by Joe Siegel

Following a tumultuous year plagued by the coronavirus pandemic, job losses, protests over racial injustice, and a volatile presidential election, editors and publishers of LGBTQ publications are looking ahead to 2021 with a sense of optimism. Here is what some of them had to say when asked about their new year’s resolutions.

Mark Segal, publisher of Philadelphia Gay News, said that while he doesn’t have resolutions, “I do have optimism.”

“There is no doubt that this pandemic and Trump’s anti-LGBTQ policies have had a major impact on our community and media,” said Segal. “Much of LGBTQ media funding comes from advertising, and much of that is based on the hospitality community. Restaurants, bars and clubs, travel, all of which were hit hard by the pandemic and didn’t have the funds to advertise. That led to some drastic cost cutting and forced many of us to lean into new strategies. With a vaccine we have the hope of some normalcy returning and with it advertising, and with what we have learned, maybe a path forward. After all, we have a new president to cover and the emergence of a new generation of LGBTQ activists.”

Using some of those lessons learned in 2020, Tammye Nash, managing editor of Dallas Voice, said, “We have plans for Dallas Voice to continue growing and improving, and we are working diligently to continue to put out the same or better quality content for our audience with fewer resources than we used to have. We have already learned that we are able to do just that, thanks to the dedication of our staff and the patience of our freelancers.”

That sense of optimism was also in a recent editorial written by Leo Cusimano, publisher of Dallas Voice. “From a new administration, to investments in our community, to promising new vaccines — our future is bright. And it is especially important to highlight the renewed and urgent attention on the Black Lives Matter movement addressing racial injustice, which is so important to heal our country. The holiday season always reminds me of the many things I am thankful for — family and friends, our advertisers and readers and the staff here at Dallas Voice.”

Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, said, “We resolve to continue our mission, which means holding the Biden administration accountable for the many promises made to the LGBTQ community during the campaign and rolling back the many attacks on us by Trump.” 

Troy Masters, editor of the Los Angeles Blade, said he is “more certain than optimistic.”

“I am certain things can turn around,” said Masters. “I will work as hard as I can to do all that I can. I hope the vaccines keep up with the virus and that we all adapt, because the challenges are not going away. We have a lot of wrongs to undo and so a decade’s load of work. I will celebrate our allies and engage them in that and work harder than ever to help keep the community informed.”

IN THE NEWS
Volume 22
Issue 10