One magazine exhibit spotlights gay life in 1950s & 1960s
13.10.2023 - 08:39
/ qvoicenews.com
The exhibit “ONE magazine at Seventy” celebrates the 70th anniversary of the groundbreaking One magazine, the first nationally distributed LGBTQ+ magazine in the United States. Photos: One Archives at USC Libraries
The exhibit “ONE magazine at Seventy” celebrates the 70th anniversary of the groundbreaking One magazine, the first nationally distributed LGBTQ+ magazine in the United States.
It debuted in January 1953 and was published by One, Inc., the predecessor to the newly rebranded nonprofit One Institute, formerly One Archives Foundation.
The exhibit features original magazines from its 14-year run, audio recordings, rare photographs, and historic posters from the ONE Archives at USC Libraries.
“ ‘ONE magazine at Seventy’ is a rare look at 1950s and 1960s queer life, when, despite having no rights and facing many dangers, LGBTQ+ people established community long before Stonewall,” Tony Valenzuela, One Institute’s executive director, said.
The exhibit is on display at the Los Angeles LGBT Center’s Advocate & Gochis Galleries on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from noon to 5 p.m. through Nov. 5.
The exhibit is part of the One Institute’s Circa festival, which includes 70 programs during October at locations across Los Angeles in recognition of LGBTQ+ History Month.
“One magazine at Seventy” curators Alexis Bard Johnson, Quetzal Arévalo, and Sela Kerr place the exhibit’s historical ephemera in context with contemporary issues. By connecting these dots, the exhibit spotlights past battles and contemporary struggles that the LGBTQ+ community has faced in its on-going civil rights fight.
“Our exhibition examines themes that One tackled in its magazine that remain pertinent today,” said the curators. “This includes the