1971-2005 Archives
The Bay Area Reporter (BAR) is the oldest continuously published lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender weekly newspaper in the United States.
Founded in 1971, the publication is known for its original coverage of news, culture and entertainment. The Bay Area Reporter is published every Thursday by BAR Media Inc.
The print edition is distributed free of charge in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Since August 2005, the complete editorial contents also have been posted on the newspaper's website.
Complete issues of the Bay Area Reporter produced from the founding of the paper in 1971 through the launch of its own website in 2005 are now posted and fully searchable via the partners for the GLBT Historical Society's BAR digitization project.
The two partner sites offer distinctive interfaces and differing functionality. Select the site that will best serve your needs:
Bay Area Reporter
on the California Digital Newspaper Collection
This site returns the most comprehensive results for keyword searches. A free account is required if you wish to download PDFs. All issues from May 1971 through July 2005 are available.
Bay Area Reporter
on the Internet Archive
This site provides the most effective access for browsing or reading issue by issue and page by page. You can download PDFs without registering for an account. All issues from May 1971 through July 2005 are available.
Bay Area Reporter
Obituary Database
In cooperation with the Bay Area Reporter, this searchable database contains all obituaries that have appeared in the BAR since it began publishing them in 1972.
About the Bob Ross Foundation
The digitization of the complete run of the Bay Area Reporter was made possible by generous grants from the Bob Ross Foundation.
Based in San Francisco, the Bob Ross Foundation was established in 1996 by Bob Ross (1934—2003).
A pioneer of LGBT community journalism, Ross was the co-founder of the Bay Area Reporter. He served as publisher from 1971 until his death in 2003.
Tom Horn, publisher emeritus of the Bay Area Reporter, is now the trustee of the foundation, which provides grants to a Bay Area LGBT nonprofits and supports charities and causes that reflect the philanthropic priorities established by Ross.