A popular 1980s slogan in the LGBTQ+ community was We are everywhere. We truly are part of every profession, every race, gender, class, religion, and more.Just as other communities have media outlets that take a by us, for us approach to news and information, there has been a gay press in fits and starts going all the way back to 1924, when a U.S. postal worker named Henry Gerber and his pals launched Friendship & Freedom in Chicago. The police arrested Gerber and shut the newsletter down.More than 100 years later, the state of LGBTQ+ media might be better than what Gerber experienced, but due to discrimination and political headwinds including corporate backsliding on diversity marketing there is a struggle to serve the community with strong local LGBTQ+ journalism.Which is why I set out in late 2024 to start to document the current state of local LGBTQ+ media in the U.S. Thanks to a grant from the MacArthur Foundation, The LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project, hubbed at the News is Out collaborative sponsored by the Local Media Foundation, is now available. With a map developed by City University of New Yorks Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Center for Community Media, we have a better sense of the strengths and weaknesses facing this niche within the media world.Tracy BaimWhile I had published a book on LGBTQ+ media several years ago (Gay Press, Gay Power), I still was not prepared for just how precarious this media ecosystem is today. Our report found 18 states with no LGBTQ+ media and that many city-based media are unable to cover their entire states. Millions of people have no local LGBTQ+ media coverage.During focus groups, we asked the publishers and editors just what needs they have, beyond an obvious infusion of cash. They are seeking to diversify their revenues, to adapt to new technologies, grow their audiences, and to better serve neighboring communities. There are a wide range of recommendations in the report, things the outlets themselves see could be valuable.Philanthropy has barely stepped into this part of the media universe in part because almost all LGBTQ+ media, both local and national outlets surveyed, are for-profit. But now that more funders see a need to support local for-profit media, this could open up an opportunity to support more of these outlets. Given the political backlash against the community, now is not the time to push these businesses to become non-profit, as that could be a new single-point failure.Our report also found that during this time of crisis, there has been a surge in audience, and more willingness to work together. The participants in this research indicated a strong willingness to collaborate across both business and editorial opportunities. But such efforts require an investment of both time and money. Support is needed.We surveyed both legendary local LGBTQ+ newspapers and newer online outlets. More research should be done on the creator/influencer world, which includes many LGBTQ+ people. And while local LGBTQ+ media was the primary focus of this research, we did survey national LGBTQ+ media. I was surprised how precarious many of these outlets are as well.The entire LGBTQ+ media universe could use a strategic plan and an infusion of new resources, which I hope funders will step up to support.In the meantime, readers can support LGBTQ+ media by signing up for their newsletters, and donating or subscribing if they have those options.Please see the report for a full slate of recommendations, here: https://newsisout.com/lgbtq-media-mapping/. The map is hosted on the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism website here: https://lgbtqmediamap.journalism.cuny.edu/ . We will update the map as new outlets are found; indeed, we have already added new dots to the map.Tracy Baim is the co-author of The LGBTQ+ Media Mapping Project report with Hanna Siemaszko. She is the co-founder of the 40-year-old Windy City Times LGBTQ+ newspaper, and is the executive director of Press Forward Chicago, a journalism pooled fund part of the national Press Forward movement.The post New report: We are everywhere Our LGBTQ+ media are not appeared first on News Is Out.