It was founded in 1976 by Ortleb and Michael Denneny, an openly gay editor in book publishing.

[2] Known both for its serious discussion of issues within the gay community and its satire of anti-gay criticism, it was one of the two most widely read gay-issues publications in the United States.

[3][4] Christopher Street covered politics and culture and its aim was to become a gay equivalent of The New Yorker.

[5] The magazine featured original fiction and non-fiction work from such notable authors as Andrew Holleran, Felice Picano, Gore Vidal, Edmund White, and John Preston, as well as emerging gay writers such as Christopher Bram, Allen Barnett, John Fox, Scott Heim, John Alan Lee, Patrick Merla, Randy Shilts and Matthew Stadler.

[6][7] First published in July 1976, Christopher Street printed 231 issues before closing its doors in December 1995.