By Sophie Perry, Founder of the LGBTQ+ Journalism Network
LGBTQ+ stories have always been important to me, that is why I started the LGBTQ+ Journalism Network.
When I decided I wanted to be a journalist, I knew I wanted to tell LGBTQ+ stories.
Growing up, I cannot remember seeing LGBTQ+ media anywhere. Our magazines were placed on the top shelf and documentaries were after the watershed, hidden away like a dirty secret.
To be honest, I did not even know LGBTQ+ media was a specific thing until I was a teenager and I stumbled across publications like Gay Times, AfterEllen and Autostraddle while late-night scrolling on my family’s desktop computer.
At a time when I was struggling with my sexuality, I felt like the only gay person in existence. But those articles opened up a whole new world for me – a light at the end of the tunnel.
Although I was involved in student journalism throughout my undergraduate and postgraduate studies, it was not until I graduated that it occurred to me that I could make journalism a career.
After graduation, and during the first national lockdown, I managed to score some work experience with DIVA Magazine, a world-leading magazine for LGBTQI women and non-binary people.
My time working remotely with DIVA was an eye-opening, fantastic experience. It gave me an insight into the media and confirmed that LGBTQ+ stories were my passion.
I was determined to get into journalism and tell stories that matter to my community. I began freelancing and undertook my NCTJ studies, having stories published about LGBTQ+ conversion therapy, the false progressiveness of LGBTQ+ representation and what Naya Rivera meant to queer women.
Then, in January this year, I was reading about groups such as Women in Journalism and We Are Black Journos. They do great work for their communities.
I wanted to join a similar group for LGBTQ+ journalists. However, unbelievably, such a group did not exist.
I was shocked that in 2022 there was not a space in the industry for LGBTQ+ journalists to come together and connect.
My annoyance turned to determination and the LGBTQ+ Journalism Network was born.
The LGBTQ+ Journalism Network is a community space for journalists to connect, network, share their big wins and find support. The group showcases the important role LGBTQ+ journalists play in newsrooms up and down the country.
This is why the LGBTQ+ Journalism Network and QueerAF have collaborated on A Journalist Like Me, to showcase the vibrant, unique and valuable stories and experiences of LGBTQ+ journalists in 2022.
Our voices, our stories and our perspectives have always mattered, and they always will.
All the details on how to pitch for Journalist Like Me are now available. The series is open to all, from those just starting their career to established queer media professionals who are opening doors for the rest of us.
About LGBTQ+ Journalism Network
The LGBTQ+ Journalism Network is a space for LGBTQ+ journalists across the UK – and at any stage of their career – to find, support and learn from each other. LGBTQ+ journalists have always existed and the network celebrates their work, encourages them and aims to encourage a new generation.
About QueerAF
QueerAF is an independent platform launching the careers of emerging and LGBTQIA+ creatives driven by members, not advertisers. As a not-for-profit publisher, we redirect our funds from our weekly newsletter into helping marginalised queer people build a media career, so they can work in the industry – to change it.
LGBTQ+ Journalism Network 