Equal Time

600 North Fairview Avenue, St. Paul, MN (1982-1994)

Equal Time occupied a mid-point in the history of Minnesota’s GLBT publications. Halfway between the short-lived Uptown Voice (or the radical GLC Voice) and the lifestyle-based content of Lavender Magazine, the publication was an essential news source that advocated “equal time for gays and lesbians.”

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  Issue 1, 3/3/1982
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  Issue 71, 8/7/1984
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  Issue 87, 8/7/1985
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  Issue 101, 2/19/1986
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  Issue 141, 9/2/1987
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  Issue 153, 2/17/1988
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  Issue 196, 10/11/1989
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  Issue 317: 1/13-1/20, 1993
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  Issue 333 (final issue), 7/6/1994

Naysayers sarcastically referred to the paper as “The Lesbian Christian Democrat,”(1) pointedly referring to (what critics felt) was the publication’s target audience. Indeed, many stories focused on the political activities of elected democrats, as is evident from the premier issue—the first cover story questioned Karen Clark’s ability to keep her district. Other articles paid great attention to the goings-on of lesbian bars or organizations that catered to women, and still others mentioned the politics of local congregations. Queer men (who comprised a majority of the critical voices) were the subjects in a plethora of HIV/AIDS-related stories. Sexuality, at least in semi-explicit imagery, was relegated to advertisement space.

For many years, the paper featured “Dykes to Watch Out For,” a popular and long-lived comic strip by graphic novelist Alison Bechdel. Bechdel’s predominantly-female characters spent much of their time engaging in community events or reading at “Madwimmin Books” (a.k.a. The Amazon Feminist/True Colors Bookstore) The diverse characters in Bechdel’s stories likely represented a cross-section of the paper’s readership.

Equal Time’s troubles began after the paper changed its logo and front page layout in June of 1993.(2) Hoping to establish itself in a changing consumption-based queer market, Equal Time also changed from a biweekly paper to a weekly in order to offer more advertising space. This and other financial decisions proved to be fatal mistakes that ultimately ended the paper’s 11-year run. Management and staff successfully kept the crumbling financial issue under wraps—community members were shocked to learn of Equal Time’s demise in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

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(1)Tretter, Jean-Nickolaus. Interview with the author, 3/1/10

(2)Dochterman, Robyn. “Behind the Headlines: Why Equal Time Suspended Publication.” Equal Time, 6/15/1994. Cover Page.

(3)Doctherman, page 2.

This page is still under construction. -SVC

Part of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN: 100 Queer Places in Minnesota History, (1860-1969), (1969-2010)