Here are 10 news sites we love for vibrant coverage of the LGBT community — for pride month and beyond
LGBT news sites are covering a lot these days, from global pride marches to politics and entertainment — and for an audience that includes all sexual orientations, gender identities, and diverse backgrounds.
Though it may sometimes seem like the purveyors of LGBT-specific content are dwindling, many blogs, LGBT-focused offshoots of traditional news media, and other sites continue to grow and thrive worldwide.
Pride month is upon us. With rainbows emblazoned all over the digital landscape, we looked at the top 10 sites that are providing the news that matters to this vibrant community and its allies.
1. For in-depth and up-to-date content that happens to be LGBT.
The Advocate is a stalwart of the LGBT media landscape, providing 50 years of in-depth coverage on a variety of topics relevant to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans communities. Launched in Jan. 1967 as a local newsletter in response to a police raid on a gay bar, it transformed into a nationally distributed newspaper within a year and is now a bi-monthly printed magazine and website. Take a look at the trending topics on the homepage to get a feel for what the LGBT community is discussing on any given day.
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2. For bite-sized content that’s kinda mostly gay.
Queerty focuses its attention on the lighter side of gay news and entertainment with a sprinkling of political content that can’t really be avoided by LGBT sites. Its gridlike layout with plenty of photos make it easy to skim and select the next delectable nugget of content, and the callouts on number of shares and comments make it easy to see which stories are engaging readers.
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3. For LGBT news from listicle to longform.
BuzzFeed may not have a fun name for its LGBT section, but that doesn’t stop it from covering content from the seriously awesome to the deliciously random, all in the name of LGBT news. BuzzFeed is known for its millennial audience and tendency toward listicles – a portmanteau of an article in list form, usually heavy on multimedia. But we also love BuzzFeed’s somewhat secretive serious side, with well-written articles on timely topics from a team of LGBT editors and writers. It’s a site that has a little something for any mood and a huge following of engaged readers commenting on the content and on social media.
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4. For LGBT news with a British accent.
PinkNews is a fave LGBT site from across the pond and one that lends a global flavor to the list. PinkNews made its debut in 2005 and quickly garnered attention from readers interested in general, business, entertainment, and travel news and opinions without those pesky country borders. The site claims its content “is now read by more people than any other LGBT+ media in the US or the UK.” Whether that’s true or not, the site does a phenomenal job updating readers on a variety of intriguing topics, with fantastic categories and subcategories for those of us who like to go directly to the content that matters.
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5. For #lesbihonest content from pop culture to politics.
Autostraddle feels like it is the final frontier of lesbian-focused content. It stubbornly retains the attention of its readers with entries as diverse as photoessays, very thorough television recaps of shows with lesbians – yes, of course it includes Orange is the New Black — and what it calls “vapid fluff.” But beneath the sweet nothings of pop culture references and dating comments is a steel backbone of uniting lesbians in the name of content and community. Activist content and features, such as queer girl city guides and local events, unite its predominantly lesbian and bisexual female readers. In fact, it’s safe to say the community supported by the website is as important as the content drawing people in.
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6. For sports news through a rainbow lens.
Outsports tackles a topic traditionally perceived to be less-than-supportive of the LGBT community: sports. Outsports’s small editorial team brings an outsized look at athletes and sporting news, covering a diverse range of sports all over the globe, and bolstered by a strong section of fan-generated photos and stories. This pedigreed blog from 1999 is now owned by Vox Media and connected to SB Nation, a sports media brand with more than 300 fan communities. So we expect to continue reading about out athletes and professional sports teams supporting Pride for years to come.
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7. For an LGBT take on politics from the nation’s capitol.
Washington Blade is one of the oldest sources of LGBT news in the U.S., and its experience is evident in its coverage around the DC metro area, nationally, and internationally. It started as a single-page community newsletter in 1969. Through sheer grit and determination on the part of its readers and dedicated publishers, it made it through bankruptcy to continue offering up content from politics to health to local nightlife hotspots. The Blade is one of the few on this list with a print publication to round out its circulation, and is the go-to option for those on the go who need a little bit of everything at their fingertips.
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8. For LGBT news with a curious sprinkling of science.
Towleroad is, in its words, “news with homosexual tendencies,” covering a mix of science and nature stories, entertainment, politics, gay male culture, trans topics, and general news. Started by Andy Towle in 2003, this blog includes a segment called the Daily Resist, which highlights ongoing absurdity and flaws from political leaders in the U.S. – largely through unedited video clips. The regular cadence of updates keeps readers informed of topics spanning the lighthearted coverage of SNL skits to the treatment of the LGBTQ community overseas.
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9. For when you want your LGBT news to focus on the T.
TransEquality is the only site on the list with a primary purpose other than journalism. Short for the National Center for Transgender Equality, this site is “the nation’s leading social justice advocacy organization winning life-saving change for transgender people.” As part of its advocacy, the site includes tons of great content to inform and educate its readers on trans issues and topics. The blog section is updated irregularly, but contains important information, such as healthcare changes that can affect trans people. The press releases by TransEquality provide more up-to-date reactions and commentary to politics and other items affecting the trans community.
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10. For coverage from the Castro to the Embarcadero (and maybe a little more).
Bay Area Reporter is a weekly newspaper and site updated on Thursdays that focuses on content by and for the LGBT community in the Bay Area. Topics range from local politics to HIV/AIDS coverage and what it may lack in sheer volume – maybe a dozen new posts a week – it makes up for in thorough reporting and relevance for the Bay Area readers.
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Author Alexa Hoffman is PR Newswire’s director of US distribution products, which reaches thousands of outlets as part of the broadest group of US-based journalists, consumers, bloggers and investors in the industry. Follow her at @PRNlgbt, where she co-curates PR Newswire’s Twitter channel dedicated to LGBT news and culture, and connect with her on LinkedIn.
