The Bay Area Reporter first published on April 1, 1971, two years after the New York Stonewall Riots. But the paper's emergence grew not out of activism, but from San Francisco's growing gay bar scene.

It wasn't until the third issue of the 'Bay Area Reporter' in 1971 that the rationale for having a film section was revealed by its first critic. 100s of film reviews since then have catalogued the rise of indie and mainstream cinematic LGBT depiction.

In the "better late than never" department, the Bay Area Reporter has revived its YouTube channel in preparation for its April 2021 50th anniversary. The BAR's channel currently consists of playlists, but will soon include original content.