Wikipedia

Venus (magazine)

Venus was an American newsmagazine targeted to LGBT people of color, particularly African-Americans. Established in 1995, Venus was the first national LGBT magazine founded by a lesbian, Charlene Cothran. The magazine was named in honor of Venus Landin (1961-1993), a friend of Cothran's who was murdered by her former lover. At its peak, Venus was distributed to seventy-two locations across the United States, Canada, and major cities in Europe.[1] The magazine featured noteworthy commentary and ground-breaking articles on issues related to the African-American LGBT community. In 2006, the magazine and its founding publisher changed editorial focus and sexual identity. Following a decrease in advertising revenue, Venus ceased operations by 2007.

Venus
CategoriesNewsmagazine
Lifestyle magazine
LGBT magazine
Frequency4 - 6 times per year
FounderCharlene Cothran, publisher
First issueJanuary 1995
Final issue2006-2007
CompanyCothran Publications
CountryUnited States
Based inAtlanta, Georgia
(1995-1997)
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York (1998-2006)
LanguageEnglish
Websitewww.venusmagazine.com (defunct)

History

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In 1991, Charlene Cothran, Venus's founding publisher, participated in the annual National Lesbian Conference (NLC).[2] The Atlanta event attracted 2,500 women, including artists and writers.[3] Cothran, who served on the NLC hospitality committee, first discussed publishing a new LGBT magazine, [2] specifically “by, for, and about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people of African descent, with a focus on African-American lesbians and Atlanta.”[4]

Venus Landin

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On March 2, 1993,[5][6] Venus Landin, co-chair of the African-American Gay Lesbian Alliance of Atlanta,[7] was murdered by her former lover, Bisa Niambi.[8][9] Niambi fatally shot Landin three times, and then killed herself in a murder-suicide.[6] Cothran was with Landin in the days preceding her murder and helped her friend to retrieve her personal belongings from her ex-lover's residence.[10]

The 1993 Atlanta Gay Pride Festival and festivities were dedicated to the memory of Venus Landin (May 17, 1961 - March 2, 1993).[11][12]

Venus Magazine

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Venus was the first national LGBT magazine owned and operated by a lesbian,[13] and after Landin's murder, Cothran dedicated and named Venus magazine to honor her friend.[14]

The first issue of Venus was distributed in January 1995.[15][16][17] The aim of the magazine was to be a platform for Black LGBT voices.[18] A profile of Phill Wilson, a gay African-American HIV/AIDS activist and Grand Marshall of the 1995 Martin Luther King parade in Atlanta, appeared in the first issue.[19][14] The magazine was available for free and placed in twenty locations in Atlanta, including LGBT bars, bookstores, and restaurants.[16] By November 1995, Venus was available in seventy-two locations across the U.S., including distribution points in Atlanta, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.[16]

In 1996, Venus had a press run of 8,000 issues and was circulated in several cities with large LGBT populations.[2] Venus publisher and editor-in-chief Cothran was featured in an episode of ”In the Life,”[20] the longest running LGBTQ news magazine on television.[21] That same year, a group of Black gay press editors and publishers gathered in Washington, DC, to network and to discuss the expansion of publications directed towards African-Americans LGBT citizens who may not respond to or subscribe to mainstream LGBT publications.[22]

Venus moves to New York

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In 1998, Venus moved its headquarters from Atlanta to the New York City area, and published four to six issues per year.[23][24] An annual subscription to Venus would cost $14.95.[23] The Washington Blade featured an article on Cothran and her efforts to promote and expand Venus.[25]

In the late 1990s, Venus published “The Venus Healthy Living Pocket Guide,” a booklet that included health information targeted to the African-American community.[1] The guide was distributed for free, and funded by Bristol-Myers Squibb.[24]

Throughout its history, Venus’s goal was to provide news and information for LGBT people of color and to be a resource for the African-American LGBT community.[26][27][28][29][30] Venus is considered one of the most influential Black LGBTQ periodicals.[31]

In the early 2000s, Venus contributed magazines and materials to The Black Gay and Lesbian Archive Project.[32][33] The project was donated to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in 2004, and later renamed the “In the Life Archive.”[34] Venus is credited with donating issues and magazine records to the Auburn Avenue African American Lesbian and Gay Print Culture collection, which helped to establish the collection.[4]

In 2006, Cothran changed the editorial policy of Venus and declared herself a former lesbian.[18][4][35][36][37] LGBT advertisers dwindled, and Venus magazine ceased operations by 2007.[15][16][17][38]

