A local queer publication can be how you find out about a policy affecting your family, discover a queer-owned business or learn about the people building community where you live. These stories help us understand what’s happening around us and connect with one another. Behind them are journalists who put time and care into making sure our communities are covered.
At EveryQueer, this work is close to our hearts. As a queer media outlet, we believe in the importance of people from within our communities telling our stories. There’s value in reporting shaped by people who understand the experiences they’re covering, know which questions to ask and recognize stories that deserve more attention.
On Thursday, October 8, Local LGBTQ+ Media Giving Day offers a way to support that work. Created by News is Out, the annual campaign brings together independent LGBTQ+ media organizations across the United States to raise awareness and financial support for local queer journalism.
Why Local LGBTQ+ Media Matters
Local LGBTQ+ journalists cover the policies, people and issues affecting their communities, often with small staffs and limited resources. Their reporting can help readers understand a local decision, get to know a community organizer or hear about an issue that hasn’t received wider attention. It also makes room for the culture, joy and everyday lives of LGBTQ+ people.
Research from the LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project identified 105 active local LGBTQ+ media outlets nationwide and found 18 states without an active local LGBTQ+ newsroom. Those gaps matter. Having journalists connected to a community means having people who can follow a story over time, build relationships and keep asking questions after the initial headlines have passed.
Keeping that work going takes resources. Giving Day gives readers a direct way to help sustain the outlets producing it.
One Day, 17 LGBTQ+ Media Organizations
Now in its third year, Local LGBTQ+ Media Giving Day has a $20,000 fundraising goal. Donations made through the campaign are divided equally among the 17 participating organizations:
- Bay Area Reporter
- The Buckeye Flame
- Dallas Voice
- E3 Radio
- Gaily Show
- LOOKOUT
- Los Angeles Blade
- News is Out
- OutSFL
- Philadelphia Gay News
- PrideSource / Between the Lines
- Queer Kentucky
- Seattle Gay News
- Tagg Magazine
- Uncloseted Media
- Washington Blade
- Windy City Times
How to Help
If you’re able, consider making a donation to Local LGBTQ+ Media Giving Day. Your contribution will support all 17 participating organizations.
Sharing the campaign is another way to help. Send it to someone who cares about queer journalism, introduce a friend to a publication you read or share a story that deserves more attention. You can also follow News is Out on Instagram to help amplify the campaign.
We want our communities’ stories to keep being told, by people who know them and care about getting them right. If you can give, October 8 is a chance to help keep that work going.
