From the Editor: 38 years of Out Front

This April, Out Front turns 38. In fact, the very first issue, printed on April 2, 1976, came out 38 years before the exact print date of the issue you’re reading now.

As quickly as small LGBT publications tend to come and go, and as young as our movement sees itself to be, it’s amazing for me to imagine that it was ten years before I was even born that Phil Price, a 22-year-old student at the University of Colorado, Boulder, first envisioned Out Front.

Price launched the publication (from his mother’s basement, the story goes), as an advocacy newspaper — more than your trivial bar rag, though not lacking in the grit and racy indulgence that was characteristic of gay newspapers of the time. Today, we see ourselves as a multi-media network with a print magazine, email, web and social media channels. When Price launched Out Front the movement’s banner was “the gay community,” today we call it “the LGBT and allied community,” with the benefit of each generation’s new insights updating the language for better inclusiveness.

But the heart Price’s vision is still here. He wrote in his very first editor’s letter, “we view ourselves and other homosexuals as both gay people and members of a larger community, in that order…so, in the spirit of gay brotherhood and sisterhood, we hope we have done a good job and can continue to do so in the future.” I think it’s a great foundation for how we see ourselves in the broader Colorado community today, and that we are a constant work-in-progress, taking feedback, learning from mistakes and striving to become improve our relevance, responsiveness and value.

Phil Price passed away from AIDS-related illness in 1993.

On this anniversary, I’m excited to be marking the occasion with Out Front’s tradition of OUTstanding awards, nominated and chosen by readers. It’s good to be publishing these on our anniversary, as they’re one of the things we do that help us and our readers remember what we’re really about: above all things we are members of, equals to, and proud to be part of our amazing community. Our readers gave their input choosing their favorite personalities, places and organizations in Colorado — selecting some LGBT ones and some “mainstream” ones alike. We hope you find shout-outs to some of your own favorites, along with becoming aware of some people you’d like to know more about and some restaurants or services you’d like to try.

To our honorees, congratulations, and to our readers, THANK YOU. We hope you enjoy.