Dear readers,

Seattle Gay News was founded in 1977. George Bakan was at the helm of the paper from 1983 until his death in 2020.

I was born in 1995.

Worse, I was born in California in 1995.

I am very much an outsider when it comes to the history and culture of the SGN, but here I am, having stumbled accidentally into a position of authority once held by a giant.

I didn't know George.

Those who did have a lot of opinions on the man, but they all agree on one thing: He was a fighter.

By all accounts, he was a storm of a man whose life was dedicated to keeping this paper alive with the greater purpose of serving the LGBTQIA+ community.

That tooth-and-nail grit is still here — with the staff that stayed after his passing and with the newcomers. "To survival!" has become a combination celebratory cheer and call to action around the office in the last few weeks. A half- joke in the world of print, but damned if it doesn't make me laugh every time.

We have been working hard to bring the SGN, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century. That means branching out into multimedia projects like our new podcast Radio SGN. It means rebranding to ensure our readers know immediately that we are an all-inclusive community newspaper. It means our Publisher bought us a laptop.

Times truly are changing.

This Pride month, our team is looking at the horizon, but we won't forget what's behind us. We wouldn't be here today if it weren't for the activism, loyalty, and sacrifice of those who came before us. They sowed the seeds and tended the garden, and now we're here to keep it growing.

There's been a lot of talk about the future around here lately. What's next? The general consensus is that we don't know, but we're excited to find out.

Nobody knows what the future holds. If they tell you otherwise, they're selling you something. Our paper is free.

On behalf of all of us, thank you for your support through the years. We will fight to be here for you as you have for us.

Sincerely amidst the chaos,

A.V. Eichenbaum

SGN Associate Editor