Notable coverage

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Venus was credited with breaking ground in several editorial areas, such as educational resources for HIV and AIDS prevention and care, dialogue between closeted and open LGBT populations, black gays and lesbians in corporate America, politics concerning homophobia, and the relationship between Christianity and homosexuality, among others.[16][39]

In 1995, Venus published information about Redefined Faith Unity Fellowship Church (later renamed Redefined Faith Worship Center), a group that is credited with being the first religious congregation designed for Black LGBTQ individuals in Atlanta.[40] National gay religious leaders Carl Bean, Bishop Zachary Jones,[41][42] and the Unity Fellowship Church Movement[43] were profiled in Venus.[24]: 8–9, 22 

In 1998, Venus published “Black Gays in Corporate America,”[24]: 27–29  a seminal article that highlighted Ronald L. Moore, an executive at Hewlett-Packard,[44] who, at the time, was recognized as the “highest-ranking, openly gay or lesbian African-American at a Fortune 500 company.”[24]: 27 [45] Two years after its original publication, Venus published a follow-up story, "Black and Gay in Corporate America."[23]: 36–38  The next national magazine profile of African-American gay and lesbian executives would occur more than a decade later (see Black Enterprise, July 2011).[46][47]

An historical article on A'Lelia Walker, the daughter of Madam C. J. Walker, the first female self-made millionaire in the United States, appeared in a Venus issue.[23] LaTanya Junior, an advertising agency CEO[48] and a former executive with Stedman Graham and Partners,[49][50] was featured on a Venus cover and profiled in a magazine interview.[23]

In a 2000 Venus issue, the magazine covered the National Association of Black and White Men Together’s protest of the Millennium March on Washington, and the event’s lack of black LGBT participation.[51][23]: 26  Venus took the lead amongst LGBT publication in profiling the Mumia Abdul-Jamal murder trial and the April 2000 Madison Square Garden protest to demand justice for Abdul-Jamal,[23]: 71  the former Black Panther who is an advocate for LGBT justice.[52]

Tony Award-winning choreographer Bill T. Jones was profiled in and featured on the cover of Venus.[24]: 36–41  A 1995 issue feature “Mary and Lou,” depicted a fictional story about a lesbian couple written by Shirlene Holmes.[16][53] A story on Cleveland's black gay community,[23] including the first Cleveland International Black Gay Film Festival[54] and photos from the Gay Men of African Descent’s 7th annual benefit fashion show also appeared in Venus.[24]: 45  Venus first reported on the planning for Atlanta's inaugural Black Gay Pride Celebration in 1995.[55][56]

Venus profiled “10 Men You need to know!” in 1997,[57]: 6–9  a cover story that included profiles of: Cordell Adams, MD;[58] A. Cornelius Baker (1961–2024);[59][60][61] Keith Boykin; Mario Cooper (1954–2015);[62] Rodney Gooden; Cary Alan Johnson;[63] Cleo Manago; H. Alexander Robinson (H Alexander Satorie-Robinson);[64] Milton Simpson; and Steve Wakefield.[65] That same year, Venus profiled the National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum (1988–2003)[66] and its board of directors: Joy Barnes, Brenda Crawford,[67] Joan Fountain, Sherry Harris, Ron Johnson,[68][69] Rhonda Mundhenk,[70] Steve Oxendine, Michael C. Piper, Debra Rose, and Steve Walker, as well as the organization's 10th anniversary conference in Long Beach, California.[71]: 6–7, 22 

Notable contributors

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Venus featured a diverse roster of writers, editors, designers, interview and profile subjects who represented all sexualities.

Publication dates

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The following is a partial list of Venus issues available in archives, libraries, or personal collections.

  • 1995: vol. 1, no. 1, January 1995 (cover: Life in this closet .. A Sister's Story; Phill Wilson, Grand Marshall King Parade: Paving the Way; Relationships: Back to the Basics);[40][15][30] vol. 1, no. 2, February 1995;[29][40][30] vol. 1, no. 3, March 1995;[40][30] vol. 1, June 1995;[40][30] vol. 1, July 1995;[40][30] vol. 1, August/September 1995 (cover: "A Lady and A Woman");[56][30] vol. 1, October 1995 (cover: Two Women and Motorcyle);[56][82][30] vol. 1, November 1995 (cover: Audrey Lorde);[56][30] vol. 1, December 1995[40][30]
  • 1996: vol. 2, Feb/Mar 1996;[30] vol. 2 May 1996;[30] vol. 2, No 6;[40][30] vol. 2, no. 7, July 1996;[29][30] vol. 2, no. 8, August/September 1996;[30] vol. 2, November 1996[40][30]
  • 1997: vol. 3, no. 1 (cover: Ann Nesby);[30] vol. 3, no. 2 (cover: Michael Boatman)[30]
  • 1999: vol. 5, no. 3 (cover: Gretchen Palmer);[30] vol. 5, Winter 1999[29]
  • 2000: vol. 6, No 1 (cover: LaTanya Junior)[23]
  • 2001: vol. 7, no. 5 (October/November)[30]
  • 2002: vol. 8, no. 1;[30] vol. 8, no. 2 (March/April);[29][30] vol. 8, no. 3;[30] vol. 8, no. 4/5[30]
  • 2004: vol. 10, no. 1;[30] vol. 10, no. 2[30]
  • 2005: vol. 11, no. 1[30]

