Австралия ЛГБТҚ+ қауымдастығының басылымы: «Star Observer» тарихы

The Star Observer is a free monthly magazine and online newspaper that caters to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex communities in Australia. Since 20 June 2019 the Star Observer has been owned by media company Out Publications.

The newspaper was initially published by Michael Glynn as a tabloid in 1979 under the name The Sydney Star and is the oldest and largest publication of its kind in Australia. In 1982 the paper changed its name, becoming The Star (1982–1985), later undergoing several name changes, including Sydney's Star Observer (1986–1987), Sydney Star Observer (1987–2014; 2019 onwards) and Star Observer (2014 2019). The typical profile of the audience is aged between 23 years and 50 years, with a higher than average income level. With a 2015 audited circulation in excess of 15,000 per month, the publishers at that time claimed a readership exceeding 41,000 readers in print and 100,000+ online.

In hardcopy tabloid format, The Star (as it is commonly known) is published on the third Thursday of each month and is distributed to numerous locations in Sydney and Melbourne. During the AIDS Epidemic, the Star Observer ran in depth articles concerning public prejudice, medical treatments and insurance claim problems. The Star Observer also extensively covered Gay Gang Murders by youths that occurred in Sydney over several decades, including the murder of Scott Johnson, and the murder of Richard Johnson by the 'Alexandria Eight'. Journalist Martyn Goddard who had replaced Tim Carrigan as Star Observer Editor in 1989, covered the story both in the Star, and the Sydney Morning Herald.

The shareholders of the publishing company have never drawn dividends from any profits generated by the Star Observer. Instead, the Star Observer has made donations to support the community through entities such as the AIDS Trust, Victorian AIDS Council, the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and Twenty10 as well as others.