This was originally published as part of Gonzo Notes, my newsletter. You can subscribe for free!
As we slide into Spring, I find myself at a bit of a turning point. I’ve been out of work and freelancing for just over a year now, without luck at finding a permanent position to replace the Texas Observer. Unemployment just ran out. So it’s time for me to take stock of myself, and the industry.
Over the past year, I’ve found success as a freelance reporter, and grown my readership on sites like Bluesky. At the same time, my job search has been fruitless; the closest I got to being hired over the past year was at an environmental nonprofit, not at a press publication. Despite all my accomplishments, I’ve averaged less than one job interview a month. Unemployment helped me make ends meet between assignments, but it also forced me to spend time applying for jobs I didn’t actually want.
I still hope that someday I’ll find a home at another publication that values queer, opinionated voices like mine. However, I’m starting to feel like that role might not exist right now. In the meantime, there are still stories I need to tell.
As the rights of queer and transgender people are under attack, at a time when you can get fired just for having pronouns in your bio, you would think publications would be eager to hire members of the LGBTQIA+ community to amplify our voices and our struggle against Republicans’ attempted genocide. Unfortunately, while there are many talented trans and enby journalists out there, the industry as a whole has yet to fully recognize the importance of centering our stories and amplifying our reporting. The New York Times OpEd team recently declared trans issues largely insignificant and, for all we wish otherwise, they still set the tone of the industry. After every wave of layoffs, there’s fewer jobs for reporters who focus on marginalized voices, and more of us looking for work. Meanwhile, writers are being replaced with AI that defends the Klan. Journalism is in worse shape than ever in my lifetime.
I’m not giving up. Not on being a journalist, anyway. Some of the best journalists around right now are indie journos, working on their own or in small teams — people like Molly White or 404 Media. They’re succeeding outside of the traditional media ecosystem, but I know how challenging that can be.
I am going to try to wear fewer hats for a little while and focus primarily on my freelance assignments and my writing which I publish on my Patreon and homepage. Of course, that means giving up, temporarily at least, on having benefits like paid vacations, or health insurance which I don’t pay for out of pocket on the marketplace.
I’m going to need your help. If I’m going to succeed as an independent journalist, it will be because of my readers and supporters. If you’re reading this now, you can play a part by spreading my work to more people.
How to Help Kit
I’m going to do my best to keep you up to date on what I’m working on with posts like this one. I’ll also share more of my work directly with readers on Patreon and my homepage. That includes more vital, informative conversations from the interviews I conduct, since so much of what we talk about never makes it into my articles. In return, you can help me out by …
- Joining my Patreon as a paid OR free member,
- Following me on social media (Bsky or Mastodon especially) and sharing my work wherever you post,
- Subscribe to my newsletter,
- Join my Discord.
- Share my writing with your friends and family.
