May 09 - 25 Years
Happy Birthday to us. Unbelievable though it might be, but the institution that you're viewing onscreen is 25 years old this month. It’s actual history goes back further, evolving from the earlier magazine Him and incorporating the famous Gay News paper. From Him it took its glossy lifestyle aspirations and from Gay News its serious-minded campaigning edge – two qualities that are just as important today and to which the magazine stays true. The changes that we have seen in that 25 years are amazing – section 28, Aids, anti-discrimination legislation and civil partnership. We’ve made astounding moves, most of which I would have had great difficulty envisaging as a scared 13-year-old. Gay Times was one of the reasons I stopped being that scared teenager.
We have a glittering cavalcade of stars and friends helping us mark this occasion. Elton John, Stephen Fry, Jake Arnott, Mark Gatiss – I could go on. We invited them all to write a letter to their younger self (we set the age at 16 as it’s a tender age where one’s life can go in different directions). I want to extend an enormous thank you to everyone who took part – I was massively touched by all the contributions.
I would also like to thank everyone who has made this a magazine to be proud of – from co-founder of the magazine Chris Graham-Bell (with Alex McKenna) and John Marshall, the first editor, through to my predecessor Vicky Powell and the whole team who work on making this the best gay magazine in the world.
Mostly I want to thank all of you reading this, for buying the magazine – whether you have been with us since the 1984, or if this is your first copy – in paper form or the digital edition (an unimaginable possibility 25 years ago and available at www.gaytimes.co.uk).
Happy Birthday indeed. Enjoy the issue.