Gay News was a fortnightly newspaper founded in June 1972 in a collaboration between the Gay Liberation Front and the Campaign for Homosexual Equality.
The original editorial collective included Denis Lemon (editor), Martin Corbett - who later went on to be an active member of Act-Up, David Seligman, who founded London Gay Switchboard, Ian Dunn of Scottish CHE, Glenys Parry from Manchester CHE, Suki J Pitcher, and Doug Pollard, who later went on to launch Britain's first weekly gay newspaper, Gay Week (affectionately known as Gweek), and is now a presenter on Joy Melbourne 94.9FM, Australia's first full time GLBTI radio station.
The paper challenged the authorites from the outset by publishing personal contact ads, in defiance of the law - in early editions this section was always headlined "Illegal Page".
And in the first year of publication editor Denis Lemon was charged and fined for obstruction, for taking photographs of police behaviour outside popular Earls Court leather bar The Colherne.
In 1974 it was charged with obscenity, having published an issue with a cover photograph of two men kissing. It won the court case.
In 1976-77 Mary Whitehouse brought a private prosecution (Whitehouse v. Lemon) against both the magazine and its editor, Denis Lemon , over the publication of James Kirkup's poem The Love That Dares To Speak Its Name in the issue dated 3 June 1976.
Gay News Ltd ceased trading on 15 April 1983.