by Joe Siegel

Dallas Voice marked its 40th anniversary with a gala on May 11, 2024, at the Round-Up Saloon and Dance Hall.

“For four decades, Dallas Voice has been at the forefront of LGBTQ advocacy, storytelling, and community empowerment, serving as a vital resource and platform for the diverse voices within the LGBTQ community,” said Publisher Leo Cusimano. 

“Since its inception in 1984, Dallas Voice has played an integral role in championing LGBTQ rights, providing a platform for marginalized voices, and fostering a sense of community and belonging,” Cusimano said. “As we commemorate this significant milestone, we reflect on the countless stories shared, milestones achieved, and battles won in the ongoing fight for equality and acceptance.”

Tammye Nash, managing editor, added, “I have been a professional journalist for 42-plus years, and more than 31 of those years have been at Dallas Voice. My first day on the job for Dallas Voice was June 6, 1988; I have left twice, and both times I returned to work for the Voice, because I believe that being part of Dallas Voice gives me the chance to do something worthwhile for my community and for the world. I believe this job gives me the chance to help change the world for the better, even if in small ways.”

For example, Nash noted that during the late 1980s and 1990s, “Dallas Voice’s coverage of the HIV/AIDS epidemic worldwide but especially here in North Texas was, I believe, absolutely vital to our community. I believe that our coverage helped save lives,” Nash said.

Nash also recalled how the paper’s coverage of anti-LGBTQ hate crimes in the city had a major impact.

“[We] focused attention on what was happening and put a face on our community that made the larger community see us as human beings rather than some frightening ‘other’ that deserved what was happening to us,” said Nash. “I believe our coverage played a significant role in passage of the state hate crimes law, and I also believe that our coverage of crimes targeting LGBTQ people and our gayborhood helped push the Dallas Police Department to focus more attention on our neighborhood and step up efforts to make the area safer.”

Nash also remembered three interviews as personal high points. 

“Not because they were earth-shattering or made big impacts, but because I was such a big fan of the interviewees,” she said “Those were my interview with Hillary Clinton when she was running for president in 2008, and my interviews in the 1990s with Anne Rice and with Eartha Kitt.”

Cusimano was also a guest on Lambda Weekly on May 5 on 89.3 KNON-FM to talk about 40 years of publication.

According to UNT Digital Library, Dallas Voice is the first newspaper to represent and serve the Dallas LGBTQ community. New issues are published on Fridays, with a circulation of 20,000 per week in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, and Denton counties. The paper claims a print readership of more than 50,000 weekly readers. Physical issues of Dallas Voice are archived in the Special Collections Department at the University of North Texas Libraries.

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Volume 26
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