Sexy News: Washington Blade, 'LGBT Paper of Record' celebrates 40th anniversary

October 20, 12:35 PMSex & Relationships ExaminerSarah Estrella

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Washington Blade celebrates 40 years as LGBT paper of record in D.C.

The Washington Blade was the first LGBT paper I ever picked up, as a curious college student in D.C. a decade ago. The newspaper had already been going strong for 30 years by then, and this month the paper is celebrating its 40th anniversary.

Click over to the 40th anniversary package at WashBlade.com for a must-see timeline of four decades of LGBT headlines. It's a two steps forward one step back history, but here are a few highlights, via WashBlade.com:

1973: The American Psychiatric Association in December resolves that homosexuality should no longer be considered a mental disorder.

1973: D.C. Mayor Walter Washington signs into law Title 34, which bans discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, public accommodations, bank credit and employment.

1979: On Oct. 14, 1979, tens of thousands of people participate in the National March on Washington for Lesbian & Gay Rights.

1997: Actress Ellen DeGeneres comes out in an article in the April 17 issue of Time magazine. The headline: “Yep, I’m Gay.”

2003: The Massachusetts Supreme Court rules in November that same-sex marriage is legal, making the Bay State the first in the country to grant marriage rights to gay couples.

2003: On June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court rules in Lawrence v. Texas that sodomy laws are unconstitutional.

2009: Throughout the year, more same-sex couples win the right to marry. The Iowa Supreme Court unanimously strikes down the state’s ban on same-sex marriage; Vermont becomes the first state to legalize same-sex marriage via the legislative path after it overrides Gov. Jim Douglas’s veto; Maine lawmakers followed, with Gov. John Baldacci signing the bill; and New Hampshire becomes the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Here's an excerpt from the paper's article From modest beginnings to 'paper of record': Blade founders reflect on 40 years of gay news:

For 40 years, the Washington Blade has covered news for the LGBT community on a range of issues — from the outbreak of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to the advent of same-sex marriage — making the paper one of the nation’s oldest and most reliable LGBT institutions.

The paper, originally known as the Gay Blade, published its first issue Oct. 6, 1969, on a one-page single-sided sheet printed on a mimeograph machine. Since that time, the Blade has metamorphosed into a weekly tabloid newspaper coupled with a web site with daily — and sometimes hourly — updates.

The news the Blade has reported has evolved with the paper and the growing prominence of the LGBT community. The first issue contained articles on gay rights activist Frank Kameny giving a speech at American University, the formation of the Gay Liberation Front, and a look at the owners of cars driving frequently through Dupont Circle being harassed and blackmailed.

Forty years later, the Blade is reporting on the nation’s first black president giving a speech at a Human Rights Campaign dinner, tens of thousands of LGBT rights supporters gathering in D.C. for the National Equality March, and gay D.C. Council member David Catania (I-At Large) introducing a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the District.