See also

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Further reading

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References

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  1. ^ a b Charlene Cothran. Publisher Venus Magazine. FemmeNoir. A Web Portal For Lesbians Of Color.
  2. ^ a b c Shumate, Richard (February 2, 1996). Cultural Connections. Venus magazine is on a mission to build the visibility and self-esteem of the gay people of color community. The Front Page.
  3. ^ Ellis, Brittany (March 8, 2024). The National Lesbian Conference (1991, Atlanta). Invisible Histories. Medium.
  4. ^ a b c Feinberg, M. (2010). "Designing collections for storytelling: purpose, pathos, and poetry" Information Research, 15(3) paper colis701. [Available at http://InformationR.net/ir/15-1/colis7/colis701.html]
  5. ^ Mitchell, C (June 10, 1993). Cycle of Pain: Domestic Violence Just Doesn’t Happen to Straight People. Southern Voice.
  6. ^ a b Douglas-Brown, Laura (October 23, 2008). Local: Venus Landin. “October is Gay History Month. Every day, Southern Voice highlights a person or group that has helped shape Atlanta's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.” Southern Voice.
  7. ^ BLK Vol. 5 No. 1 (39th issue, January 1994) . National Museum of African American History and Culture.
  8. ^ Banks, Alicia (2006). On Betraying Venus Landin: Charlene Cothran is Buckdancing On Her Grave.
  9. ^ Lee, Marcus (May 15, 2023). No Easy Romance: An Introduction to the Black Gay Life Forum. This post is part a roundtable on Jafari S. Allen’s There’s a Disco Ball Between Us. Black Perspectives.
  10. ^ Minister Hatchett (March 18, 2007). Ex-Lesbian Comes Out The Closet.
  11. ^ Bagby, Dyana (October 10, 2014). Celebrating 44 years of Atlanta Pride and who we are. The GA Voice.
  12. ^ Venus Landin Funeral Program, 1993. Invisible Histories Project. p. 114.
  13. ^ Monroe, Rev. Irene (January 5, 2012). Black LGBT community doesn’t support its own. Washington Blade.
  14. ^ a b Collective Power and Culture Wars - 1990 to 1999. OutHistory.com.
  15. ^ a b c d Research Catalog: Venus Magazine, 1995-. Published by: Cothran Communications, Inc. Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. Atlanta, GA. New York Public Library.
  16. ^ a b c d e f g rutledge, emerald faith (September 6, 2023). From the Black Queer South to the World. Across its twelve-year lifespan, Atlanta-based Venus magazine brought southern voices to the larger Black queer print media network. JSTOR Daily.
  17. ^ a b CSCR 32600 Black Queer Archive. Black American LGBTQ+ Journals. Venus, 1995-2006. Ithaca College Library.
  18. ^ a b Piccoli, Dana (November 3, 2023). LGBT HISTORY PROJECT: Exploring 70 years of lesbian publications, from 1940s zines to modern glossy magazines. Windy City Times.
  19. ^ Venus Magazine. Premiere Issue. January 1995.
  20. ^ Linton, Katherine, Charlene Cothran, Keith Boykin, Dirk Shafer, Ciprian Cucu, Troy D Perry, Lavender Light, and Lavender Light. 1996. In the Life. Episode 503, Black History Month / Produced by In The Life Media.
  21. ^ Horak, Jan-Christopher. In the Life: Introduction. UCLA Film and Television Archive Library.
  22. ^ Hoffman, Wayne (August 1, 1996). Bay Area Reporter, Volume 26, Number 31. Benro Enterprises, Inc. GLBT Historical Society.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab Venus Magazine. Vol. 6. No. 1. 2000. Cover: LaTonya Junior. Cothran Publications, Inc. Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 10706.
  24. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Venus Magazine. Vol. 4. No. 3. 1998. Cover: Bill T. Jones. Cothran Publications, Inc. Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 10706.
  25. ^ The Washington Blade, February 13, 1998. District Digital, DC Public Library.
  26. ^ Venus Magazine for Lesbians and Gays of Color (Atlanta, GA), Feb Jun-Aug/Sep 1995; Feb/Mar, May; July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov 1996;, Box: Venus Magazine. Gender and Sexuality periodicals collection, Q-Periodicals. Special Collections. https://archivesspace.library.gsu.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/160582 Accessed November 27, 2024.
