FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, August 19, 2019
PRESS CONTACT: Dillon Lewis
press@nlgja.org or 202-588-9888
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists announced that the Washington Blade is the inaugural recipient of the NLGJA Legacy Award.
The NLGJA Legacy Award was created this year to recognize an outlet, publication or news organization that has exhibited innovative, high-quality and sustained news coverage of the LGBTQ community over an extended period of time. The outlets, publications or news organizations that will be recognized by the award have exemplified NLGJA’s mission to promote and foster fair and accurate LGBTQ news coverage. The NLGJA Legacy Award is the association’s only award that is presented to an outlet, publication or news organization to recognize the work of its entire staff, rather than an individual.
The Washington Blade was founded as “The Gay Blade” in 1969. Originally a black and white, one-sheet community newsletter, the paper was initially distributed in local D.C. bars. However, in the fifty years since its founding, the Blade has taken its place as Washington’s premier LGBTQ newspaper. Due to its location, the Blade has been uniquely situated to cover local, national and international events of relevance to the LGBTQ community. The newspaper has endured through a changing media landscape because of the deep dedication of its leadership, staff and readers. From its founding staff, including pioneers Lilli Vincenz and Nancy Tucker, to its current leadership, including editor Kevin Naff and publisher Lynne Brown, and many notable reporters on the frontlines, including the 40-year veteran reporter Lou Chibbaro, Jr., the Blade has been a testament to dedication to LGBTQ news coverage. In honor of five decades of devotion to local, national and international coverage of LGBTQ people and issues, NLGJA recognizes the Washington Blade with the inaugural NLGJA Legacy Award.
“Thank you to NLGJA for this honor,” said Naff. “The Blade team works hard each day to hold this administration accountable, to cover hate crimes targeting our community and to shine a light on the plight of LGBTQ people around the world. We have helped write the first draft of LGBTQ history for 50 years and while much progress has been made, we look forward to the advances of the next 50 years.”
Representatives from the Washington Blade will accept the NLGJA Legacy Award at the 2019 NLGJA National Convention, to be held August 29 to September 1 at the InterContinental New Orleans. Learn more at www.nlgja.org/2019.
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About NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ Journalists
NLGJA is an organization of journalists, media professionals, educators and students working from within the news industry to foster fair and accurate coverage of LGBTQ issues. NLGJA opposes all forms of workplace bias and provides professional development to its members. For more information, visit www.nlgja.org.