The COMICS CODE AUTHORITY revises its standards in 1971, but does not change its attitude towards portrayals of GLBT characters. The CCA does not, however, control the emerging small-press comics companies, which are not members.
WIMMEN'S COMIX #1 (Last Gasp, 1972) contains the first comic story featuring a lesbian character, “SANDY COMES OUT” by Trina Robbins.
Rand Holmes’ character HAROLD HEDD performs oral sex on a man in ALL CANADIAN BEAVER COMIX (Georgia Straight, 1973).
Mary Wings produces the first all-lesbian themed comic book, COME OUT COMIX (Portland Women’s Resource Center, March 1974). She follows it with her self-published DYKE SHORTS (1978).
In Lee Marrs’ FURTHER FATTENING ADVENTURES OF PUDGE, GIRL BLIMP #2 (Star*Reach, April 1975) PUDGE has her first lesbian encounter.
Sam Glanzman does a surprisingly sympathetic story called "TORO", about a seaman who may be from faerie, or may simply be a fairy, in the "U.S.S. Stevens" story appearing in OUR FIGHTING FORCES #148 (DC, April-May 1974).
In “Doonesbury,” Garry Trudeau introduces the first continuing, sympathetic gay character, ANDY LIPPINCOTT, to daily comic strips (February 1976). Andy later dies of AIDS.
Barefootz’ artist pal HEADRACK comes out as gay, becoming the first continuing LGBT character in comic books,
in Howard Cruse’s BAREFOOTZ FUNNIES #2 (Kitchen Sink, April 1976).
GAY HEART THROBS #1 (Fulhorne Productions, 1976), the first all-gay-male comic, is released, followed by #2 (from Larry Fuller Presents, 1979) and #3 (Inkwell, 1981).
Roberta Gregory self-publishes the lesbian-themed DYNAMITE DAMSELS (1976).
In STAR*REACH #11 (Star*Reach, December 1977), Lee Marrs contributes a “STARK’S QUEST” story featuring a bi/lesbian heroine.
Gerard Donelan’s first cartoon appears in The Advocate (1977), for which he soon begins “IT’S A GAY LIFE.” His work from The Advocate is later collected in two volumes (Liberation, 1987 & 1988).
Rupert Kinnard’s “CATHARTIC COMICS,” featuring the first African-American gay men in comic strips, begins to run in Cornell College’s student newspaper (1977) and is later collected in B.B. and the Diva (Alyson, 1992).
AND GOD BLESS UNCLE HARRY AND HIS ROOMMATE JACK, WHO WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK ABOUT (Avon, May 1978) a collection of cartoons from gay magazine Christopher Street advertised as “The World’s First Gay Cartoon Book!” is published. A second collection, LE GAY GHETTO: GAY CARTOONS FROM CHRISTOPHER STREET follows (St. Martin’s, September 1980).
THE IN TOUCH FOR MEN CARTOON BOOK OF GAY HUMOR (1978), edited by Krohn, collects gay-themed humor cartoons from In Touch For Men magazine.
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