History
Pink Triangle Press' roots trace back to 1971 (although not in name) in Toronto, when a group of volunteers began to produce The Body Politic, a paper containing news and opinions on gay liberation. By 1976 TBP was being published monthly, and in the early 1980s it claimed a circulation of over 9,000 nationally, and boasted contributions from writers all over the world.
In 1978, Pink Triangle Press was incorporated, its name was chosen as a symbol of history and commitment, as it comes from the symbols placed on suspected homosexual men in Nazi concentration camps. Later that year, PTP was charged with "publishing immoral, indecent and scurrilous material" because of an issue of The Body Politic which included Gerald Hannon's article "Men Loving Boys Loving Men".
The Press was brought up on similar charges again in May 1982, this time for "Lust With a Very Proper Stranger", an article on fisting. PTP however won both cases.
In an attempt to broaden PTP's Toronto readership, the collective launched Xtra! in March 1984. Xtra! was meant to be more upbeat and accessible than TBP. By 1985 Xtra! had taken over its parent publication's role of providing local entertainment and community event listings.
Xtra!'s circulation had soon overtaken TBP which was in financial trouble, so in an effort to save PTP and keep Xtra! going, TBP was discontinued February 1987.
Xtra! West in Vancouver and Capital Xtra! in Ottawa followed in 1993.
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