November 2, 2024 The Newspaper Serving LGBT Los Angeles

And so The Pride begins

Arturo Jimenez, my partner of 14 years, my dog Max and me.
Arturo Jimenez, my partner of 14 years, my dog Max and me.

It was a decision I didn’t take lightly at all.  Launching a brand new LGBT newspaper in Los Angeles would mean I would have to experience a complete revolution in my life.

In New York, my paper Gay City News was flying higher than it had ever flown before, now part of a group of 14 newspapers with over 150 employees and tens of millions in revenues.  The paper is esteemed by the LGBT community and has won hundreds of editorial awards.  Some writers have worked on my projects for over 30 years. How could I give up that kind of stability and prestige at 54 years old?  I had started Gay City News in the foyer of my postage stamp East Village apartment.  Had I eaten rice and beans for years, suffered eviction and struggled to meet seemingly never-ending deadlines, only to leave the paper’s stewardship at it’s zenith?

Ultimately, my decision was yes.  So be it.

I have since 1989 been part of a revolution, and have been witness to and a chronicler of LGBT and AIDS history. Our community has been through hell and back.  Like many of you during the bleakest days of the AIDS crisis, I simply could not stand on the sidelines and do nothing as my gay brothers died.  Our community was pilloried at every turn and at times it seemed it couldn’t possibly ever get better.  A newspaper, keeping the gay press alive in New York, became my life’s mission.

Over the past two decades we have experienced breathtaking progress on an array of fronts, a remarkable trajectory by any measure for any marginalized people. Thanks to the work of some very smart activists, medical science was  forced to change and eventually death from AIDS became the exception rather than the rule.  Today, that same activism may have found a way for us to experience some measure of sexual normalcy. Yes, I am all for PrEP.

On the civil rights front the thread is much the same.  Sudden and dramatic progress by leaps and bounds. We went from the shadows to the stage and up the aisle in two generations. As protracted as these battle seemed the verdict was quick.  Note I did not say painless.   

The Windsor decision that led a paradigm shift on gay rights also kicked off a new and more serious introspection among faith leaders.  The Pope’s ridiculousness with Kim Davis and the Vatican’s painful PR scramble aside, the conversation continues to change at a remarkable pace.

We still have lots of work to do across the country to ensure our rights are honored and that discrimination is never tolerated. We can still be fired or made homeless in some states for marrying our loved one or merely saying we are gay.

Even here in California, arguably the most liberal state in America, conservative forces seek to restrict our right to public spaces.

One thing leads to another, it seems, and these things too will get fixed. But it’s not over.

We are all making strides personally.

So, in a sense it was the narrative of steep upward progress that emboldened me to move 2500 miles across the country, to a city I have loved from afar, and start up a newspaper.

I am now thrilled to call Los Angeles home and to bring you The Pride Los Angeles, a newspaper that begins with some exceedingly powerful allies in the newspaper publishing industry, both locally and nationally.  We are part of a five-newspaper group that also publishes the Santa Monica Mirror.  The Pride is represented by Rivendell Media, the nation’s most important player for national advertising sales in the gay press. We are also THE Los Angeles newspaper member of the National Gay Media Association and the only LGBT newspaper serving Los Angeles.

In this issue, you will read a brief selection of news, a passionate and challenging call to arms on the meth crisis, an opinion piece that takes a unique look at the recent Grindr/Tinder controversy, a review of Roberta Kaplan’s new book about the overturning of DOMA, a film review of Freeheld.  We even witness Olympic history as Caitlyn and Greg have their first meeting.

It’s a start and I’m damned proud of it.

A very smart man once told me that the most valuable thing you have is your voice and your point of view.  I believe that is true for every one of us.

We invite you to be part of this paper.  Join us online at thepridelaprod.wpengine.com and on Facebook.

Related Posts

COLUMN: How to Safely Prep to Bottom

August 22, 2019

August 22, 2019

By Dr. Evan Goldstein, founder of Future Method When it comes to sex, the majority of gay men don’t have access...

HEALTH FEATURE: Helping Vaccine Sensitive Patients at Ananda Integrative Medicine

July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019

Vaccinating children who’ve had adverse reactions to shots.  By Sam Catanzaro  While kids are still in summer mode, parents have...

HEALTH FEATURE: The Link Between Hearing Loss and Dementia

July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019

Dr. Melissa Alexander helping patients minimize effects of hearing loss The ability to hear can have a significant impact on...

FEATURE: The Best Places to Buy Furniture in LA This Summer

June 24, 2019

June 24, 2019

By Brittany Brodeur Summer can be an amazing time to remodel your home!  However, we’re sure you’ll agree that designing...

FEATURE: Grow Pod Solutions Revolutionizing Local Agriculture

June 24, 2019

June 24, 2019

It seems that every day, we read about a new food-borne illness or hear about the latest recall of tainted...

BUSINESS FEATURE: Theatre for All at P3 Theatre Company

May 17, 2019

May 17, 2019

Progressive theatre for the entire community Long Beach has many quality venues for theatre, but one local theatre company not...

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: Why Have LGBTQ+ Pride Events?

May 17, 2019

May 17, 2019

Living in a hyper-liberal bubble like Long Beach, or the entirety of California for that matter, often creates an illusion...

HEALTH FEATURE: Hearing Aid Technology at Alexander Audiology

May 2, 2019

May 2, 2019

Hearing aids in the 21st century with Dr. Melissa Alexander Hearing aids have come leaps and bounds just within the...

The Future of E-Learning

April 14, 2019

April 14, 2019

By Nektar Baziotis Distance learning is as old as the 18th century when teachers would send their students weekly lessons...

GAY LA: When Lesbian Visibility Was an L.A. Specialty

April 9, 2019

April 9, 2019

In 2017, West Hollywood’s Plummer Park hosted an exhibit titled Lesbians to Watch Out For: ’90s Queer L.A. Activism. On...

DEAR AIDAN: Date and Dining Etiquette

January 26, 2019

January 26, 2019

Dear Aidan, How does one go about splitting the bill when it comes to dating? Dear Bill Splitter, There are...

DEAR AIDAN: My Boyfriend Has a Secret Girlfriend?

December 22, 2018

December 22, 2018

Q: Hi Aidan! I started seeing a guy casually over the past two months and things are starting to get...

COLUMN: Gay L.A. – Decades Later, Matthew Shepard Lives On in the Heart of the LGBTQ+ Community

October 14, 2018

October 14, 2018

The hate crime that got the world talking about tragic queer lives and deaths turns 20 this year. The late...

Joe Biden: A True Champion of LGBT Rights

June 13, 2017

June 13, 2017 182

Appreciating the fierce ally we had in our last Vice President

LGBTQ Seniors Continue to Fight for Visibility

May 10, 2017

May 10, 2017 821

We have to take better care of our seniors