This play discussed the role of the magazine in the early Gay Liberation Movement. In 2017, the play was awarded with the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play.[2]

  1. ^ a b Bradburn, Jamie (14 February 2015). "Historicist: I Sing The Body Politic". Torontoist. Toronto. Archived from the original on 18 April 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  2. ^ "Toronto Interviews". AIDS Activist History Project. 2016-10-14. Retrieved 2022-01-27.