The Nuntius
& Our Community
and Update Texas/Weekly

The name means 'messenger,' and it often ranged to 30 pages,
with fascinating insights regarding the community

The Nuntius was the first Houston gay community newspaper, lasting from mid-1970 and into 1976. It was edited by Phil Frank (real name: Floyd Paxton Goff) and it had a good mix of local news, gossip, drag and bar information and the ever-important bar listings, which is why many customers picked up these papers.

It was about 28 pages, starting at 8 1/2"x11", changing to 11"x16" and a more newapaper format with Vol 2-2. By February 1972 it had merged with the Dallas publication Our Community, with both names on the cover. This was essentially to keep that publication alive. See the earlier Our Community issues below.

Volume 1-2 is shown twice, as I have a "customer annotated" copy, that has some interesting comments from the times.

Vol 1-1, 7/70, PDF

Vol 1-2, 8/70** PDF
Vol 1-2, 8/70, PDF
customer annotated

Vol 1-4, 10/70** PDF

Vol 1-5, 11/70** PDF

Vol 1-6, 12/70 PDF

Vol 2-1, 01/71** PDF

Vol 2-2, 2/71* PDF

Vol 2-4, 4/71* PDF

Vol 2-5, 5/71, PDF

Vol 2-6, 6/71, PDF

Vol 2-7, 07/71 PDF

Vol 2-8, 8/71, PDF

Vol 2-9, 9/71, PDF

Vol 2-10, 10/71 PDF

Vol 2-11, 11/71PDF

Vol 2-12, 12/71 PDF

Vol 3-1, 1/72PDF

Vol 3-2, 2/72 PDF

Vol 3-3, 3/72 PDF

Vol 3-4, 4/72, PDF

Vol 3-5, 5/72** PDF

Vol 3-6, 6/72 PDF

Vol 3-7, 7/72 PDF

Vol 3-8, 8/72 PDF

Vol 3-9, 9/72, PDF

Vol 3-10, 10/72 PDF

Vol 3-11, 11/72 PDF

Vol 3-12, 12/72PDF

Vol 4-1, 1/73 PDF

Vol 4-2, 2/73, PDF

Vol 4-3, 3/73 PDF

Vol 4-4, 4/73 PDF

Vol 4-5, 5/73 PDF

Vol 4-6, 6/73 PDF

Vol 4-7, 7/73 PDF

Vol 4-8, 8/73 PDF

Vol 4-9, 9/73** PDF

Vol 4-10, 10/73 PDF

Vol 4-12, 12/73 PDF
(there was no Nov issue)

Vol 5-1, 1 & 2/74 PDF

Vol 5-2, 4/74** PDF

The story, as I can piece it together.......
Issue Vol 5-1 gave an indication of winding down, or trying to. See a Letter to the Editor below, from Henry McClurg (Parker) announcing his own new publication, "Contact," which began in March 1974, lasting until 10/75.) Also, there was no November issue, and the first 1974 issue of The Nuntius was a combined one for Jan/Feb, and down to 16 pages, though it was back on thicker and brighter paper stock.

Note the gap after Vol 5-2, 4/74....up until then, Phil Frank is still Editor and it is still merged with Our Community.
THEN, I know of no publications in this 'family' until August 1975, over a year later.

Huge Changes....along comes Mel Plummer (see masthead below). He was already editing Update Weekly, since August 1975, lasting maybe 7 issues. But it's a weekly, and only 12 pages. And there was a big decrease in meaningful "content" and articles about the community. It's main claim was a regional bar listing.

He is convinced to take over the dormant Nuntius and merge it with Update Weekly. The two names are merged in December 1975.
The Update Weekly part is dropped right away, and we are back Nuntius Southwest, sometimes reverting to just Nuntius. He keeps it running until Oct 1976.
Yes, it's a confusing history.

Sep 5 , 1975, PDF
this is the second issue

Sep 26 , 1975, PDF

Oct 17 , 1975, PDF

Oct 24 , 1975, PDF

Oct 31 , 1975, PDF

Nov 14 , 1975, PDF

Dec 12, 1975, PDF 

Dec 19, 1975, PDF

Dec 26, 1975**, PDF

Jan 2, 1976**, PDF

Jan 9, 1976**, PDF

Jan 16, 1976, PDF

Jan 23, 1976**, PDF

Jan 30, 1976**, PDF

Feb 6 , 1976**, PDF

Mar 12 , 1976**, PDF

Apr 9 , 1976**, PDF

Apr 16, 1976**, PDF

Apr 23 , 1976**, PDF

Apr 30 , 1976**, PDF

May 7 , 1976**, PDF

May 21 , 1976**, PDF

June 11, 1976, PDF

July 23, 1976, PDF

July 30, 1976, PDF

Aug 6, 1976**, PDF

Aug 13 , 1976, PDF

Aug 20, 1976, PDF

Aug 27, 1976, PDF

Sep 10 , 1976, PDF

Sept 17, 1976, PDF

Oct 8, 1976** PDF

Oct 15, 1976, PDF

Oct 22, 1976, PDF

Oct 29 , 1976, PDF

The editor, annoyingly, did not use volume numbers, so start dates are uncertain.

