Printing Pride in Savannah: The Role Network News Served in Building the LGBTQ+ Organization First City Network
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Julie de Chantal
Location
Russell Union Room 2084
Type of Research
On-going
Session Format
Oral Presentation
College
Jack Averitt College of Graduate Studies
Department
History
Abstract
Printing Pride in Savannah: The Role Network News Served in Building the LGBTQ+ Organization First City Network
Starting in 1986, Savannah’s First City Network (FCN), Georgia’s oldest still-operating LGBTQ+ organization, published Network News. This newsletter became a critical resource for visibility and communication in the community and fostered the foundation in which FCN formed in a region resistant to queer expression. This paper examines how Network News helped to create, what FCN members described as, a “gay and lesbian positive community” through its coverage on local and national events regarding the AIDS crisis, community events, and political and cultural commentary regarding the LGBTQ+ people of Savannah. By analyzing a decade of this newsletter, 1986 to 1996, I will first examine how this publication kept its subscribers informed about the AIDS crisis and the country’s response to the growing information surrounding it. Then, I will analyze the newsletter’s efforts to grow the community by promoting local events and FCN social gatherings. Lastly, I will follow how the writers of the newsletter created a safe space for individuals to express their thoughts involving LGBTQ+ expression and identity. In doing so, this paper highlights the early efforts of community building found in the LGBTQ+ people of Savannah through Network News during the early years of FCN.
Program Description
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Start Date
4-23-2026 3:45 PM
End Date
4-23-2026 4:00 PM
Recommended Citation
Reeves, Hayden Alexander, "Printing Pride in Savannah: The Role Network News Served in Building the LGBTQ+ Organization First City Network" (2026). GS4 Student Scholars Symposium. 259.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/research_symposium/2026/2026/259
Printing Pride in Savannah: The Role Network News Served in Building the LGBTQ+ Organization First City Network
Russell Union Room 2084
Printing Pride in Savannah: The Role Network News Served in Building the LGBTQ+ Organization First City Network
Starting in 1986, Savannah’s First City Network (FCN), Georgia’s oldest still-operating LGBTQ+ organization, published Network News. This newsletter became a critical resource for visibility and communication in the community and fostered the foundation in which FCN formed in a region resistant to queer expression. This paper examines how Network News helped to create, what FCN members described as, a “gay and lesbian positive community” through its coverage on local and national events regarding the AIDS crisis, community events, and political and cultural commentary regarding the LGBTQ+ people of Savannah. By analyzing a decade of this newsletter, 1986 to 1996, I will first examine how this publication kept its subscribers informed about the AIDS crisis and the country’s response to the growing information surrounding it. Then, I will analyze the newsletter’s efforts to grow the community by promoting local events and FCN social gatherings. Lastly, I will follow how the writers of the newsletter created a safe space for individuals to express their thoughts involving LGBTQ+ expression and identity. In doing so, this paper highlights the early efforts of community building found in the LGBTQ+ people of Savannah through Network News during the early years of FCN.
