WASHINGTON — As the saying goes, journalists write the first draft of history. And when it comes to the fight for LGBTQIA+ rights in the D.C. region, no outlet has been more influential than the Washington Blade.
The Blade started as a newsletter back in 1969 and has grown into the newspaper of record for the LGBTQ+ community in D.C.
Kevin Naff, the co-owner and editor of the paper, sat down with WUSA9 to talk about two decades of progress.
“We went from zero affirming federal legislation and a hostile president, to [having] many federal protections now: marriage equality in all 50 states, employment protections through a Supreme Court ruling," Naff said.
Naff, who first arrived at the Blade in 2002, said he felt it was important to celebrate the "lightning speed" at which that these victories were achieved. And yet, he said it was a roller coaster to reach this point.
When Naff got to the Blade, it had been less than a decade since the Clinton administration's directive of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," which prohibited open service in the military; sodomy laws were still on the books in many states; and by 2004, former President George W. Bush was pushing for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.
"There were some very bleak, dark days at the beginning," he said. "Believe me."
According to Naff, the LGBTQ+ movement got its first big win in 2003, with the Supreme Court ruling of Lawrence V. Texas, which found that sodomy laws were unconstitutional.
"That opened the door to all our victories since," Naff said.
In the years that followed, public sentiment began to shift, and acceptance toward the LGBTQ+ community steadily increased. In 2009, Naff recalls the "surreal moment" of being invited to the White House for the first time for a Pride reception.
“Most of the people in that room had been arrested protesting in front of that building," he said. "We had never been invited inside before. So to be invited in and then to hear the nation’s first Black president welcome us and say welcome to your house was a pretty moving moment.”
From there, LGBTQ+ advocates achieved a string of victories. In 2010, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed. In 2012, President Barack Obama indicated that he supported gay marriage. And in 2015, the landmark Supreme Court ruling Obergefell V. Hodges legalized gay marriage nationwide.
"We achieved about 95% of what the movement set out to do," Naff said. "The problem, of course, is that we're seeing the backlash and efforts to roll back all that progress."
Naff wrote about the two decades of progress, and the current challenges, in a new book with an apt title for the moment.
“It’s a long title: 'How we won the war for LGBTQ equality and how our enemies could take it all away,'" he said of his book. "And that second part of the title is unfortunately what we’re seeing now.”
Naff said he has been concerned about the political rhetoric and the legislation targeting the LGBTQ+ community.
"There have been I think nearly 500 bills just this year, mostly targeting transgender rights, health care access, trans youth playing sports, drag shows – 'don’t say gay' laws," he pointed out. "So the backlash is in full swing.”
Amid Pride celebrations in June, Naff said he's hopeful that people will make time to reflect on the challenges that are ahead.
“I want them to enjoy the parade," he said. "We should celebrate. We’ve achieved a lot and I think we should celebrate our wins. But we also should use Pride as a time to learn our history and to recommit to the fight ahead.”
Naff said that whatever challenges lie ahead, the Blade will continue to cover the LGBTQ+ movement, just as they have done for the last 54 years.
“As Barney Frank used to say, 'If you’re not at the table, you’re probably on the menu,'" Naff said. "And the Blade is definitely at the table.”