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by Bambi Weavil

An Army of Ex-Lovers

by Amy Hoffman

Official site: http://www.amyhoffman.net/

Before gay liberation before AIDS, before gay weddings, and before The L-Word, Boston’s weekly Gay Community News, one of the longest-running gay publications in existence, was the center of Amy Hoffman’s world. After the Stonewall Riots in New York, in 1969, Boston had become a national center of gay activism. Hoffman writes refreshingly and honestly in An Army of Ex-Lovers about the publication that consumed her life, the friendships behind the scenes of it’s central staff, the toll of AIDS among staff and friends, and the dedication of putting the publication together on shoestring budgets. GCN started in 1973 and publishing in various formats until 1999, and Hoffman is woven into the history of GCN from 1978-1982.

Hoffman juggled the duties of being not only a member of the press but a lesbian in the gay community between Boston’s lesbian bars (The Saints, Somewhere) during a time where it was still relatively underground and wasn’t actively courted by the press, was also a whirlwind of controversy within the community. I get the impression that Hoffman was sometimes celebrated and sometimes outcasted by lesbians for her dedication to GCN. Hoffman was also extremely loyal to her friends in GCN, keeping a long-running friendship with Richard Burns, who brought her on board at 26.

The activism of GCN is one of the most important aspects of Hoffman’s story, and I believe is what kept GCN’s spirit alive. “GCN’s mission was explicitly activist–we wanted to encourage readers to come out of the closet and become involved in the movement and also to provide a forum where ideas and actions could be proposed and debated.” Hoffman went in-depth about various controversial art and editorial coverage, including GCN being apart of gay history including covering the first ever gay and lesbian march in Washington DC in 1979.

Another important aspect of the publication which mirrored Hoffman’s friendships, gay men and women were the collective audience and were not separated to appeal to one or the other. From my perspective, Hoffman seemed naturally close to gay men throughout her recollection of her experience at GCN. Hoffman weaves her personal story in between her professional life at GCN with humor and reflection, and even though it seems impossible to separate from, she discovered herself as she was apart of the committed GCN publication. I highly recommend her story, told with humor, heartbreak and reflection, about one of the pillars of the gay media and the lives they pulled it all together.

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