The Advocate, recognized as the United States’ longest-running LGBTQ+ magazine, announced a fresh fundraising initiative as it approaches its 60th year of publication. At a time when anti-LGBTQ+ bills are proliferating and misinformation threatens community safety, the outlet is turning to a nonprofit model to protect its investigative capacity and cultural relevance. The new structure, called the Advocate Journalism Project, will channel contributions from individuals, foundations and corporations into a dedicated pool that supports original reporting, in-depth investigations and the training of emerging queer journalists. By preserving both its daily digital output at and its historic print edition, the project seeks to reach readers across the country, including the estimated 81 million Americans who lack home broadband access.
Why the Advocate Journalism Project matters now
In an era of mounting legislative assaults on queer rights, a reliable source of independent LGBTQ+ journalism becomes a public-health asset. The project’s mission is to expand the magazine’s ability to document lived experiences, expose threats to the community and hold powerful institutions accountable. “Queer-focused print and digital journalism serves as a vital tool for community safety,” says Mark Berryhill, CEO of equalpride, the publisher behind the magazine. He adds that the newsroom acts as a watchdog, connecting marginalized voices and producing stories that seldom appear elsewhere, thereby driving real social change.
From a 1967 police raid to a national queer archive
The Advocate’s origins trace back to a dramatic police raid on Los Angeles’s Black Cat Tavern in early 1967. The illegal sweep, which involved arrests and beatings of patrons celebrating New Year’s, sparked a wave of protests against police brutality and helped catalyze early LGBTQ+ organizing. Later that September, the gay-rights group Personal Rights in Defense and Education—known as PRIDE—released a newsletter titled The Advocate, laying the groundwork for today’s magazine. Over the decades the publication chronicled the AIDS crisis, marriage-equality battles, transgender electoral victories and countless personal narratives, becoming the sole surviving national print and digital outlet founded before the 1969 Stonewall uprising. Its extensive archive now resides with ONE Archives at USC Libraries, preserving a visual and textual record of queer history.
How donations will sustain the next chapter
Contributions to the Advocate Journalism Project will fund three core pillars: robust storytelling, rigorous investigative work and the development of the next generation of queer reporters. Money will enable reporters to file public-record requests, travel for on-the-ground coverage, and produce feature pieces that celebrate resilience and joy alongside hard-hitting analysis. Additionally, a portion of the budget will safeguard the print edition and its physical archive, ensuring that the magazine remains accessible to the 81 million Americans without reliable internet. Donations can be made as a one-time gift or as a recurring monthly pledge, and the fund welcomes legacy gifts, grant partnerships and corporate sponsorships. The initiative is fiscally sponsored by Independent Arts & Media, a four-star nonprofit on Charity Navigator, making all contributions tax-deductible where allowed by law.
