The story of NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists is fundamentally woven into the cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco. In 1990, former Oakland Tribune executive editor Leroy “Roy” F. Aarons gathered a small group of open-minded reporters in his Bay Area living room. Driven by the urgent need for fair, accurate, and thoughtful coverage of the LGBTQ+ community during the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Aarons and his local peers envisioned a sanctuary for media workers—a professional bridge connecting the radical visibility of the Bay Area’s queer rights movements directly to the nation’s most conservative newsrooms.
That local spark quickly grew into a national movement, with San Francisco repeatedly serving as the organization’s symbolic anchor and meeting place. In 1992, NLGJA held its historic first national convention in the city, where 300 journalists gathered—many out publicly for the very first time—and major media leaders stepped forward to pledge equal partner benefits.
As the organization matured, returning to the City by the Bay marked key milestone anniversaries, including landmark gatherings in 2000 and 2010 that celebrated how much the landscape of American journalism had evolved since those early, quiet meetings.
Decades after its founding, that enduring connection returns full circle as San Francisco hosts the 35th Annual NLGJA National Convention from September 10–13, 2026, at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco along the Embarcadero waterfront. Bringing together more than 700 reporters, broadcast anchors, editors, and media executives, the gathering offers a vibrant platform for skill-building workshops, panel discussions on emerging press freedom challenges, and mentorship opportunities for student storytellers eager to carry the torch forward.
The San Francisco Bay Times is honored to have been selected as the recipient of the NLGJA’s 2026 Legacy Award, recognizing the nearly half a century of community service and historic local publishing of the paper. Uniquely, the award recognizes the entire team, so many Bay Times team members—representing its earliest years to the present—are planning to attend the award ceremony on the evening of September 12.
The cover of this issue shows just some of the many accomplished individuals nationwide who have been associated with the NLGJA: through governance, other support, and as honorees. Included is Bay Times founding news editor Randy Alfred. He is a founding member and board director of the NLGJA, the co-creator of the first NLGJA stylebook, a lifetime member and advocate of the organization, and an inductee (2015) of the prestigious Journalists Hall of Fame. Take time to learn more about him and other NLGJA awardees at https://bit.ly/4x6DMz3
When the NLGJA was founded in 1990, the LGBTQ+ community was severely impacted by the height of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, facing devastating loss of life alongside widespread institutional neglect, medical discrimination, and societal fear. Additionally, queer individuals lacked basic legal protections against employment and housing discrimination, while pervasive cultural stigma and anti-sodomy laws effectively criminalized LGBTQ+ identity and relationships.
While immense progress has been made on all of these fronts, the LGBTQ+ community still faces a wave of legislative pushback—particularly targeting transgender rights through healthcare restrictions, school curriculum bans, and public accommodation limitations—alongside ongoing health disparities, systemic workplace discrimination, and rising rhetoric that threatens safety and mental well-being. The NLGJA therefore remains as needed and relevant as ever, with this year’s gathering in San Francisco reaffirming the enduring spirit of Aarons’ vision: that storytelling, grounded in truth and personal integrity, has the power to change both newsrooms and the world. https://www.nlgja.org/
The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists
Published on September 10, 2026
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