How sweet it is

A letter to our community from our new Editor-in-Chief

by Morgan Hurley

I’m back in the saddle!

Many of you know me as the former editor of Gay San Diego newspaper. I was recently asked to return to the helm of the LGBTQ San Diego County News. Return? Yes! You see, I left Gay San Diego to pursue other interests in 2017. Gay San Diego was then sold in 2019 and the new owner established this paper. It just changed hands again and the new publisher, local business entrepreneur Eddie Reynoso, asked me to return. 

While I’ve missed writing and being so involved within the community these past 6 years, it was also nice to step back and just be a member of the community for a while. Much has happened, and of course COVID. 

Eddie, Benny Cartwright and I all met at San Diego Gay & Lesbian News (sdgln.com); Benny and I helped launch the online media source in 2009, and Eddie joined the sales and marketing team soon after. In the years since, we’ve stayed close and seen each other through ups and downs, watched as we attained victories and endured harsh circumstances, and have always been there for one another. We are integral parts of our individual circle of friends and each of us is proud of our individual accomplishments and what we have each contributed to the greater community, as well. 

We decided joining together on this venture would be a positive thing; we have the combined experience to do so and are emotionally and historically invested in its success. In addition, Vince Meehan, our graphics designer, used to work with me at the group of papers that made up San Diego Community News Network (San Diego Downtown News, Uptown News, Gay San Diego, Mission Valley News, Mission Times Courier, and La Mesa Courier). Plus, he has been a dedicated ally and volunteer to the community for nearly a decade. So I’d say we have a pretty darn solid foundation here to move forward with.

Of course with a new team, there will always be changes; some will take shape in the layout, others in contributors, and also in what is represented across these pages and how. 

First and foremost, you will immediately notice that we are starting out with a smaller, tighter paper and a renewed commitment to the local, state, and national LGBTQ news that impacts our daily lives.

I’m also bringing back the Opinion (OpEd) page; we will have monthly opinion pieces and I encourage readers to submit their own editorials when they have something to say. Also returning will be the Letters section, which was a very popular aspect of the previous paper and should always be included in any standard print newspaper, especially one that considers itself a “paper of record.”

In addition to our community voices columnists, we will soon also start a new section where Benny will be out and about asking members of the community to give their opinion on a specific question of the month. People love to see themselves in the paper and it empowers them to participate in the news. 

I’m also honored to announce the return of Frank Sabatini Jr. and his popular Foodie Flashes culinary news. He’s been dedicated to the San Diego food and drink scene for decades and was a mainstay in LGBT papers until recently. His quick wit and the wonderful tone of his craft will be a welcome addition to these pages.

We sure hope you come along on this journey with us, we look forward to serving you.

Sincerely,

Morgan