When did this
publication end?

By this time it had some statewide competition: "Contact" (began in March 1974, lasting until Oct 1975), and "This Week in Texas" began April 1975. The Montrose Star began in July 1976.

Issue 1, 3/71, PDF
Issue 2, 4/71, PDF

Issue 9, 11/71, PDF

Issue 11, 1/72, PDF

A Nuntius Story
by Mark Gartner

October 2025. I posted to Facebook about my new Nuntius items, and my Houston friend Mark Gartner shared this very nice memory, involving The Nuntius (shared with permission)

In 1974, I was 18 years old, living in Southeast Houston, near Almeda Mall. I had a 1968 powder blue VW Beetle, and decided that I was going to venture out from my nest and home turf. When my parents gave me that VW for my birthday a year earlier, my dad made sure that there was a KEY MAP book in the glove box.

I had always heard that the gay area of town was “Montrose” - - so, with my KEY MAP book, I went to the index to find “Montrose Blvd” and drove there at about 5pm, with great excitement and anticipation. I don’t remember the exact date, but I do recall it was a particularly cold early evening.

I exited the Northbound lane of the Gulf Freeway at the “Lockwood / Elgin” exit, and drove West on Elgin until it turned into Westheimer. I remember how excited I was to see the street sign “Montrose Blvd”! I turned right (North) and drove at about 20 MPH, all the way to Allen Parkway, feverishly scanning every sign and building for ANYTHING that looked like a bar.
Nothing.

I made a u-turn and headed South on Montrose, making it all the way to the Mecom Fountain and then making the circle and heading back North on Montrose.
Still nothing.

When I got to Westheimer, I decided to change paths and turned left (West). Somewhere along the way, on the left, I saw a bar! The name was PEYTON PLACE, and it was more of a Texas-style ice house than the image of the bar that I had pre-conceived. I went in and up to the bar. I was asked to show my ID. (At the time, the legal age for drinking in Texas was 18). Not being particularly fond of nor accustomed to drinking, I ordered a Coke. It was served to me in a tall, cold, glass bottle on top of a napkin.

Ok, here I was in a bar, with a beverage in front of me. It was time to take in the entirety of my locale. The front of PAYTON PLACE was two large garage doors, but only one was open, due to the cold temperature. There was a juke box playing a song by Buck Owens, and a total of 3 other very weathered patrons and the bartender. It only took me enough time to consume my Coke to realize this was NOT a gay bar, and that I was out-of-place.
Back to my VW.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I turned East on Westheimer and continued to drive slowly. I crossed Montrose again, and in about 10 blocks, I saw a big sign that said “ADULT BOOKS - DINERS NEWS” on my left. I whipped into the parking lot. Now, it was about 6:30pm, and the sun was setting. I sat in my car and observed the people walking in. Mostly young. Some nice-looking guys! But in the 20 minutes I sat there in my car, no one came out. About a dozen young guys had gone in.

It was time to make my move! I walked in and saw an attendant behind the counter, and row after row of magazines and 8mm “Adult Films” displayed. But where were all the guys I had seen enter? I browsed the racks of magazines and observed. Another young man came in, and went directly to the attendant, giving him some money, and receiving a handful of coins. He then disappeared into a room with a doorway covered a black curtain. My curiosity was piqued! I went to the magazine rack that was closest to the black curtain and stood quietly and observed. Three more men came into the store, exchanged dollar bills for coins, and disappeared behind the black curtain. My imagination ran wild with multiple visions about what was happening behind that curtain, but I could not gather sufficient courage to approach the counter and get some coins, and enter that unknown territory. I think I must have been in that store for an hour or more. As I exited, there was a rack next to the door with free publications and flyers.
One of those publications was THE NUNTIUS.

I grabbed a copy and went back to my VW.
It only took my eyes scanning the first few pages to realize that this was a “Gay Publication.”
At some point in my reviewing THE NUNTIUS, my eyes were caught by the image of a sexy man, with a towel wrapped around his waist, advertising THE CLUB BATH - HOUSTON.

OH MY GOD! Where was THIS PLACE!?
2205 Fannin. I quickly grabbed my KEY MAP book, and within 2 minutes, I was driving East on Westheimer with the CLUB BATHS as my destination!

Other than a number of sexual experiences that I had previously had with my older brother’s little league baseball teammates, that night at CLUB BATHS was my first entry into THE REAL GAY WORLD! I followed a beautiful young boy around for hours - never scoring with him, and never even getting a chance to speak with him - - - but the next weekend - again, thanks to an ad in THE NUNTIUS, - I found my way to THE FARMHOUSE on Albany (thank you, KEY MAPS!),

The Farmhouse, open 1974 to Jan 1976

...and within minutes inside, I saw that beautiful man that I had chased around at the Baths. I also ran into a friend from High School, David Howard. David had been in this club numerous times and had an established circle of friends at a table, so I went to sit with them. My knees almost buckled when Mr. Beautiful Bathhouse Boy came and sat at our table! His name was Jerry Atwood, and he and I have been close friends ever since then.
THANKS TO THE NUNTIUS FOR REVEALING MY NEW WORLD TO ME!