Lost in translation: Misgendering and the media
The lives of transgender people, more often lost in translation than understood, are being featured in the media more than at any other time, and the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Associate has made a concentrated effort to address some of those issues at its...
NLGJA marks 25th anniversary by coming home
After more than two decades, the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association has hosted countless journalists and communicators from across the country for its annual conventions and LGBT Media Summits. But this year’s participants are especially motivated by the...
Don’t count on social networks to screen out hate
Anti-LGBT hate groups are using social media to spread their message, and platforms such as Facebook and Twitter do little to rein them in — by design. The American Family Association, Coral Ridge Ministries, Concerned Women for America and the Family Research...
LGBT seniors, trauma and hoarding
Dominik Molica, a 58-year-old gay man, spends a third of his income on storage. From comic books, to records, to every single postcard that has ever been sent to him, Molica can’t let go of his possessions. His storage space is stuffed with boxes and garbage bags of...
How dating apps allow for gender and orientation expression
At the beginning of June, dozens of Tinder users began tweeting that their profiles were being suspended because they are transgender or nonbinary. Other Tinder users were reporting these users, and their dating profiles were (at least temporarily) banned. Three...
NLGJA attendees report for digital bootcamp
The Google Bootcamp on Thursday at the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association’s convention brought together journalists from various platforms and industries to discuss ways to visualize big data and statistics. The session offered ways to use Google...
Coming out as a gay conservative
Fred Schein is used to being seen as an outsider for his political orientation. At times, he draws stares from the LGBT community and from members of his own party. “When I am at a party, they’ll make a joke and say, ‘Here’s Fred, a big conservative! Say something...
LGBT youth, mental illness and the family factor
Researchers have confirmed over the years that LGBT adolescents have a far greater incidence of mental health disorders, suicides and suicide attempts than the general population. “Rejection from peers and family rips the heart of LGBT youth,” Rabbi Debra Kolodny told...
Women’s colleges grapple with policies for transgender students
Women’s colleges nationwide face a number of challenges in keeping pace with society’s constantly evolving understanding of the female identity. Many U.S. women’s colleges have been addressing transgender issues in their official college policies. Although many — but...
Visualizing solutions for San Francisco’s at-risk residents
The number of homeless people in San Francisco is the highest it’s been in a decade, according to a biennial city report released in July. The report counted 7,539 homeless people, including youth, compared with 7,350 in 2013. This map identifies the locations of...
The connection of a lifetime: Meeting my gay uncle
During a trip to San Francisco, I met my gay uncle for the first time. We talked about coming out and family history … and made the connection of a...
Redefining the family, when a parent comes out
While her classmates were worrying about their first year of high school and the boys they had crushes on, one 15-year-old girl walked through the halls of her school weighed down by a burden that she was desperate to conceal. “When people started asking ‘who’s that...
5 funky ice cream shops to try in San Francisco
You have a pressing matter at hand: You’re in lovely San Francisco for the 2015 convention of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association and summer is coming to an end, which means you need to get in your final dose of ice cream in before it’s too late....
NLGJA reopens the door to gender-neutral restrooms
Transgender, genderqueer and gender-nonconforming attendees will find something new at this year’s convention of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association: Organizers have designated two restrooms as gender neutral.