THE FOUNDING · A TWO-CITY STORY
A living archive started by two writers, sustained by thousands.
The network began in a one-bedroom apartment on 16th Street in March 2009. It now runs two newsrooms, a 187,000-article archive, and the largest open-submission queer publishing platform in North America. Here is how it happened — in two parallel tracks.
CHAPTER ONE · SAN FRANCISCO · 2009
Two writers, one kitchen table, no paywalls.
In March 2009, journalist Marcus Chen and writer Devon Reyes pooled $4,200 in savings, set up a WordPress install on a refurbished G4 desktop, and opened submissions to the public. There was no business plan, no advertising deck, and no editor-in-chief title. There was a single promise to the first fifty contributors: every accepted essay would be published uncensored, paid a modest honorarium, and preserved in a permanent archive.
The site launched with six contributing writers in June 2009. By December, that number had grown to ninety. The editorial pitch — sharp personal writing on queer life, free to read and free to write — found an audience that mainstream outlets had quietly stopped serving.
- Founded: March 2009, 16th Street, San Francisco
- Co-founders: Marcus Chen & Devon Reyes
- First published essay: June 14, 2009
- Launch staff: 2 editors, 6 contributors
CHAPTER TWO · BROOKLYN & BERLIN · 2014 → TODAY
From a kitchen table to two newsrooms, owned by the people who write it.
The network moved its headquarters to 147 N 6th Street in Brooklyn in 2014 as the staff grew past twenty full-time editors. In 2021, a satellite newsroom opened in Berlin to cover European queer politics, trans rights legislation, and the continent's drag and club scenes — making GayBloggers the only major English-language queer publisher with permanent editorial staff on both sides of the Atlantic.
In 2023, the network incorporated as a member-supported nonprofit publisher. Readers fund 78% of operating costs directly; the remainder comes from foundation grants and a small, deliberately capped sponsor program. There are still no paywalls on editorial content, and the archive of 187,000+ articles remains open to the public.
- HQ: 147 N 6th Street, Suite 4B, Brooklyn, NY 11249
- Berlin newsroom opened: October 2021
- Incorporated as: GayBloggers Media Network, Inc., 2023
- Full-time staff today: 42 editors, plus 380 volunteer section editors
THE NEXT CHAPTER · YOURS
Read the latest from 4,800+ queer writers — or pitch your own story to the network.
The archive grows by roughly 380 essays a month. It grows because readers open it, and because new writers keep sending in work that deserves to live somewhere honest.
For readers.
Open the front page. Browse the verticals. Subscribe to the weekly newsletter and the archive will come to your inbox every Sunday morning.
Read the Latest Stories
For writers.
The submissions desk reads every pitch within fourteen days. Bring us your sharpest, weirdest, most personal work — we'll find the right section editor for it.
Pitch Your Story
Or write to the editors directly: [email protected] · 147 N 6th Street, Suite 4B, Brooklyn, NY 11249
