An LGBTQ Newsletter from Zack Ford

So apparently these newsletters are the newfangled way to share content with people, and I thought maybe I’d give it a try.

Who am I?

I’m Zack Ford, and I’ve been writing about LGBTQ politics for a while now. You may have seen my content over at ThinkProgress (or more recently in a couple other places) or heard me on the David Feldman Show. Ever since I came out as gay, I’ve fundamentally believed it important to educate the world about queer identities so that we can all better understand and respect each other. Having originally planned to be a music teacher, I changed tracks to pursue social justice education at the university level, but then — after turning to personal blogging during my recession unemployment — wound up doing that kind of work through a career in journalism instead.

You can follow me on Twitter or Facebook if you’d like.

Why this newsletter now?

Part of it’s personal. My beat changed over at ThinkProgress such that now I cover the Trump administration, which is still important work, but my passion is still writing about LGBTQ issues. I also kind of hope that maybe I can provide a service that’s missing.

Back in the 2000s, we had a pretty thriving LGBTQ blogosphere, with citizen journalists from all over elevating local stories, tracking the religious right, and keeping people informed about what was impacting the LGBTQ community when nobody else would. Gradually, more mainstream sites recognized the importance of this coverage and the blogosphere started to fade. But then last year, the Facebook apocalypse hit digital media, and queer coverage took a significant blow. I’d like to try to fill that vacuum a bit if I can.

What to expect from this newsletter?

I don’t have some grand plan. Honestly, I just haven’t been able to give up my habit of scouring LGBTQ news every day, and it seems like maybe that addiction could serve a more productive and useful purpose than just a string of tweets.

My general plan is to highlight a brief round-up of stories impacting the queer community (and some adjacent issues) and maybe offer a little extra commentary or context to them. Other than that, I’m open to ideas!

Also, as a cis white guy (he/him), I recognize that I might not be tuned into everything I should be catching, so please don’t hesitate to let me know if there are things I miss or other great writers and outlets I should be checking out!

How soon until you start charging?

Eh, I’m not here to make money, just to provide a useful resource. If it blows up, I’ll consider adding some exclusive content for subscribers, but that’s not on my radar right now.

Why Fording The River Styx?

Many of my fellow Millennials will surely recall that in The Oregon Trail, fording the river was one of the biggest risks you could take, but sometimes it was your only option. The River Styx comes from Greek mythology’s underworld, with the word “Styx” meaning “hate.”

So, tell your friends this is a thing they can get in their email and we’ll see what happens!