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, later undergoing several name changes, including Star Observer, Sydney's Star Observer, Sydney Star Observer and Star Observer. 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 claim a readership exceeding 41,000 readers in print and 100,000+ online. In late 2013, Elias Jahshan was appointed editor and oversaw the transition of the weekly newspaper into a monthly magazine, before Corey Sinclair briefly became editor in 2016. Subsequent editors included Victorian journalist Matthew Wade; the former Australian editor of Gay Star News, Andrew M Potts; and Peter Hackney, the former editor of SX News, QNews and Queensland Pride magazines. On 20 June 2019 it was reported that the Star Observer was saved by media company "Out Publications" from voluntary administration. In January 2020, arts and entertainment writer Rita Bratovich was appointed editor.
Format and content
In hardcopy tabloid format, The Star is published on the third Thursday of each month and is distributed to 375 locations throughout Adelaide, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney as well as selected regional Australian locations. Copies can be found in cafes, libraries, cinemas theaters, book shops, medical practices, and community centres as well as gay and lesbiancommunity outlets such as pubs, nightclubs, gay and lesbian friendly retail shops, gyms and sex on premises venues. Subscriptions are also available. Both the tabloid publication and online version contain local, national, and international coverage related to gay and lesbian news, opinion and lifestyle. Non-specifically gay and lesbian items, such as arts and culture, real estate and technology are also covered. A strong focus of the publication is on community, such as sport, gay and lesbian business events, and opinion. Each year special publications are produced to celebrate Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras, Midsumma Festival and Mardi Gras Film Festival.
Community support
The shareholders of the publishing company have never drawn dividends from any profits generated by the Star Observer. Instead, The Star has made donations to support the community through entities such as the AIDS Trust, Victorian AIDS Council, the Bobby Goldsmith Foundation and as well as others.
