Our History
Founded in 1990 when journalist Roy Aarons gathered colleagues in his San Francisco Bay Area living room to discuss LGBTQ+ issues in newsrooms, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists has evolved from a grassroots meeting into the nation’s premier network of LGBTQ+ media professionals. Formally incorporated in 1991 with chapters forming throughout the country, the organization has grown to become the leading voice for fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ issues while championing diversity and inclusion within the journalism industry.
1990-1995
The Founding Years
1990
NLGJA Founded
The American Society of Newspaper Editors announces the results of its first-ever survey of gay and lesbian journalists at American newspapers. Leroy Aarons, the survey’s coordinator and then-Oakland Tribune executive editor, reveals he is gay and announces his intentions to form an association for queer journalists.
1991
First Edition of Alternatives
1992
First National Convention
1993
NBC Agrees to Policy of Nondiscrimination for LGBT Employees
1994
NLGJA publishes “Domestic Partner Benefits: At What Cost?” – a guide for news media companies on instituting domestic partner health benefits. Ten media companies are known to offer domestic partner benefits at the time.
1994
Steven Gendel Comes Out
NLGJA member Steven Gendel is the first journalist to disclose he is gay on a major network when he comes out during an NBC broadcast of the Stonewall Celebration.
1995
Canadian Chapter Is Founded
1995
NLGJA and the Radio and Television News Directors Foundation publish Another Perspective: A report on Gay and Lesbian Issues in Electronic Journalism. The survey reveals most are unimpressed with the quality and extent of coverage of many gay issues.
1996-2000
Building & Growing
The cover of the 2007 National Convention program.
1996
NLGJA Hires Executive Director
Michael Frederickson becomes NLGJA’s first full-time executive director. NLGJA national headquarters relocates from Northern California to Washington, DC.
1997
First Published Stylebook Addenda: Gay/Lesbian Terminology
Karen-Louise Boothe is elected NLGJA president. NLGJA publishes Stylebook Addenda: Gay/Lesbian Terminology. The German Association of Gay and Lesbian Journalists is founded. NLGJA issues an updated domestic partner benefits guide. The Washington Post refuses to extend benefits to domestic partners but the Hearst Media group does. Knight-Ridder follows suit and soon 56 news organizations are offering domestic partnership benefits.
1998
Annual Convention in Las Vegas
The NLGJA holds its annual convention in Las Vegas, with over 500 people in attendance. The convention was themed “On A Roll: Dealing an Open Hand in the Newsroom.”
1999
Second Executive Director Hired
Xiomara A. Sosa joins NLGJA as its second executive director, the first Latina and the first lesbian to hold the job.
2000
“Lesbians and Gays In the Newsroom: 10 Years Later” Published
NLGJA celebrates its 10th Anniversary at a gala at the San Francisco convention. The organization now has 1,000 members in its 19 chapters and those in Germany and Canada. NLGJA launches a new survey, Lesbians and Gays In the Newsroom: 10 Years Later.
2000
Pamela Strother Becomes Third Executive Director
Pamela Strother served as the organization’s first Director of Development in 2006 and took the helm as Executive Director in September 2000.
2001-2010
Progress Continues
2001
Gill Foundation Award
The Gill Foundation awards $100,000 to NLGJA, the largest made to NLGJA since its first award in 1995.
2001
Rapid Response Task Force Established
NLGJA creates the Rapid Response Task Force. This panel of working journalists from mainstream and LGBTQ+ media answers complaints about reporting seen as unfair and/or inaccurate by readers, viewers, listeners and our peer journalists.
READ MORE ABOUT RRTF
2001
NewsWatch Celebrates NLGJA’s 10th Anniversary
NewsWatch (founded in 1997 as a joint project of the San Francisco State University, the Native American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Hispanic Journalists and NLGJA) publishes an issue celebrating NLGJA’s 10th Anniversary.
2001
Strategic Plan Ratified
NLGJA ratified a strategic plan in Dallas, TX, which put emphasis on core program goal areas of membership and chapter growth; improved coverage of LGBT communities; expansion of benefits for LGBTQ+ employees; increased student outreach and education; and more professional development training.
2002
Steven Petrow Elected President
Steven Petrow elected to NLGJA presidency.
2002
Minnesota Chapter Victory
Minnesota Chapter lobbies Minneapolis Star Tribune to consider a contract with a vendor only after gaining assurance that its leaders could work respectfully with a newspaper that had ‘out’ employees. The vendor in question, in response, added ‘sexual orientation’ to its anti-discrimination language.
2002
Domestic Partner Benefits Begin to Be Offered at More Companies
The Associated Press, The New York Daily News and the Belo Corporation add their names to the ranks of major news media companies offering domestic partner benefits to their gay and lesbian employees.
2004
NLGJA Mourns Loss of Founder
NLGJA mourns the loss of its founder, Roy Aarons.
2004
Newsroom Outreach Project Launches
NLGJA kicks off its Newsroom Outreach Project, which seeks to familiarize newsroom leaders with NLGJA and discuss LGBT coverage issues. Meetings launched in DC, New Orleans, and Colorado.
