This Coming Out Day, we’re celebrating LGBTQ+ History Month with the trailblazers who have made journalism a safer space for LGBTQ+ people everywhere. We’re starting close to home with our founder, Leroy Aarons, whose courageous coming out led to the creation of our organization.
Though Aarons spent much of his early life hiding his orientation in the workplace, that changed in 1990 when he presented a survey about the experiences of LGBTQ+ journalists in newsrooms to the American Society of Newspaper Editors. The results of the survey weren’t great: at the time, the majority of queer respondents weren’t out at work and most of them believed that news coverage of LGBTQ+ issues was at best mediocre. Still, Aarons saw the value of these kinds of inquiries, and as he concluded his presentation, he took a huge step. Choking up, he declared “I’m proud—as an editor and gay man—proud of ASNE for having done this study.”
At the time, he served as the senior vice president of the Oakland Tribune, and the coming out of a top editor at a daily metropolitan newspaper made waves. Letters poured in, expressing gratitude and excitement, but most importantly asking “What’s next?” A few months later, he gathered with five other LGBTQ+ journalists in his living room, and NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists was born.
Throughout the rest of his life, Aarons would work tirelessly to ensure a safe and strong future for marginalized people in newsrooms. He established the first college course on LGBTQ+ media issues at the USC Annenberg School for Communication, and was a founding member of the Maynard Institute, which was created to promote diversity in newsrooms. But it was in his role as the founder and first president of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists that his impact was felt most deeply. As journalist Dan Woog said, “Knowing that [NLGJA] existed affected me deeply and gave me the courage to come out to my colleagues.” Our mission is his legacy, and we strive everyday to carry out his vision of a better industry.