Dallas Gay News
1982-1984


This section of this site will feature downloadable and searchable PDF files of selected early
gay & lesbian publications, mostly from Dallas and Fort Worth. This is by no means all of the ones that existed, just the ones to which I had access, and all are rare and interesting. If you can provide other issues of these and similar publications for scanning purposes, please contact me. Access to this publications is courtesy of U of H LGBT Resource Center,

 Additions are added often, so please check back


Henry McClurg was a long-time and prolific publisher in Houston...I have a whole section on his papers, going back to 1974, including Contact, the Montrose Star, the Montrose Voice (which evolved into the New Voice, and Houston Voice) and Out in Texas, and the Montrose Gem...spanning until 2010. Around 1977 he tried to expand his publishing to other cities, with the Vieux Carre Star (New Orleans, 9 issues 3/31/77 thru 8/12/77) and the Metroplex Star (Dallas, 17 issues, 4/21/77 thru 8/12/77, see bottom of this page). He tried again in 1983. The Star (Austin-San Antonio) lasted from 11/11/83 through 5/11/84, roughly the same lifetime as the DGN.

The Metro Times, run by Roy Hall, was already in publication in Dallas (1980-1985), but apparently McClurg still thought this a valid market, so hired for Business Manager William Marberry, Don Ritz as Editor, and Robert Moore as Advertising Director to produce DGN. The first issue was September 10, 1982.

The last issue with Don Ritz was 4/27/84, and Ritz, Marberry and Moore started their own newspaper, the Dallas Voice....with their first issue debuting 5/11/84. McClurg somehow eeked along without his main staff until 6/29/84. Many publications just leave the marketplace without a word but McClurg gave an upfront goodbye to the Dallas area. McClurg was shy about having photos taken and only a very few casual shots have been found. At right is from the days in 1982 when the Montrose Voice sponsored a softball team. Below is from Contact newspaper, 1974.


Dallas Gay News

The earliest issue I have had access to is #25.

Issue #1 was 9/10/82

Paper size was
11 1/2" x 14 1/2,"
and 20-24 pages

Here are 63 of the 95 issues

Issue #25, 02/25/83, PDF
Issue #26, 03/04/83, PDF

Issue #27, 3/11/83, PDF
Issue #28, 3/18/83, PDF

Issue #29, 3/25/83, PDF
Issue #30, 4/1/83, PDF

Issue #31, 4/08/83, PDF
Issue #32, 4/15/83, PDF

Issue # 33, 4/22/83, PDF
Issue #34, 4/29/83, PDF

Issue #35, 5/6/83, PDF
Issue #36, 5/13/83, PDF

Issue #37, 5/20/83, PDF
Issue #38, 5/27/83, PDF

 

 

missing #s 39 to 42

and

#s 48 to 51

Issue #43, 7/1/83, PDF
Issue #44, 7/8/83, PDF

Issue #45, 7/15/83, PDF
Issue #46, 7/22/83, PDF

Issue #47, 7/29/83, PDF

Issue #52, 9/2/83, PDF
Issue #53, 9/9/83, PDF


Issue #54, 9/16/83, PDF
Issue #55, 9/23/83, PDF

Issue #56, 9/30/83, PDF
Issue #57, 10/7/83, PDF

Issue #58, 10/14/83, PDF
Issue #59, 10/21/83, PDF

Issue #60, 10/28/83, PDF
Issue #61, 11/04/83, PDF

Issue #62, 11/11/83, PDF
Issue #63, 11/18/83, PDF

Issue #64, 11/25/83, PDF
Issue #65, 12/02/83, PDF

Issue #66, 12/09/83, PDF
Issue #67, 12/16/83, PDF

Issue #68, 12/23/83, PDF
Issue #69, 12/30/83, PDF

Issue #70, 01/06/84, PDF
Issue #71, 01/13/84, PDF

Issue #72, 01/20/84, PDF
Issue #73, 01/27/84, PDF

Issue #74, 02/03/84, PDF
Issue #75, 02/10/84, PDF

Issue #76, 02/17/84, PDF
Issue #77, 02/24/84, PDF

Issue #78, 03/02/84, PDF
Issue #79, 03/09/84, PDF

Issue #80, 03/16/84, PDF
Issue #81, 03/23/84, PDF

Issue #82, 03/30/84, PDF
Issue #83, 04/06/84, PDF

Issue #84, 04/13/84, PDF
Issue #85, 04/20/84, PDF

Issue #86, 04/27/84, PDF
Issue #87, 05/04/84, PDF

 

Issue #88, 05/11/84, PDF
Issue #89, 05/18/84, PDF

Issue #90, 05/25/84, PDF
Issue #91, 06/01/84, PDF

 

Issue #92, 06/08/84, PDF
Issue #93, 06/15/84, PDF

 

Issue #94, 06/22/84, PDF
Issue #95, 06/29/84, PDF

 
Metroplex Star (1977)


Metroplex Star

As described in this page's introduction, McClurg was already publishing the Montrose Star in Houston starting in 1976, and tried to expand to Dallas the next year, but that experiment only lasted 17 issues,
4/21/77 thru 8/12/77. I have only seen one issue, shown here.


Issue 16, 8/5/77, PDF

 

 Additions are added often, so please check back