As legislative attacks on trans and queer people continue to escalate in the U.S., queer media is indispensable: It represents a breadth of experiences, community-building efforts and emotions outside of fear. 

But recently, there’s been a community call-out for one of — if not the major — digital queer publication, Autostraddle. When the team’s three subject editors announced their Autostraddle positions were being eliminated on May 22, the organization didn’t initially provide context. Autostraddle readers and members expressed confusion on Twitter about the move — especially since the publication had just run two successful fundraisers in October and March, asking for support to ensure it wouldn’t shut down. 

The loose ends were presumably tied up the next day: Autostraddle CEO/CFO Riese Bernard apologized and said the decision was necessary due to the financial landscape, with the cuts part of the organization downsizing. 

But one of the editors whose position is being eliminated, Ro White, said in the comments that the statement left out some crucial context: They, and the other two subject editors, had met with three members of Autostraddle leadership in mid-April to discuss concerns about job security, since the fundraising language about the publication shutting down was not shared with staff. They received the news about their position being cut via Slack DM.

Earlier this week, a coalition of staff writers and freelancers alike published a statement sharing persistent concerns, calling the firing “worryingly retaliatory” and expressing worry about organizational structure, support for marginalized (particularly Black and trans) readers and staff, and more clarity about Autostraddle’s finances.

Though Autostraddle published its financial reports for members, it did so months late and with the polite request that the graphics not be shared with non-members — rather “enjoyed as a family.” 

The demands by writers bring to the forefront critical questions for newsrooms and readers: What should accountability — to the readers who donate and to the staff whose positions are preserved by them — look like when funding structures rely on community donations? And how should values-driven media have those values reflected in their masthead?

As one user on Twitter put it: “... They’ve decided to specifically eliminate a Black editor, a trans editor and a fat editor. Autostraddle becomes a little more white, a little more cis, a little more thin.”

It’s not a diversity win, this month or any month, for a queer publication that explicitly values transparency in its code of ethics to muddle its word and sidestep questions about a plan for stability — evasive behavior also seen by large media ownership conglomerates. 

Shelli Nicole, Vanessa Friedman, and Ro White — the three Subject Editors who were terminated — explained their individual experiences on Twitter. Their Venmos are shared in the writers’ coalition statement with permission, if you’d like to support them there.

—James Salanga

First, a note from us: We prefer highlighting stories we think you should read in a saturated media environment. But, in light of President Biden and Speaker McCarthy’s deal to strip funding from critical economic programs in exchange for raising the federal debt ceiling, many legacy outlets focused on analyzing the back-and-forth political dealings and potential wins for each side.

Instead, MSNBC commemorated Biden’s “victory lap” after passing the bill, the NYT glowingly praised the President as the “calm man” leading negotiations, and the Associated Press analyzed how Biden and Mccarthy helped “stave off catastrophe.”

Outlets did break how the deal ends the pause on student loan repayments and how it adds certain work requirements in exchange for receiving federal benefits. But coverage was limited in addressing the long-term economic impacts of these cuts. 

Journalists are responsible to their audiences. While some of these outlets have gone as far as to terminate reporters after accusing them of lacking objectivity in reporting, these problems represent the hypocrisy in how objectivity is weaponized to promote the status quo. 

Below, please find some media that is reflective of the sharp reporting and media news we want to highlight. 

—Nawar Nemeh

If the police can decide who qualifies as a journalist, there is no free press: For Truthout, Eleanor Goldfield covers the case of journalist Veronica Coit, detained for covering the evictions of unhoused people in North Carolina, to highlight the danger of giving police near-unilateral power to say what makes a journalist.

Insider Union on strike: Staffers at the organization started an open-ended Unfair Labor Practice strike today at midnight to place additional pressure on management to negotiate a fair contract. Strikers are asking people not to cross the picket line by clicking Insider links and reading the stories, and can be supported financially through the union's strike fund.

The last good website: Danny Funt at the Columbia Journalist Review chronicles a history of Defector and its rise, interviewing staff about their experiences at the cooperatively-owned newsroom, and how employee ownership can produce uniquely incisive reporting. 

Parallels in attacks on journalists, newsrooms across the years: Stephanie Sugar’s report for the Freedom of the Press Foundation’s U.S. Press Freedom Tracker looks at attacks on the press across the country, and how the push for accountability is progressing.

12 days until … the deadline to submit ideas for a SRCCON session. This year’s SRCCON will take place in Minneapolis from October 17-18, with support for travel costs and scholarship tickets available.

($) 12 days until … The Future of Journalism, an in-person discussion with L.A. Times Executive Editor Kevin Merida hosted by the Los Angeles World Affairs Council & Town Hall. Tickets can be purchased online.

19 days until … Transparency, accountability and using data for journalism, a virtual lecture given by Dr. Jingrong Tong, who authored Data for Journalism: Between Transparency and Accountability.

Looking for a job? Here are a few places to look: INN | ONA | JournalismJobs.com | 10 Jobs and a Dog | NABJ | AAJA | NAHJ | NLGJA | @WritersofColor | MEO Jobs | Freelance Journalist Rates | Source Jobs | Opportunities of the Week ($) | West Coast Media Jobs

How about a style guide? Trans Journalist Association | Diversity Style Guide | Tribal Nations Media Guide | NABJ Style Guide | Disability Language Style Guide | AAJA Guide to Covering Asian Pacific America | NAHJ Cultural Competence Handbook |  SPJ Race & Gender Hotline | AMEJA Media Resource Guide | The Press in Prison | The Conscious Style Guide

Thanks for reading our newsletter (and for your patience with us sending it out today). We appreciate you being here, and we’ll have more for you soon.

This issue is by Nawar Nemeh and James Salanga, with edits by Gabe Schneider.