  27. ^ Related Atlanta Gay Publications: Venus Magazine, 1996, Box: 9, Folder: 30. Black and White Men Together records, ahc.MSS903. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center. https://aspace-atlantahistorycenter.galileo.usg.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/44535 Accessed November 28, 2024.
  28. ^ Venus, bulk: 1995 - 2003. Periodicals, PER. LGBT Community Center National History Archive. https://archives.gaycenter.org/repositories/2/archival_objects/12230 Accessed November 29, 2024.
  29. ^ a b c d e Venus Magazine (Atlanta, GA) [magazine]: v. 1, no. 1 (February 1995) - v. 2, no. 7 (July 1996), incomplete; unnumbered issue (Winter 1999) - v. 8, no. 2 (March/April 2002).. William Way LGBT Community Center periodicals collection, Ms-Coll-37. John J. Wilcox, Jr. LGBT Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center.
  30. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae Research Catalog: Venus Magazine (search). New York Public Library.
  31. ^ Washington, Craig (June 16, 2022). Remembering Traxx and Texas: Atlanta Black Gay and Lesbian Nightlife Back in the Day. Georgia Voice.
  32. ^ Gaylord, Sanford (May 1, 2003). The Black Gay and Lesbian Archive Project. Windy City Times.
  33. ^ LAGAR Newsletter 27 (Februrary 2006). Happy New Year, LAGAR-ites! The Society of American Archivists.
  34. ^ In the Life Archive (ITLA) miscellaneous collections, Sc MG 736, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library.
  35. ^ Wooten, Amy (January 31, 2007). Venus Magazine Becomes Ex-Gay Pub. Windy City Times.
  36. ^ a b Doxey, Tamara Y. (October 5, 2007). PUBLIC HEARING HOUSE BILL 1400. House State Government Committee. House of Representatives. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. p. 45.
  37. ^ Cothran, Charlene (23 March 2007). "The Rebirth of Venus". Christianity Today (Interview). Interviewed by Amy Tracy. Christianity Today International.
  38. ^ LGBTQ+ Life Database Coverage List. Venus Magazine, 03/01/2003 - 12/31/2006. EBSCO.
  39. ^ Venus Magazine for Lesbians and Gays of Color (Atlanta, GA), Feb Jun-Aug/Sep 1995; Feb/Mar, May; July, Aug/Sept, Oct/Nov 1996;, Box: Venus Magazine. Gender and Sexuality periodicals collection, Q-Periodicals. Special Collections. https://archivesspace.library.gsu.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/160582 Accessed November 26, 2024.
  40. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nimmo, Wes; Patrick Sullivan; and Jackie Tyson (April 17, 2023). The Atlanta LGBTQ+ Historic Context. New South Associates for Historic Atlanta and the City of Atlanta Office of Design.
  41. ^ Bishop Zachary Jones | Oral History. LGBTQ Religious Archives Network, accessed November 29, 2024.
  42. ^ Bishop Zachary Jones. National Black Justice Coalition.
  43. ^ God Is Love and Love Is For Everyone Unity Fellowship Church Movement.
  44. ^ Schaffer, Christina (September 6, 2024). Dedicated donor, Ronald Moore, makes impact at MSU. Continuous generosity and unconditional love. Michigan State University.
  45. ^ Mochida, Henry (June 28, 2021). Alumnx voice: Embracing the coming out journey. MSU alumnx discusses NFL athlete Carl Nassib, the Stonewall riots and the intersections of LGBTQA+ identity. MSU Today.
  46. ^ Black Enterprise (July 27, 2011). Black & Gay in Corporate America: BLACK ENTERPRISE Examines How a Growing Number of African American LGBT Professionals Are Coming Out and Breaking Through Isolation and Fear in the Workplace. PR Newswire.
  47. ^ Fluker, Elayne (March 26, 2012). Black Enterprise Wins GLAAD Media Award. for the article “Black and Gay in Corporate America. Black Enterprise.
  48. ^ LaTanya Junior. True One Agency.
  49. ^ Elliott, Stuart (April 21, 1999). THE MEDIA BUSINESS: ADVERTISING; True North takes the lead in aiding agencies and media owned by members of minorities. New York Times.
