Motive was a student magazine published by the The United Methodist Church from 1941 to 1971. During the mid-late 1960s, the magazine became increasingly vocal in its support of such countercultural issues as the peace movement, civil rights, and especially gay rights, prompting the Church to halt its affiliation with and support of the magazine in mid-1971. Following the separation from the Church, the magazine's editors attempted to continue Motive as a gay liberation magazine through the creation of an independent corporation, Motive Inc. However, the combination of lack of financial resources and disagreements among the editors led to the decision to end the magazine with the simultaneous publication of two final editions: one devoted to lesbian issues and the other to gay male issues. They were published in early 1972 as volume 32, nos. 1 and 2. Roy Eddey, who had been the last editor of the magazine while it was still a church publication, edited the men's issue. Motive Inc. was disbanded in the mid-1970s, and the name "Motive" was sold back to The United Methodist Church in return for the Church paying off the corporation's remaining debts.
From the guide to the Roy Eddey (Motive) papers, 1964-1979, 1971-1972, (The New York Public Library. Manuscripts and Archives Division.)
