ALAN BELL, born on this date, is president of BLK Publishing Company, Inc., a company he founded in 1988 to publish magazines targeted to the black lesbian and gay community. At present, the firm concentrates on graphic design, print marketing, corporate identity and custom publishing. A special focus of the company is developing materials for non-profit organizations that serve the health, educational and social needs of underserved communities.

Bell was founding editor of Gaysweek, New York’s first lesbian and gay weekly newspaper and the first owned by an African American; Kujisource, a black AIDS newsletter; and several magazines for the black lesbian and gay community, most notably BLK and Blackfire. For six years, he was film critic for the Los Angeles Sentinel, a mainstream black weekly. His film criticism has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times. He is the editor of Buttmen: Erotic Stories and True Confessions by Gay Men Who Love Booty and two sequels for West Beach Books.

Bell holds a B.A. in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles, a B.S. in business from the University of the State of New York and an M.A. in sociology from California State University, Dominguez Hills. He worked on the doctorate in sociology at New York University, but left without completing the degree. He also studied film in the graduate cinema departments of both UCLA and NYU.

While editor of Gaysweek, Bell was appointed to the New York City Council on Intergroup Relations by Mayor Edward Koch. In March 2015, the Los Angeles City Council passed a resolution commending him for Exceptional Achievement and Dedication. The resolution was signed by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti and all 15 members of the City Council. 

His other special recognitions and awards include the Blatino Oasis Kings Supporting Kings Award of Excellence, Clik Icon Award, Jewel Thais-Williams Community Award, SBC Magazine Brother of the Year Award, National Black Gay and Lesbian Leadership Forum James Baldwin Award, GLAAD/San Francisco Bay Area Media Award, Stonewall Democratic Club Media Award, African American Gay and Lesbian Cultural Alliance Roger V. Pamplin Award, as well as a number of national and regional graphic design awards.

He is recipient of a Premier Print Award, known colloquially as a Benny, the most prestigious award in the printing trade, roughly equivalent to the Oscar and Grammy. He was inducted into the Black Gay Men Hall of Fame of the National AIDS Education and Services for Minorities in January, 2013.

Bell was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, but spent ten years in New York. He currently resides in Los Angeles.