  50. ^ Release (September 19, 2012). LaTanya Junior joins JSU as communications executive director. Jacksonville State University.
  51. ^ Sandalow, Marc (April 29, 2000) Millennium March: Gay Rally Bares Deep Divisions. San Francisco Chronicle / SF Gate.
  52. ^ Lederer, Bob, and Mumia Abdul-Jamal (November 8, 2024). Mumia Embraces LGBTQ Liberation on 99.5 FM WBAI. WBAI-NYC.
  53. ^ STORY OF MARY & LOU: VENUS MAGAZINE, 1995. Retrieved from John J. Wilcox, Jr. Archives, William Way LGBT Community Center. Kykyarchives.com
  54. ^ Tina Machida in Zimbabwe. Harare, Zimbabwe - Gays and Lesbians. Film: 26 minutes. Awards and Festivals: Cleveland International Black Gay Film Festival. Bullfrog Films.
  55. ^ Out in Atlanta: Atlanta’s Gay and Lesbian Communities Since Stonewall: A Chronology, 1969-2012. OUTHISTORY.
  56. ^ a b c d e f African American Lesbian and Gay Print Culture Collection, 1989-2010, Archives Division, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Atlanta-Fulton Public Library.
  57. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Venus Magazine. Vol. 3. No. 1. 1997. Cover: Ann Nesby. Cothran Publications, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia.
  58. ^ Cordell Adams. Fresh Fiction.
  59. ^ Release (November 13, 2024). Lambda Legal Mourns Passing of Cornelius Baker. Lambda Legal.
  60. ^ A. Cornelius Baker. Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.
  61. ^ Antonio Cornelius Baker Obituary. Stewart Funeral Home.
  62. ^ Slotnik, Daniel E. (June 3, 2015). Mario Cooper, Nexus Between AIDS Activists and Black Leaders, Dies at 61. New York Times.
  63. ^ Harris, Reginald (February 13, 2023). What Could Possibly Stop Us? An interview with Cary Alan Johnson. Lambda Literary Review.
  64. ^ H Alexander Satorie-Robinson, Ed.D., MBA, CPM. Linkedin.
  65. ^ Steven Wakefield. HIV Prevention Trials Network.
  66. ^ National Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum Subseries, 1992-1999. David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
  67. ^ Brenda Crawford: Activist, Executive Director PRTA. ... The National Black Lesbian & Gay Leadership Forum-Board Chair- 1996-Present. FemmeNoir. A Web Portal For Lesbians Of Color.
  68. ^ Roche, Colleen, and Ari Avidar (April 11, 1997). Ronald Johnson, City Coordinator for AIDS Policy Receives Harlem Life Award. Archives of the Mayor's Press Office, New York City.
  69. ^ Ronald Johnson. Chair of the U.S. PLHIV Caucus. U.S. People Living with HIV Caucus (PLHIV).
  70. ^ Rhonda Mundhenk. Chief Operating Officer at Harbor Health. The Org.
  71. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Venus Magazine. Vol. 3. No. 2. 1997. Cover: Michael Boatman, Spin City (ABC). Cothran Publications, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia 30312.
  72. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Venus Magazine. Vol. 5. No. 3. 1999. Cover: Gretchen Palmer. Cothran Publications, Inc. Hastings-on-Hudson, New York 10706.
  73. ^ Andre Bolla. IMDB.
  74. ^ Music Director Emeritus Raymond Harvey. Kalamazoo Symphony.
  75. ^ Raymond Harvey, Clinical Associate Professor of Opera. Moores School of Music, University of Houston.
  76. ^ Shirlene Holmes. Georgia State University.
  77. ^ Official Obituary of Reverend Dr. Shirlene Holmes, March 7, 1958 ~ June 26, 2023 (age 65). Lewis Funeral Service.
  78. ^ (Preventing Chronic Disease) PCD – Editor In Chief: Leonard Jack, Jr, PhD, MSc. Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
  79. ^ Benton, Rashad (October 5, 2023). Career Conversations: Quohnos Mitchell, from Marine to Fashion Veteran. Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA).
  80. ^ Donna Payne-Hardy (b. 1963). National Black Justice Coalition.
  81. ^ Alvan Quamina, J.D., Ph.D. Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at Yale University.
  82. ^ a b Venus Magazine. vol. 1. October 1995. Cover: Two Women and Motorcycle. Cothran Publications, Inc. Atlanta, Georgia 30312.
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