Bay Windows Information

Bay Windows is New England's largest publication for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender readers. For 33 years Bay Windows has brought its readers award-winning articles and editorials on everything from the AIDS crisis to Vermont civil unions and Massachusetts marriage battles. Established in 1983 by founding publisher Sasha Alyson, Bay Windows was sold in 1985 to James Hoover. In 2003, co-publishers Jeff Coakley and Sue O'Connell purchased the paper from Hoover. Bay Windows is distributed throughout the greater Boston area and all of New England at over 400 locations. We are the only weekly publication in New England serving the vibrant LGBT community. When Sasha Alyson launched Bostons Bay Windows in 1983, he could not have dreamed the paper would eventually be at the center of the effort to bring marriage equality to Massachusetts and the rest of New England. According to Marc Solomon, former campaign director for MassEquality, Bay Windows waved the flag, rallied the troops, held advocates and lawmakers accountable and exposed those working against equal rights. Alyson did recognize that the Boston gay and lesbian community (pre-BT) needed a new voice with a different perspective. The newspapers available were the Gay Community News (GCN) and the bar rag The Mirror. Alyson, a reader and supporter of GCN, felt the community needed more local news, and more coverage of the illness recently named AIDS (formerly gay cancer, ARC, and GRID) . Alyson felt strongly that the community needed more political coverage and that elections should be covered. The early years presented one main challenge: money. A few years later, classified and phone sex ads became a major source of income..., Alyson told Bay Windows, ...but in 1983 it was hard to find advertisers. In 1985, Alyson sold Bay Windows to Jim Hoover. Alyson continued to publish LGBT focused books through Alyson Publications (which he established in 1979) and launched Alyson Adventures, a travel company for LGBT folks. At the time Hoover was publisher of ...