Among Friends, a "News Magazine for Gays and Lesbians of the Upper Midwest", was the brainchild of publisher Jay Hatheway and based in Madison, Wisconsin. (Jay Hatheway was also a member of Governor Tommy Thompson's HIV Advisory Council.)

Among Friends was the center of some controversy when, just entering its 3rd year of publishing, the State of Wisconsin spent some $25,000 to find a new motto for the state's tourism industry, and selected "Wisconsin- You're Among Friends" as that new slogan. When some state legislators and others discovered that a gay and lesbian publication claimed a nearly identical phrase as their GLBT publication name, there was a lot of publicity about the suitability of that choice. (See this publication's Volume 3, no. 1 issue for more of that story.)

We welcome any additional information about the foundation and history of this publication.

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