In these challenging times for LGBT media, it’s often a big deal when a publication lasts a decade, or even a year. So it’s especially significant when one of the legendary publications has a 25th anniversary. So it is for the Windy City Times in Chicago.

The Windy City Times, under publisher (and one of the paper’s founders) Tracy Baim, is celebrating its anniversary and even the folks at the Chicago Tribune noticed:

The Windy City Times newspaper first hit the Chicago streets in 1985, the same year Rock Hudson’s death turned the country’s attention to the growing AIDS epidemic.

In the years that followed, the paper would become a leading source for the city’s gay community to learn what was happening with regard to the disease and to read about the lives of gay men dying in unprecedented numbers. It also became a forceful voice as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Chicagoans fought for rights and legal protections.

After 25 years, the voice of the Windy City Times remains — a weekly reflection of life in Chicago’s gay community, a printed product that has followed the path of the gay rights movement and adapted to a changing media landscape.

“I think what has sustained us is that our motivation has always been about the community,” said Publisher Tracy Baim, one of the original founders of the Windy City Times. “Whether it’s a protest or a gala, we show people what happened this week in the gay community.”

There’s also been some nice coverage by ChicagoPride.com, CBS2.

Congrats to everyone.