TL;DR: Information is a tool for liberation. And investigative journalism is the lifeblood of LGBTQIA+ activism. The Good Law Project will support QueerAF in a partnership that will allow us to hire a part-time investigative journalist and create a news and investigations fund for emerging journalists to pitch to.
Investigative journalism is a revered art - one that has been documented in books, films, TV shows and art.
Journalism's power to track stories as they happen and reveal scoops that set global agendas is not always seen in real time.
However, the swell of consistent investigative journalism is looked back on in history as a pivotal part of social change.
This is how we fight back, with information at our fingertips, to hold power to account and march forward.
QueerAF was founded to embody and set into action a theory of change. At the heart of that is a plan to develop a new generation of resilient LGBTQIA+ creatives who can go on to change the way stories about queer lives are told.
We started off as we mean to carry on - in our first three years, we've mentored 100 queer creatives to bring the LGBTQIA+ community the content it needs to stay informed and to fight back with.
From day one, that has meant that, in addition to the work we do to interpret the headlines that impact our community, we have had to invest in investigative journalism of our own that the media industry has failed to produce.
The stories we broke weren't getting the attention they deserved, and we knew that we needed to spread the word so our community could take action. In the last year alone, we've covered:
- How hundreds of transgender patients are being denied care, on the basis of discrimination alone, by GPs.
- Our ongoing coverage of cover-ups of the numbers of young trans suicides in order to better suit anti-trans government narratives.
- Plans that are tantamount to forcing some young trans people to detransition or for parents to face safeguarding referrals.
That kind of coverage has stretched our humble resources even with our slow news approach that takes time to do justice to stories.
And let's face it, we sadly haven't seen a slow LGBTQIA+ news cycle since even well before the Supreme Court ruling which has so greatly impacted our community.
Since that ruling, the Good Law Project has announced a raft of legal actions and activities at the forefront of the fight to protect Trans+ rights. This at a time when the LGBTQIA+ community weathers the latest storm of efforts to erode the progress we fought so hard for in recent times.
They've also recognised the vital nature journalism like ours plays in ensuring the truth prevails in the media and have now invested in their own investigative journalist resource to cover their pivotal work.
As our growing base of members defines our editorial focus, we have heard you voice the need for more investigative journalism.
We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with the Good Law Project, who are going to enable us to pursue stories that matter to our community.
Jolyon Maugham, founder and director of the Good Law Project said:
"I'm super proud that Good Law Project is supporting QueerAF, which I've followed since it launched. Trans people deserve an outlet that doesn't qualify or negotiate their existence - and QueerAF celebrates trans lives, without condition."
Thanks to their support, we have launched the recruitment process to hire a part-time lead investigative journalist, ensuring QueerAF can independently deliver regular, exclusive investigations in our free weekly newsletter.
We'll also soon announce an investigations and news fund where freelance journalists can pitch to write news, explainers, and investigations with QueerAF.
Like all of our pitch and mentoring schemes, these will be aimed at those looking to build their craft. In addition to publishing vital news, they'll receive the mentoring, strategic communication, and journalistic skills sessions we provide to all our writers, helping them develop their artistry, craft, and portfolio.
Jamie Wareham, founder and director of QueerAF said:
"We are fiercely protective of our editorial independence, and so this support from the Good Law Project is built into an agreement that says you, our subscriber community, define QueerAF's stories and focus, not any outside influence. We're incredibly grateful for that vote of confidence in our journalistic independence - and the value of it."
What this support will allow us to do is give us more freedom to invest in new, original stories. We'll release more in-depth, accessible explainers of what's happening in the courts.
And crucially, it will mean we can continue to bring you even more of the information you need to fight back.
We are QueerAF. And so are you.
