The writers and editors of Come Out fearlessly criticized anyone that they believed undermined the gay community. For example, on page 9, they lambasted the Village Voice, the leading alternative press publication in New York City, for its indifferent reporting on Stonewall and its advertising policies. Writers Mike Brown, Michael Tallman, and Leo Louis Martello assert, "Their handling of the first Gay Riots in history read like a copy of the New York Daily News. Instead of being concerned about the civil rights of the Gay minority they were preoccupied with the uptight establishment's reaction to the riots."  The authors also note that Village Voice censored classified ads purchased by GLF ahead of Come Out's publication. The term "gay" was removed from an ad because it was considered obscene, and "homosexual" was also not an acceptable alternative for the same reason.
In response, the members of GLF began legal proceedings and organized a picket line outside of the Village Voice office. Through their actions, gay and homosexual became acceptable words to use in ads, and ads could no longer be changed after purchase. Though GLF could not convince the Village Voice to alter its editorial position that writers could say what they liked about anyone—even if it was bigoted and used derogatory language and ideas—the organization had the right to publicly call out and protest what was published in Village Voice. Such actions show how the empowered gay community did not fear being assertive to gain forward progress.