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[[File:CapitalGay687.jpg|thumb|Cover of issue 686 (24 March 1995)]]'''''Capital Gay''''' was a weekly free gay newspaper published in [[London]]. It was founded by [[Graham McKerrow]] and [[Michael Mason]] and published its first edition on 26 June 1981, Pride Week. Its last edition appeared on 30 June 1995, having become Britain's longest-running gay newspaper. Despite its name it was also distributed in [[Brighton]] and had a combined circulation, in the two cities of around 20,000 when it folded.

''Capital Gay'' sponsored the [[London Lesbian and Gay Switchboard]] and involved itself in events in the wider gay community in London; its editorial line tended to be strong. It is credited by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' with being the first publication in the world to use the term [[HIV]], (the second being the international science journal ''Nature'' <ref>Capital Gay http://www.knittingcircle.org.uk/capitalgay.html [[The Knitting Circle]]: Lesbian and Gay Staff Association, London South Bank University] Access date: October 8, 2006</ref> with the first regular column on [[AIDS]] in the world being written in ''Capital Gay'' by [[Julian Meldrum]] in 1982.

During the controversy over [[Section 28]] in December 1987, the paper's offices were targeted in an arson attack. Conservative MP  [[Dame Elaine Kellett-Bowman]] was quoted as believing this was a good thing and when challenged in Parliament said "I am quite prepared to affirm that it is quite right that there should be an intolerance of evil."<ref>Hansard, vol 124 cc987-1038 [http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1987/dec/15/prohibition-on-promoting-homosexuality#S6CV0124P0_19871215_HOC_426 House of Commons debate December 15 1987] Access date: April 16, 2010</ref>

After its collapse in the summer of 1995, its editor moved to the ''[[Gay Gazette]]'' which was founded by [[Chronos Publishing]] a week later to soak up its advertisers.

Editors of ''Capital Gay'' were:
*[[Graham McKerrow]]
*[[Michael Mason]]
*[[Gillian Rodgerson]]
*[[Simon Edge]]

== References ==
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[[Category:London]]
[[Category:Brighton]]
[[Category:Newspapers and magazines]]