Front Page newspaper records, 1975-2006 and undated

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Collection is open for research.
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Summary

Creator:
Bugle Publishing
Abstract:
The Front Page (1979-2006) was a newspaper dedicated to the LGBTQ+ community in North and South Carolina. Collection consists of a large clippings file, research and subject files, newsletters, book publicity, correspondence, including letters to the editor, administrative records, a "Kill" box file, mailing lists, advertising layouts, photographs, a reader survey, faxes, some writings submissions, flyers, press releases, and files of other gay and lesbian publications. Other items include T-shirts, posters, and photographs. Topics represented include early research on AIDS, gay rights, resources for the community, legal and political issues, and pride events across the two states; there are also papers related to local activists and Front Page staff Lee Mullis and Jim Duley. Acquired as part of the Sallie Bingham Center for Women's History and Culture.
Extent:
116.9 Linear Feet
Language:
Materials in English
Collection ID:
RL.00421

Background

Scope and content:

Collection consists of materials used in production of the newspaper, specifically a large clippings file, flyers, newsletters, press releases, book PR, incoming correspondence, a "Kill" box file, some clippings organized by subject, papers centered on Lee Mullis and Jim Duley, a reader survey, faxes, some submissions, and a large number of other gay and lesbian publications.

Addition (2000-0304) (1 item, dated 1977) is a t-shirt designed by Tom Carr for the 1977 Southeastern Gay Conference in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Addition (2003-0036) (26,300 items; 43.5 lin. ft; dated 1975-2001 and undated) consists of periodicals, directories, clippings, press releases, advertising proofs, brochures, and other materials related to production of The Front Page and/or to gay/lesbian organizations, issues, and events throughout the U.S. Also includes subject and correspondence files; numerous issues of North Carolina Anvil from the late 1970s-early 1980s; a collection of drag photographs; direct mail materials; and several The Front Page, gay/lesbian, and event-themed t-shirts.

Addition (2008-0065) (2,500 items; 6 lin. ft.; 1970s-2006) includes reader surveys (mostly dated 1992); correspondence between readers and The Front Page; printed materials; gay pride and AIDS awareness posters; and miscellaneous materials and items.

Addition (2008-0245) (1,800 items; 2.4 lin. ft.; dated 1970s-1990s) contains research files; letters to the editor, 1980-1987; internal records; mailing lists; and printed materials. Several research files relate to early research and publicity of AIDS and the gay community in the 1980s.

Addition (2008-0287) (1,350 items; 1.8 lin. ft.; dated 1980-2004) includes organizational files, publications, and clippings from gay/lesbian associations and events.

Addition (2009-0162) (4 items; 0.1 lin. ft.; 1977-2002) includes a Cruise magazine (1977); The Loop newspaper (Charleston, 2002) and materials from the Guilford Green Foundation (2002).

Addition (2018-0020) (15.0 lin. ft) consists of materials related to the production of The Front Page, internal newspaper documentation, as well as materials documenting LGBT issues throught the United States.

Addition (2018-0063) (0.5 lin. ft.) includes correspondence, photographs, and articles on gay rights in North Carolina.

Addition (2023-0086) (3.5 lin. ft.; dated 1980-2004) contains photographs sent to and taken for The Front Page. The bulk of the photographs date from the 1990s and document Pride events, as well as other events such as conferences, protests, and marches. These photographs show a wide range of people, including: lesbian/gay parents and regional PFLAG (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) groups; bisexual and transgender people; drag performers; military personnel and veterans; gay men who self-identify as bears, leatherheads, and cowboys; lesbian women who self-identify as dykes; and supportive religious, racial, ethnic, interracial, and intersectional groups and organizations. Some of the individuals and organizations are identified, while others are not. A small portion of the photographs document homophobic activities and hate crimes, such as graffiti, anti-LGBTQ protest signs at Pride, and arson. Some of these photos contain harmful language.

Biographical / historical:

Founded by Jim Baxter in 1979 and based in Raleigh, North Carolina, The Front Page was a bi-monthly newspaper published by Bugle Publishing, Inc. devoted to the LGBTQ+ community in North and South Carolina. Its last issue was published in May 2006, after which it was absorbed by Charlotte-based newspaper QnotesCarolinas.

Jim Baxter (1953- ) went on to study journalism at Syracuse University after selling The Front Page to QnotesCarolinas. In September 2006, he became the first openly gay man to receive a distunguished alumnus award from his alma mater Guilford College. He also received the Front Page Award from QnotesCarolinas. Both awards recognized Baxter's significant contributions to the LGBTQ+ community in North Carolina and beyond.

Source: "Alma mater, publication honor student," The Daily Orange, October 2006, https://dailyorange.com/2006/10/alma-mater-publication-honor-student/ (accessed December 13, 2023).

Acquisition information:
The Front Page records were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a gift from 1999-2008; as a gift from Jim Baxter in 2009 and 2018; and as a gift from Jim Duley Doerfler in 2023.
Processing information:

Preliminary processing by Lisa Stark, April 2000.

Additions processed and described by Elizabeth Arnold, Kate Crassons; Ann Langford; Danielle McGregor; Noah Huffman; Meghan Lyon, 2003-2009.

Addition 2023-0086 processed by Leah Tams, December 2023.

This collection has been given some core processing: most materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.

Accessions described in this guide: 1999-0421, 2000-0304, 2003-0036, 2008-0065, 2008-0245, 2008-0287, 2009-0162, 2018-0020, 2018-0063, 2023-0086.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Contents

Using These Materials

Using These Materials Links:

Using These Materials

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library.

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Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], The Front Page records, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.

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https://idn.duke.edu/ark:/87924/m1dk8w