Of the numerous reactions to the election of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States – fear, anger, anxiety, disbelief – one of the common ones that emerged was a desire to get more involved in the electoral process, whether through a new or rededicated commitment to LGBT activism or an entry into politics. That same reaction was felt here with the Georgia Voice staff.
For me personally, it made me think about what kind of role I want to have in the conversation going forward. What opportunities were there within my grasp that I could utilize to report on and speak out for Georgia’s LGBT community? For my community.
On that note, some of you may have noticed the “interim editor” tag on my title for the past few months. The editor position is one that I’ve resisted pursuing for one reason or another, a major one being that I wanted to stay in the thick of things on the ground as the lead reporter for Georgia Voice. But circumstances have changed.
That being said, I’m honored to accept the position as the next editor of Georgia Voice.
It’s a position I promise you I will never take lightly, and I’m grateful to Tim Boyd and Chris Cash for giving me the opportunity. I also promise to stay just as deep in the thick of things as before, albeit in a somewhat different capacity.
And I promise you that we will, to the best of our abilities, tell the stories of everyone in our community. Intersectionality is not a concept I take lightly, and I am well aware of my privilege as a white, cisgender gay man.
With this change will come others that I hope you’ll be as excited about as I am. First off, of course, is introducing our new deputy editor, Dallas Duncan. Dallas is an excellent reporter who we’re very excited to have on board, and if you haven’t met her yet, you’re sure to in the coming weeks and months.
We’re also expanding our reach by adding new distribution points for our bi-weekly print product – so yes, we have heard you, OTP folks, and you’ll be able to pick up the latest copy of Georgia Voice near you soon.
We’ll also be making some changes to our online product in the weeks ahead, some more significant than others, but all done in order to make your online experience a better and more efficient one.
We’re also working on new ways to bring you more innovative, interactive coverage via social media, so keep an eye out for that. And get ready to see a lot more use of video in our coverage as well.
And now that we have a full editorial staff again, we’re ready to bring you the hard-hitting, in-depth stories and breaking news you’ve come to expect from us – not to mention the A&E, community and other news you’ve always enjoyed. That means Jim Farmer will continue to bring you the best theater, film and events coverage and Cliff Bostock will continue to give you the scoop on the city’s dining scene.
Like hearing opinions? Our featured columnists Melissa Carter, Ryan Lee, Ashleigh Atwell, Simon Williamson and Bill Kaelin are bringing it hard again in 2017.
Lastly, we want to hear from you. What’s got you fired up? What can we do better? What’s your story? Let me know by sending an email to editor@thegavoice.com.
It’s a new year with new opportunities and new challenges. Let’s tackle them together.