Consuming Community

Community and Advertising in Brisbane's Gay and Lesbian Newspapers

Authors

  • Felicity Grace Griffith University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1017/S1321816600003731

Keywords:

Gay and lesbian press, queer community of Queensland, 'Queensland Pride', 'Q News'

Abstract

Several things have inspired me to interview the editors of two of Queensland's free gay and lesbian newspapers, Queensland Pride and QNews. First, both newspapers are in transition in 2004. QNews has appointed Australia's first female editor of a broad-spectrum gay community paper. QNews also seemed to be significantly altering the content of its fortnightly publication. At the same time, in an unrelated move, Queensland Pride has shifted from a fortnightly newspaper to a monthly magazine format and included a lesbian-specific section, the L-Pages.

Author Biography

  • Felicity Grace, Griffith University

    Felicity Grace lectures in Gender Studies and Cultural Sociology in the School of Arts, Media and Culture at Griffith University. Her research is focused on the intersections benveen sexuality and economics. Previous publications on this topic have included: 'Risky Business: Heterosexual Credit and Bank Lending Practices' Sexualities 2(4) (1999): 433-50.

References

Female editors were previously confined to specialist lesbian papers and magazines like the Sydney Lesbians on the Loose, for sale by cover price, Lesbian Network, for sale by subscription, and Brisbane's brief but now defunct free publication, Dyke.

See, for example, Murphy, P. and Watson, S., ‘Gay Sites and the Pink Dollar’, in Surface City: Sydney at the Millennium (Sydney: Pluto Press, 1997): 62–94.

See a brief history of the Queen's Ball at www.queensball.com.au/index.htm#about

Fejes, F. ‘Advertising and the Political Economy of Lesbian Gay Identity’, in Sex and Money: Feminism and Political Economy in the Media, eds Meehan, E. and Riordan, E. (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press: 2002): 196–208

Sender, K., ‘Sex Sells: Sex, Class and Taste in Commercial Gay and Lesbian Media’ GLQ 9(3) (2003): 331–65.

Fejes, ‘Advertising and the Political Economy of Lesbian/Gay Identity’: 207.

Kirk, M. Madsen, H., After the Ball: How America Will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the 90s (New York: Patriot Books, 1989); and G. Lukenbill, Untold Millions: Positioning your Business for the Gay and Lesbian Consumer Revolution (New York: Harper Collins, 1995). The sanitised gay male is monogamous, sexually healthy, young, white, attractive, professional, mainstream and affluent.

Sender, ‘Sex Sells’: 332.

Barnes, Donna, Editor QNews, interview conducted 5 August 2004.

Clacher, Iain, Editor Queensland Pride, interview conducted 4 August 2004.

O'Donnell, M., ed., Sydney Star Observer (Darlinghurst: Sydney G&L Community Publishing Ltd, 2004). See also www.SSONet.com.au/advertise.

Gurr, T., ed., Melbourne Community Voice (Melbourne: Lencut Pty Ltd, 2004). See also www.mcv.net.au/about.

Calder, B., publisher, BNews (Melbourne: BNews Pty Ltd, 2001). See also www.bnews.net.au

Ooi, T., ‘Satellite Media's Pink Ink Turns Red’, www.gaynet.com.au/news/arohive/story-156.htm, 2000

Sender, ‘Sex Sells’: 332.

Fejes, ‘Advertising and the Political Economy of Lesbian Gay Identity’: 197.

Twitchell, J., Adcult USA (New York: Columbia University Press, 1996): 150.

Selected examples from the personal columns in Queensland Pride and Q News, April 2003.

Clacher, Iain, Editor Queensland Pride, interview conducted 4 August 2004.

Barnes, , Editor QNews, interview conducted 5 August 2004.

Fejes, ‘Advertising and the Political Economy of Lesbian Gay Identity’: 197.

Clark, D., ‘Commodity Lesbianism’, in The Gender and Consumer Culture Reader, ed. Scanlon, J. (New York: Mew York University Press, 2000): 372.

Hicks, G., ‘Media at the Margins: Homoerotic Appeals to the Gay and Lesbian Community’, in Sex in Advertising: Perspectives on the Erotic Appeal, eds Reichert, T. Lambiase, J. (New York: Michele Bohbot, 2002): 229.

Hicks, ‘Media at the Margins’: 234.

Reichert, T. et al. ., ‘Designed for (Male) Pleasure: The Myth of Lesbian Chic in Mainstream Advertising’, in Sexual Rhetoric: Media Perspectives on Sexuality, Gender and Identity, eds Carstarphen, M. and Zavoina, C. (London: Greenwood Press, 1999): 123.

Sender, ‘Sex Sells’: 332–33.

Sender, ‘Sex Sells’: 332.

Phelan, S., Getting Specific (New York: UMP. 1994): 141.

Kirk and Madsen, After the Ball: 137.

Potts, A., The Science Fiction of Sex. (London: Routledge, 2002): 66.

Gray, J., Men are from Mars: Women are from Venus (New York: Harper Collins, 1992)

Radio interview quoted in Moscaritolo, M., ‘Howard Rejects Gay Marriage’, Herald Sun, August 2001.

Wroe, D., ‘PM Accuses Playschool Over Gays’, The Age (Melbourne). 7 June 2004. See also www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/06/06/1086460177951.

Published

2004-12-01

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Grace, F. (2004). Consuming Community: Community and Advertising in Brisbane’s Gay and Lesbian Newspapers. Queensland Review, 11(2), 89-106. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1321816600003731