This magazine is bucking the trend and succeeding

A lot has happened since several friends and I decided to begin publishing the Las Vegas Spectrum. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading and will for some time to come. Here are a few items we’ll share.

There are many divisions in our community. The organizations and generally the leaders of those organizations are established. Most aren’t going anywhere. We could find fault with many but realize we’re not perfect either. We can all improve on what and how we do things. If we trashed every individual and every group we found issues with, invariably everyone would hate us and we would still have to look in the mirror. Instead, we choose to promote what is good, what is healthy about our community.

Why print is not dead

In the history of the LGBTQ press, there has never been an effective way to reach much of our community. Whether it was ONE Magazine, widely recognized as the first gay publication in the US, circa 1952, to today’s online press.

That changed with the advent of same-gender marriage licenses which are in the public domain. We invested thousands of dollars to access part of that list. We need a few thousand more to buy and process the balance.

Currently, we have about 6,500 same-gender marriage list. We estimate we’ll have a Southern Nevada list of nearly 18,000 when done. There are many in the LGBTQIA+ spectrum that aren’t coupled with the same gender, who are single or those we can’t recognize from public records. We offer free copies at over 110 locations throughout the valley.

This list, when completed, has the potential to change the LGBTQ political landscape. We believe we’re the first to ever create an LGBTQ mailing list from public records.

Politically, this could put our community on the map. If this is something you would be interested in funding, we’re looking for help to complete this project.

The ads make it happen

Advertising keeps the presses running plus it seems we single-handedly keep the USPS afloat. Las Vegas is an urban area that is actually run by a few major corporations and a lot of small, mom-and-pop operations.

Just knowing who to talk to at the major corporations, trying to get them to commit to advertising and hitting them at their unpredictable budget cycles, is a herculean effort. If you’re reading this and can offer advice or offer contacts, your input is always welcome.

While the Spectrum is a success, we need to hire staff and increase our distribution. Most of our staff works freelance and our key people work because they’re committed to this project.

If you want to help, consider advertising or consider subscribing. While the bulk of our mailed copies are sent gratis, we offer subscriptions that start at $9.95 per year but we also have categories that are “sponsorships,” ranging from $125 to $5,000. So far, our top donor is at the $500 level, but just one for $5,000 would allow us to complete our mailing list.