The Reign of the Editor: Change in the lesbian content of The Ladder during the editorship of Barbara Gittings between 1963 and 1966.
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2018-06-15
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en
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The Ladder is a lesbian magazine which was distributed monthly from 1956 until 1970 and every other month between 1970 and 1971. It was founded by The Daughters of Bilitis in 1954, which was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. It consisted of personal essays, editorials, fiction stories, reports of research on homosexuality, lists of books, publications about homosexuality and letters to the editor. In 1963, Barbara Gittings became its new editor which coincided with a change in the lesbian position of women in the United States. This research aims to investigate the lesbian content of The Ladder during Barbara Gittings’ editorship and looks into how the content changed under her influence. This thesis will answer the research question: How does the content of The Ladder change during the editorship of Barbara Gittings between 1963 and 1966, with a specific focus on the way lesbianism is portrayed? This research aims to contribute to the field of magazine and periodical research, specifically focusing on the research on lesbian magazines.
There is a clear line of change in the content of the magazine. The subjects became more controversial and the tone of the articles was increasingly stronger and more opinionated. The subjects of the 1963 issue are mainly general articles, such as a lectures and reviews of articles and magazines. The 1966 issue has dissimilar articles, with subjects that include strong opinions of authors, or advice that was very controversial. The main differences are found between the 1963 issue and 1966 issue, however, the 1965 issue shows the first change in subjects and articles. This thesis shows that The Ladder indeed became more progressive and militant under the editorship of Barbara Gittings.
Keywords: The Ladder, Barbara Gittings, lesbian magazines, periodicals, periodical studies, magazine research, American magazines, queer studies.
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Faculteit der Letteren