Alan Bell

Alan Bell (March 14, 1945 – ) grew up in Los Angeles and moved to New York in 1969, where he started a printing business. While working for the LGBTQ community, including Gayellow Pages, he launched his own publication, Gaysweek. At the time, Gaysweek was one of only three weekly publications in the world aimed at a queer audience, and Bell became the first African-American publisher in this space. The first issue appeared on February 28, 1977, and the publication ran for 104 issues, ending in 1979. Returning to L.A., Alan Bell launched Black Jack, a safe sex club for Black men during the AIDS crisis. Black Jack inspired similar clubs and a newsletter that grew into BLK magazine. The first issue of BLK was published in December 1988, with the motto “Where the news is colored on purpose.” The magazine ran until March 1994, featuring coverage of Audre Lorde, Marlon Riggs, Winnie Mandela, and RuPaul.