NLGJA board member Barbara Dozetos has written an excellent defense of LGBT media for The Huffington Post:
As the general population grows more accepting of our community, is the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) news media still relevant? Do we really need newspapers, radio shows, web sites and television shows that are all gay all the time? Do we really need to perpetuate a media ghetto?
My answer now, as it has been since 2000 when I first considered the question, is an emphatic yes. Now, then, and in the future, we will need the LGBT media. It is one of the threads that hold together the crazy quilt that is our community.
She goes on to make her case, including the history of LGBT media, but here’s the point that I found the most interesting:
So we turn to community media as a place for validation, confirmation, and information. There we learn that we are not alone and find our common culture.
I couldn’t agree more. And this sentiment is not unique to LGBT media. It is the reason for all niche media.
What do you think? Let us know!