by Joe Siegel

NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists will be gathering for its annual convention September 5-8, 2024, at the Loews Hollywood Hotel in Los Angeles.

The forums will feature discussions about politics and entertainment. One high-profile panel, “NBCU Academy Presents: Depicting Modern Mental Health and Queer Stories in NBC’s ‘Brilliant Minds’” with star Zachary Quinto and creator Michael Grassi is scheduled for September 5.

“The Road to the Election: The Political Beat in 2024” will feature political reporters and experts sharing their thoughts on what the election will mean for the LGBTQ community. From Project 2025 to states’ changing stances on trans healthcare, the speakers will “demystify the campaign platforms and offer pointers on staying sane during yet another chaotic election news cycle,” according to NLGJA.

Other forums include “Responsible Reporting on Transgender Communities,” “Nailing the Celebrity Interview,” “Navigating the Newsroom in a post-#MeTooEra/Diversity in the Newsroom,” “Social Media Storytelling,” “Intersectionality and Trans and Non-Binary Inclusion in Music and Entertainment” “DEI is Under Attack: How Our Industry Can Combat It,” and “An AI Earthquake: The Landscape Ahead.”

This year’s speakers include Trans Journalists Association Executive Director and Chalkbeat reporter K Petrin, NBC Out Editorial Director Brooke Sopelsa, Bay Area Reporter Publisher Michael Yamashita, GLAAD Director of Rapid Response and Campaigns Angela Dallara and The E.W. Scripps Company Senior Director Marcus Riley.

Other speakers include Leonor Ayala (URL Media), Duante Beddingfield (Detroit Free Press, Tat Bellamy-Walker (The Seattle Times), Danielle Chiriguayo (KCRW), Stephen Daw (Billboard), Kyle Griffin (MSNBC), Sonali Kohli (URL Media), Bryan Lowder (Slate), Osvaldo Martinez (NBCU Local), and Dana Piccoli (News is Out).

Erin Reed, who is trans and publishes the daily “Erin in the Morning” newsletter, will receive the 2024 Jeanne Córdova Award. “Erin Reed serves as a clear demonstration of how much a single journalist can accomplish,” said NLGJA Executive Director Adam Pawlus. “Her extensive work has helped uncover the spread of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation and has been relied upon by thousands of readers. It is an honor to recognize her and her thorough and insightful work with the Jeanne Córdova Award.”

The award is named for Córdova, who was a journalist and the editor and publisher of Lesbian Tide, which chronicled the 1970s lesbian feminist movement. The Jeanne Córdova Award recognizes the achievement of an LGBTQ+ woman for a current body of work in journalism and/or opinion, with an emphasis on but not exclusively coverage of issues of importance to the LGBTQ+ community, in any medium and on any platform.

The convention will also feature a Diversity Reception, a Lifetime Members Reception, a Career and Community Expo, a Women’s+ Networking Dinner, and the Closing Reception, featuring the presentation of the Journalist of the Year Award and the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for the LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year.

Steve Romo, a correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, has been named Journalist of the Year. H.L. Comeriato, a staff writer for Ohio’s Buckeye Flame, has been named the recipient of the Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for the LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year. The latter award is named for Pettit, the founding editor of OUT Magazine who died in 2003.

Sponsors include ESPN, ABC News, Fox, NBC Universal, Warner Bros. Discovery, Axios, Bloomberg, SAG-AFTRA, AMA, The Athletic, Tegna, Associated Press, Hearst Television, MacArthur Foundation, McClatchy, Nexstar, the New York Times, Equalpride, and Maynard Institute.

For a complete schedule, visit https://nlgja24.sched.com.

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Volume 26
Issue 6