History of The Publication:

The Empty Closet was one of the oldest continuously published LGBTQ+ papers in the United States. It started as a small “zine” type publication by the Gay Liberation Front in the basement of the University of Rochester’s Todd Union in 1971. From 1971 to 2020, it shared news, poetry, literature, and community events with the local LGBTQ+ community.

About the Relaunch:

Issue 547 of The Empty Closet was released on June 28th, 2026, with Issue 548 slated for early October. We envision this new chapter of The Empty Closet as a vehicle for sharing information and community organizing efforts locally, with distribution centers at local businesses and third spaces. There will be both physical and digital versions, but our focus will be on encouraging community engagement through physical media. This publication will always be free.

The Empty Closet is a publication by the Rochester Rainbow Union in collaboration with Rathaus Press.

This project is made possible in part through a grant from the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts Aid to Locality program.