TenPercent returns after short hiatus

Thursday, January 14, 1999

TenPercent returns after short hiatus

NEWSMAGAZINE: Newsmagazine will continue to cover LGBT community
issues

By Andy Shah

Daily Bruin Staff

TenPercent, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT)
newsmagazine, will return this quarter after ceasing publication
last fall.

The magazine stopped printing last quarter because the incoming
editor-in-chief quit her position before the school year began to
take a job in New York.

The position of editor-in-chief was accepted this quarter by
Hiyas Magilligan, a fourth-year American literature student, who
said that the production slump was a loss for the university.

TenPercent, which was founded in 1980, is one of seven
newsmagazines published by the Associated Students of UCLA
Communications Board.

"TenPercent gives the LGBT community a voice that is often
marginalized," she said. "It gives the university access to a
perspective that is often overlooked."

Tania Mohammad, a third-year English student, will assume the
role of managing editor.

Magilligan said the magazine faced a rocky path in the past,
with the loss of editors and writers.

"There was just an attitude that the magazine wasn’t necessary,
that the LGBT population was becoming more accepted at UCLA," she
said.

Magilligan said that in light of recent hate crimes against
members of the LGBT community, such as the murder of University of
Wyoming student Matthew Shepard, the need to revive the magazine
was more compelling.

"You can’t feel that false sense of security," she said.

"UCLA is just more sheltered from incidents of harassment, but
they happen everyday outside of school."

Mohammad said the staff is aiming to provide a fun, informative
magazine, and to cover issues that are often overlooked in other
LGBT publications.

"We want to cover transgender and bisexual people more, and not
focus solely on gays and lesbians," she said.

The staff has planned four tentative themes for upcoming issues:
family, entertainment, activism and sex.

It is currently recruiting writers and editors, and is in need
of a business manager to increase revenues for the magazine.

"Our goal is to reach self-sufficiency," Magilligan said. In the
past, the magazine has run on a deficit.

She added that recruitment has been hard.

"It’s a difficult community to reach because it’s not very
visible," she said.

Editors said that despite the history of threats and harassment
faced by previous staff, they are not concerned about safety
issues.

"It’d be worse to close shop and let the harassers have their
way," Magilligan said.

Ronni Sanlo, director of the LGBT Campus Resource Center at
UCLA, said she is excited about the revival of the magazine.

"To my knowledge, there is no other magazine like TenPercent on
a college campus across the nation," she said. "It has a national
reputation."

ASUCLA Student Media director Arvli Ward added that
historically, TenPercent has been one of the strongest of the
magazines in terms of finance and participation.

"TenPercent has had a really robust publishing history," Ward
said. "It’s kind of out of character that what happened to them,
happened."

Mohammad said she hopes the magazine will be a resource to UCLA
students.

"We want to help students who are coming out of the closet, as
well as students who are already out and want to air their views,"
she said.

More information about TenPercent can be obtained in 118
Kerckhoff Hall. With reports from Michael Weiner, Daily Bruin
senior staff.CHARLES KUO/Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Hiyas Magilligan hopes to bring new life to TenPercent, whose
office has sat unused for six months and is currently used as
storage space.

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