Examining gay journalism as gay liberation literature, this essay forwards a cultural history of sexuality informed by comparative urban and queer studies. My main argument is that gay liberation literature under apartheid lags behind important shifts in sexual activism; and my larger aim is to extend the valences of postcolonial queer studies towards a historical examination of North–South interactions in theorizing sexual activism. Gay liberation literature here refers to texts which contributed to the emergence of gay and lesbian sexualities in South Africa, including works of fiction, poetry,
drama, anthologies as well as newsletters, newspapers, and newsletters. The primary archive used as an example of gay liberation literature is Link/Skakel, the official newsletter of the GASA, which later became a mainstream gay newspaper
called Exit