2005
15th Anniversary
NLGJA celebrates 15 years. There are 1,200 members and 24 chapters across the country and affiliates in Canada and Germany.
2005
LGBTQ+ Journalists Hall of Fame is Founded
NLGJA unveils the LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame, honoring the pioneering lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender journalists whose actions demonstrated both exemplary professionalism and personal courage.
2006
CNN Donation Funds Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship
CNN donates $100,000 to the newly established NLGJA Scholarship Fund endowment, funding the Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award.
2009
Kay Longcope Scholarship Created
The Kay Longcope Scholarship, which provides financial support to an LGBTQ+ student journalist of color, is established in memory of The Boston Globe journalist Kay Longcope. Longcope co-founded The Texas Triangle, a weekly LGBTQ+ newspaper, upon her retirement.
2009
Student Advisory Committee Formed
NLGJA forms the Student Advisory Committee, to aid in reaching out to students, creating education projects and build exposure among journalism schools.
2009
Re:ACT Goes Live
Re:ACT, the official NLGJA blog, goes live – more than doubling NLGJA’s exposure and traffic on the web.
2010
20th Anniversary
NLGJA celebrates 20 years at the National Convention in San Francisco.
NLGJA founder Leroy Aarons, who passed away in 2004, discusses his motivations for starting the association.
2011-2020
A New Era
2011
NLGJA Enters UNITY Journalists’ Alliance
NLGJA joins UNITY, a strategic alliance consisting of the Asian American Journalists Association, the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.
2012
Michael Triplett is Elected NLGJA President
In 2012, Michael Triplett becomes NLGJA’s 7th National President. Triplett was instrumental in recognizing bloggers as members of the association.
2013
Jen Christensen Suceeds Michael Triplett as NLGJA President
After Michael Triplett dies, Jen Christensen becomes NLGJA’s 7th National Board President.
2013
NLGJA and AAJA Partner on Heartland Project
NLGJA partners with the Asian American Journalist Association on the “Diverse and Inclusive: News of the Heartland” project. The project aimed to enhance coverage of communities of color and LGBTQ+ issues in the country’s heartland.
2014
Adam Pawlus Becomes Executive Director
As the organization continues to expand, Adam Pawlus is hired as executive director.
2015
Ally Membership Category Created
A membership category is created for non-LGBTQ-identifying and non-journalist allies who want to support NLGJA’s mission of fostering fair and accurate coverage.
2015
NLGJA Celebrates 25 Years of Fighting for Fairness and Accuracy
A membership category is created for non-LGBTQ-identifying and non-journalist allies who want to support NLGJA’s mission of fostering fair and accurate coverage.
2016
Excellence in Journalism Awards Adds New Categories
Our Excellence In Journalism Awards expanded from 14 to 30 categories, including the addition of awards for bookwriting, documentary, and sports.
2017
NLGJA, NAHJ, and LGBTQ Taskforce Collaboration
With the help of our partners at NAHJ and the National LGBTQ Task Force, we translated the NLGJA Stylebook on LGBTQ+ Terminology into Spanish for Spanish-speaking media: El Manual de Estilo Sobre La Comunidad Lesbiana, Gay, Bisexual y Transgénero.
2018
Ford Foundation Funds Strategic Plan Update
Thanks to the generous funding of the Ford Foundation, NLGJA was able to update its strategic plan for the organization.
2018
Jeanne Cordóva Award Introduced
NLGJA introduced the Jeanne Córdova Award in 2018 to recognize the accomplishments of an LGBTQ+ woman in the field of journalism. This award was made possible by the generous support of Jeanne Córdova, and we aim to provide support with this award through 2026.
2018
401(k) for National Office Staff
Executive Director Adam Pawlus starts a 401(k) for NLGJA’s national office staff.
2018
Sharif Durhams elected Board President.
Sharif Durhams is elected President of NLGJA.
2019
Legacy Award Established
NLGJA establishes the Legacy Award to recognize a particular news outlet or organization that consistently demonstrates a dedication to highlighting and uplifting LGBTQ+ voices and stories.
2021
Student Conference Launches
NLGJA establishes a student-specific conference, hosted virtually in 2021 due to the pandemic. The conference aims to provide young student journalists with the tools and resources they need to launch their journalism careers.
2021
Curve Foundation Partnership Established
The Curve Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting lesbian and queer women’s voices, partners with NLGJA to establish the Curve Fellowship for Emerging Journalists. The fellowship is given to emerging journalists whose work focuses on the stories and voices of LGBTQ+ women, trans and nonbinary people.
2022
Ken Miguel elected Board President
Ken Miguel is elected National Board President of NLGJA.
2023
Foregrounding of “The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists”
The association updates its logo and branding to foreground its tagline, “The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists,” which highlights the broad diversity of its membership.
2024
Largest National Convention Yet
The association celebrates its most highly-attended National Convention in Los Angeles. The 2024 National Convention welcomed over 750 attendees to the Loews Hollywood Hotel.
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