A year of firsts for NLGJA

By Alicia Ebaugh
Reporter Staff

This has been a year full of firsts for the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, including a record-breaking 700 attendees at this week’s convention.

“Now we have a big goal to reach,” NLGJA Executive Director Pam Strother said. “Our last record-breaking year was our 10th anniversary … I think we can really keep up our momentum going into our 15th anniversary. We’ve reached this new plateau, and hopefully we’ll be able to keep building from there.”

The organization also launched a new membership drive, helped The New York Times amend its non-discrimination policy to include gender identity — a first among large news organizations — and received a major donation for its new newsroom education project.

The organization’s first chapter-get-a-member campaign was a success, said Azuree Salazar, NLGJA membership and chapter relations coordinator. The organization created two $500 awards for chapters that grew.

The winners were decided on June 18, Salazar said. The Ohio chapter won for the largest percentage growth – a nearly 67 percent increase – and the New York chapter captured the prize for the largest numerical growth, with 60 new members since Feb. 1.

NLGJA’s programs are growing as well as its membership. Knight Ridder representative Reginald Stuart announced Friday that the company would donate $10,000 to the Newsroom Outreach Project. The projects sends NLGJA representatives to meet with top newsroom leaders to help ensure fair and accurate coverage of LGBT issues.

Also reflecting the organization’s growth, NLGJA’s Excellence in Journalism awards have been spun off into a separate event and will be presented in Los Angeles in September. They previously were given as part of the annual convention.