Swerve (magazine)
Encyclopedia
OutWords is a Canadian
magazine, published in Winnipeg
, Manitoba
for the city's lesbian
, gay
, bisexual and transgender
communities. Launched in November 1994 as Swerve by a collective that included Carol Philipps
, Stephen Lawson, Ian King, David McGunigal and Noreen Stevens
, it published as funds were available until finally achieving a monthly circulation two years later.
The name Swerve was chosen as a portmanteau of swish
and nerve
.
A tabloid newsmagazine, it was distributed free of charge mostly in Winnipeg, with several points outside of Manitoba and in the northern United States
. Swerve incorporated as a non-profit organization in June of 2000, adopting a set of bylaws and electing a board of directors. The day-to-day operations are overseen by an editorial team who are paid a small honorarium
for their work. The former executive director of Canada's national LGBT lobby group Egale
, Gilles Marchildon
, worked at Swerve for over four years and served as editor for three years.
In 2005, the magazine became involved in a trademark
dispute, when the Calgary Herald
co-opted the name Swerve for a weekly entertainment supplement. Shortly after, the magazine was transformed from a tabloid into a book format under the guidance of its editor since 2001, Richard F.J. Wood. It also revised its mission statement and its tagline, which changed from "Winnipeg's monthly queer newsmagazine" to "One Community > Diverse Lives."
Wood left as editor in April 2006. The trade-mark dispute was settled in August 2006. In January 2007, the magazine re-launched under the name OutWords with the tagline "Getting the word out since 1994."
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
magazine, published in Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
for the city's lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
, gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
, bisexual and transgender
Transgender
Transgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
communities. Launched in November 1994 as Swerve by a collective that included Carol Philipps
Carol Philipps
Carol Anne Philipps was a Canadian journalist and activist, most prominent as the original editor of Swerve, the first lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community magazine in Winnipeg....
, Stephen Lawson, Ian King, David McGunigal and Noreen Stevens
Noreen Stevens
Noreen Stevens is a Canadian cartoonist, who created and wrote the lesbian comic strip The Chosen Family....
, it published as funds were available until finally achieving a monthly circulation two years later.
The name Swerve was chosen as a portmanteau of swish
Swish
Swish may refer to:*Swish , a widespread colloquial term for a 'perfect' shot which goes through the basket without touching the rim or backboard*Swish , a term used to describe effeminate behaviour and interests in gay male communities...
and nerve
Nerve
A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
.
A tabloid newsmagazine, it was distributed free of charge mostly in Winnipeg, with several points outside of Manitoba and in the northern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Swerve incorporated as a non-profit organization in June of 2000, adopting a set of bylaws and electing a board of directors. The day-to-day operations are overseen by an editorial team who are paid a small honorarium
Honorarium
An honorarium is an ex gratia payment made to a person for their services in a volunteer capacity or for services for which fees are not traditionally required. This is used by groups such as schools or sporting clubs to pay coaches for their costs...
for their work. The former executive director of Canada's national LGBT lobby group Egale
Egale Canada
Egale Canada is an advocacy organization founded in 1986 to advance equality for Canadian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their families, across Canada....
, Gilles Marchildon
Gilles Marchildon
Gilles Marchildon is a Canadian communications consultant and activist, who served as the executive director of Egale Canada from 2003 to 2006.A native of Penetanguishene, Ontario, Marchildon studied political science at the University of Ottawa...
, worked at Swerve for over four years and served as editor for three years.
In 2005, the magazine became involved in a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
dispute, when the Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
co-opted the name Swerve for a weekly entertainment supplement. Shortly after, the magazine was transformed from a tabloid into a book format under the guidance of its editor since 2001, Richard F.J. Wood. It also revised its mission statement and its tagline, which changed from "Winnipeg's monthly queer newsmagazine" to "One Community > Diverse Lives."
Wood left as editor in April 2006. The trade-mark dispute was settled in August 2006. In January 2007, the magazine re-launched under the name OutWords with the tagline "Getting the word out since 1994."