The Body Politic
Encyclopedia
The Body Politic was a Canadian
monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987. It was one of Canada's first significant gay
publications, and played a prominent role in the development of the LGBT
community in Canada.
owner Jearld Moldenhauer. The collective was incorporated as Pink Triangle Press
in 1975.
Writers associated with the magazine included Gerald Hannon, Stan Persky
, John Greyson
, David Rayside
, Sue Golding
, Richard Summerbell
and Gary Kinsman
.
The Body Politic was twice charged with publishing obscene material, in 1977 for Hannon's article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men", and in 1982 for "Lust with a Very Proper Stranger", an article on fisting
. The magazine was acquitted in both trials. Materials seized by police in the Hannon trial were not returned to the magazine until 1985.
The magazine ceased publication in 1987, following PTP's launch of the tabloid Xtra!
in 1984. In 2008, it was ranked as the 17th most influential magazine in Canadian publishing history by Masthead, the trade magazine of the Canadian magazine publishing industry.
The magazine also created the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
in 1973.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987. It was one of Canada's first significant gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
publications, and played a prominent role in the development of the LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
community in Canada.
History
The magazine was first published on November 1, 1971 by an informal collective, operating out of the home of Glad Day BookshopGlad Day Bookshop
Glad Day Bookshop is an independent bookstore in Toronto, Ontario, specializing in LGBT literature. The store is located at 598A Yonge Street near the city's Church and Wellesley neighbourhood.-History:...
owner Jearld Moldenhauer. The collective was incorporated as Pink Triangle Press
Pink Triangle Press
Pink Triangle Press is a Canadian non-profit organization which specializes in LGBT media including publishing, online interactive media, and television. PTP's main asset is the LGBT magazine, Xtra! and its spinoffs Xtra! West and Capital Xtra!...
in 1975.
Writers associated with the magazine included Gerald Hannon, Stan Persky
Stan Persky
Stan Persky is a Canadian writer, media commentator and philosophy instructor.- Early life :Persky was born in Chicago, Illinois. As a teenager, he made contact with and received encouragement from Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and other writers of the Beat Generation...
, John Greyson
John Greyson
John Greyson is a Canadian filmmaker, whose work frequently deals with gay themes. Greyson is also a video artist, writer and activist; he is currently a professor at York University, where he teaches film and video theory and film production and editing.-Background:Greyson was born the son of...
, David Rayside
David Rayside
David Morton Rayside is a Canadian academic and activist. He is a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, and was the director of the university's interdisciplinary program in sexual diversity studies from 2004 to 2008....
, Sue Golding
Sue Golding
Sue Golding is a philosopher and artist. She is Professor of Philosophy in the Visual Arts & Communication Technologies at the University of Greenwich where she is also the Director of ICAS, the Institute for the Converging Arts & Sciences. Previously she was Head of Theory at the Jan Van Eyck...
, Richard Summerbell
Richard Summerbell
Richard C. Summerbell is a Canadian mycologist, author and award-winning songwriter. He was editor in chief of an international scientific journal in mycology from 2000 to 2004...
and Gary Kinsman
Gary Kinsman
Gary Kinsman is a Canadian sociologist. He is one of Canada's leading academics on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues. In 1987, he wrote one of the key Canadian texts on LGBT social history, Regulation of Desire, reprinted in 1995...
.
The Body Politic was twice charged with publishing obscene material, in 1977 for Hannon's article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men", and in 1982 for "Lust with a Very Proper Stranger", an article on fisting
Fisting
Fisting is a sexual activity that involves inserting a hand into the vagina or rectum. Once insertion is complete, the fingers either naturally clench into a fist or remain straight. In more vigorous forms of fisting, such as "punching", a fully clenched fist may be inserted and withdrawn slowly...
. The magazine was acquitted in both trials. Materials seized by police in the Hannon trial were not returned to the magazine until 1985.
The magazine ceased publication in 1987, following PTP's launch of the tabloid Xtra!
Xtra!
Xtra! is a gay magazine, on newsprint in tabloid format, published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.-History and content :...
in 1984. In 2008, it was ranked as the 17th most influential magazine in Canadian publishing history by Masthead, the trade magazine of the Canadian magazine publishing industry.
The magazine also created the Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives
The Canadian Lesbian and Gay Archives is a non-profit organization in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which collects material relating to the history of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Canada....
in 1973.