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- A LONG HISTORY OF DOUBLE STANDARDS THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT LGBTQ+ JOURNALISTS HAVE HAD TO AL WH QUTNS ABOUT THEIR ABILY TO VER THEIR OWN MUNY. WHEN MIGUEL WANTED TO REPORT ON THE EARLY DAYS OF THE MARRIAGE EQUALY BATE CALIFORNIA 2004, THERE WAS SOME QUTN ABOUT WHETHER HE, AS A GAY JOURNALIST, SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VER THE STORY AT ALL. HIS TV NEWSROOM CID THAT “HAVG SOMEBODY WH TIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ‘OTHER SI,’ SO TO SPEAK, WAS MORE BENEFICIAL THAN HARMFUL,” HE SAID, AND MIGUEL WAS ALLOWED TO VER THE STORY. BUT WASN’T EASY. HE AND A LBIAN PHOTOGRAPHER NDUCTED AN TERVIEW WH A LAWMAKER SACRAMENTO WHO WAS OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. THE PAIR TRIED TO BRACE THEMSELV; THEY KNEW THE POLICIAN WAS LIKELY TO SAY SOME HATEFUL THGS ABOUT GAY PEOPLE. THE NVERSATN LEFT A MARK, AND THEY SPENT THE DRIVE BACK TO SAN FRANCIS PROCSG WHAT THEY HAD HEARD. “LOOKG BACK, I N SAY WAS TRMATIC,” MIGUEL SAID. DES LATER, HE STILL VERS PLENTY OF LGBTQ+ TOPICS, AND STILL FAC QUTNS ABOUT HOW BT TO HANDLE THEM. “IT’S NONSTOP, PECIALLY NSIRG WHAT’S HAPPENG TO OUR TRANS FOLKS,” HE SAID. HE WORKS WH EDORS AND PRODUCERS TO MAKE SURE LANGUAGE IS ACCURATE, AND THAT ALL SOURC ARE TREATED WH RPECT. “IT’S THE BURN OF BEG THE GAY PERSON THE NEWSROOM,” MIGUEL SAID. “YOU BEE THE ROURCE FOR EVERYONE ELSE.” BUT EVEN WH SUPPORTIVE MANAGERS, AND A GROWG POPULATN OF OPENLY LGBTQ+ REPORTERS, QUTNS LGER ABOUT HOW TO APPROACH SOME STORI. ‘ALL WE N DO IS RM PEOPLE WHAT THE FACTS ARE’
- 'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY
A LONG HISTORY OF DOUBLE STANDARDS THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT LGBTQ+ JOURNALISTS HAVE HAD TO AL WH QUTNS ABOUT THEIR ABILY TO VER THEIR OWN MUNY. WHEN MIGUEL WANTED TO REPORT ON THE EARLY DAYS OF THE MARRIAGE EQUALY BATE CALIFORNIA 2004, THERE WAS SOME QUTN ABOUT WHETHER HE, AS A GAY JOURNALIST, SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO VER THE STORY AT ALL. HIS TV NEWSROOM CID THAT “HAVG SOMEBODY WH TIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ‘OTHER SI,’ SO TO SPEAK, WAS MORE BENEFICIAL THAN HARMFUL,” HE SAID, AND MIGUEL WAS ALLOWED TO VER THE STORY. BUT WASN’T EASY. HE AND A LBIAN PHOTOGRAPHER NDUCTED AN TERVIEW WH A LAWMAKER SACRAMENTO WHO WAS OPPOSED TO SAME-SEX MARRIAGE. THE PAIR TRIED TO BRACE THEMSELV; THEY KNEW THE POLICIAN WAS LIKELY TO SAY SOME HATEFUL THGS ABOUT GAY PEOPLE. THE NVERSATN LEFT A MARK, AND THEY SPENT THE DRIVE BACK TO SAN FRANCIS PROCSG WHAT THEY HAD HEARD. “LOOKG BACK, I N SAY WAS TRMATIC,” MIGUEL SAID. DES LATER, HE STILL VERS PLENTY OF LGBTQ+ TOPICS, AND STILL FAC QUTNS ABOUT HOW BT TO HANDLE THEM. “IT’S NONSTOP, PECIALLY NSIRG WHAT’S HAPPENG TO OUR TRANS FOLKS,” HE SAID. HE WORKS WH EDORS AND PRODUCERS TO MAKE SURE LANGUAGE IS ACCURATE, AND THAT ALL SOURC ARE TREATED WH RPECT. “IT’S THE BURN OF BEG THE GAY PERSON THE NEWSROOM,” MIGUEL SAID. “YOU BEE THE ROURCE FOR EVERYONE ELSE.” BUT EVEN WH SUPPORTIVE MANAGERS, AND A GROWG POPULATN OF OPENLY LGBTQ+ REPORTERS, QUTNS LGER ABOUT HOW TO APPROACH SOME STORI. ‘ALL WE N DO IS RM PEOPLE WHAT THE FACTS ARE’
When Miguel wanted to report on the early days of the marriage equaly bate California 2004, there was some qutn about whether he, as a gay journalist, should be allowed to ver the story at all. The pair tried to brace themselv; they knew the polician was likely to say some hateful thgs about gay people. “It’s the burn of beg the gay person the newsroom, ” Miguel said.
“It mak me sad bee I thk somethg like 70% of the Amerin public supports gay marriage, ” she said. Sos and Lang were both staff wrers at Into, the natnal LGBTQ outlet associated wh the gay datg app Grdr, and they pched the story bee they believed Anchorage was a bellwether. Sos and Lang foc on trans people while cludg the stori of straight and gay alli, who all rallied together to feat the ballot measure.
'WE'RE NOT HIDG': GAY AND LBIAN RSIANS SAY A CULTURAL SHIFT IS UNRWAY
Raquel Willis took the helm as executive edor at Out magaze, a gay fashn and liftyle magaze, and trans journalists now have a proment llective prence on Twter, a private Facebook group, and var other private works. In the past the outlet foced predomantly on whe gay men but has recently hired a new edorial staff that leans heavily toward trans, women, and people of lor.