FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 6, 2025
PRESS CONTACT: Clare Lefebure
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC (August 6, 2025) – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists announced the recipients of its 2025 Leroy F. Aarons and Kay Longcope Scholarships, which support the next generation of LGBTQ+ media professionals.
Grant Johnson (he/him) is the 2025 recipient of the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship. Johnson is a multimedia journalist pursuing a Master’s in Investigative Journalism at Arizona State University’s Cronkite School. He has worked in newsrooms nationwide, including FOX, NBCUniversal, TEGNA, and Gray Television, and his reporting has earned national recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Television Academy Foundation. A recent Ithaca College graduate, Johnson frequently speaks at journalism conventions, focusing on youth engagement and contemporary storytelling.
“Thank you so much to NLGJA for this incredible honor,” Johnson said. “I’m truly grateful for your investment in young journalists like myself. It means the world to have the support of an organization that’s been so influential in shaping my growth as a journalist and member of the LGBTQ+ community. I’m proud to accept this scholarship to help further my education, and I look forward to paying this generosity forward throughout my career.”
Established in 2005, the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship honors NLGJA’s founder, who championed fair, accurate LGBTQ+ coverage and believed change begins in the classroom. The award provides up to $5,000 in tuition funding to an LGBTQ+ student pursuing a career in journalism.
Jonathan Calixto (he/him) is the 2025 recipient of the Kay Longcope Scholarship. Calixto is a multimedia journalist and graduate student at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY, where he focuses on local accountability reporting and broadcast journalism. His work centers LGBTQ+ issues, politics, community engagement and entertainment. He interned with Queer News Network and Queer Kentucky, reporting on the historic election of Emma Curtis, the first transgender person elected to a city council in Kentucky. He also hosts Inspire Your Inner Boss, a podcast spotlighting LGBTQ+ creatives and entrepreneurs.
The Kay Longcope Scholarship, established in 2008, provides up to $3,000 in tuition assistance to an LGBTQ+ student of color committed to NLGJA’s mission. It honors Longcope’s legacy as a trailblazing journalist and co-founder of The Texas Triangle.
“NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists is proud to support these talented young reporters as they pursue careers in a rapidly changing media landscape,” said Executive Director Adam Pawlus. “Grant and Jonathan reflect the core values of our organization: accuracy, integrity and a deep commitment to representing LGBTQ+ communities in all their complexity.”
###