LOOKOUT helps lead national cohort of LGBTQ+ news outlets for upcoming election coverage

From hyper local to federal elections, LGBTQ+ issues are on just about every single ballot across America. 

It’s something not seen in recent memory, with issues facing the transgender community, drag performers, school districts, and access to healthcare becoming a top-line issue for candidates running in this upcoming election. 

And while many news outlets are treating these campaigns as footnotes—or focusing merely on federal races—LOOKOUT is working alongside 10 other news outlets across the country to cover the Nov. 5 election with a focus on down-ballot candidates and ballot initiatives that directly impact our community. 

The cohort of 11 newsrooms, called the Queer News Network—or QNN, aims to emphasize the importance of insightful coverage that speaks to the exploitation of anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and violence in the upcoming election. 

From October 1 to November 12, participating newsrooms will identify candidates and contribute content to a comprehensive news site, queernn.com, which will serve as a central hub for queer voters and their allies across the U.S. 

QNN is recruiting students from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where students will work out of leading up to and on Election Day.

Eight students will be chosen from the school to work with editors of the network and managed by LOOKOUT Editor in Chief Joseph Darius Jaafari to monitor campaigns leading up to and during the election week. 

Alongside LOOKOUT, QNN is governed by two other newsrooms: QVegas in Nevada, and Q Voice News in California. 

Participating newsrooms are in four different regions:

• West: Q Voice News (Los Angeles, CA), LOOKOUT (Arizona), QVegas (Las Vegas, NV), Seattle Lesbian (Seattle, WA)
• Central: Illinois Eagle (Illinois), The Gayly (Oklahoma), Queerency (National)
• South: Queer Kentucky (Kentucky), OUT South Florida (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
• Northeast: QBurgh (Pittsburgh, PA), Buckeye Flame (Ohio)

“This is something that is long overdue in LGBTQ+ media, but hasn’t happened because of corporate buyouts, lack of resources, or simply many of our queer newsrooms shuttering their doors,” said Jaafari. “We’re excited to help spearhead this and elevate the election reporting being done by our partner newsrooms to show that queer journalism isn’t just niche—it’s imperative to local democracy.”

QNN’s website will launch on Oct. 1, with overview coverage, and specific candidate coverage beginning the week of October 15. Sign up to get notified of the website launch here.