I was going to post the press release but I thought I would open it up and let you in on the real story of how this happened.
Six months ago GayRVA founder Kevin Clay approached me about working together. It made sense to me, we had a similar mission.
RVA was born to be a platform for a creative community that was being underrepresented by all media in Richmond and ignored by city government--an outlet for a repressed and frustrated youth culture that the powers in control went out of their way to keep under the radar.
Kevin founded GayRVA as a way for a vibrant but hidden LGBT community to have a mainstream voice in one of the most conservative states in the country--a project that could connect the many different viewpoints and concerns of a diverse community to fight for equality, along with the right to party.
So when he asked me to work closely with GayRVA, it was easy to say yes. Little did I know that this conversation would lead to us being asked to continue the GayRVA mission without him. Think about that responsibility. Every community needs a genuine voice to represent them. Everyone needs an outlet that can help them be heard. Could you do that? I wasn't sure I was that person, but the more I talked with Kevin about what GayRVA meant to him, the more it made sense that RVA Magazine take that next step along with GayRVA, and continue the evolution of both projects.
RVA Magazine and GayRVA both envision a Richmond that can one day embrace all forms of artistic expression, and all people regardless of sexual orientation or color--a city in which we are free to express ourselves and to be ourselves. Working together, maybe we can get there. Tomorrow is a new day.
sincerely,
Anthony, publisher of RVA Magazine + GayRVA
We have a lot to do. If you would like to help, get in touch with GayRVA's new editor-in-chief, Brad Kutner: editor@gayrva.com