A room full of LGBTQ+ achievers heard a practical appeal from Eugene Daniels at the 2026 Out100 gala in Los Angeles: support the journalism that records queer life as it unfolds. The MS NOW host made the case for The Advocate Journalism Project, a fundraising initiative designed to fund reporting and preserve the magazine’s archive as it approaches its 60th anniversary.

Essential Takeaways

  • A call to support reporting: Daniels urged gala guests to back The Advocate Journalism Project.
  • What donations could fund: The initiative aims to support investigations, multimedia work, fellowships and internships.
  • A free-reading promise: Its plans include keeping online journalism free and protecting the print archive.
  • A long history: The Advocate began in the wake of LGBTQ+ organising after the 1967 Black Cat Tavern raid.
  • A night of celebration: The 2026 Out100 gala also honoured LGBTQ+ figures and paid tribute to Dolly Parton.

Eugene Daniels turned celebration into a call to action

At the 2026 Out100 gala in Los Angeles, Eugene Daniels had a simple request for the room: “So some of y’all got some money, open your pockets.” The MS NOW host was celebrating LGBTQ+ honourees, but he also wanted them to help fund The Advocate Journalism Project, a new nonprofit initiative supporting queer journalism and its archive.

The proposal is more than a fundraising appeal. It aims to support journalists and investigations, extend reporting from Washington, D.C., produce documentaries and other multimedia work, and create fellowships and internships. The project also plans to keep online reporting free and protect The Advocate’s print archive.

Why The Advocate’s archive matters

The Advocate traces its beginnings to LGBTQ+ organising after police raided the Black Cat Tavern in Los Angeles during New Year celebrations in 1967. The publication went on to document the AIDS crisis, marriage equality and generations of LGBTQ+ cultural and political life. With its 60th anniversary approaching in 2027, preserving that record is part of the project’s stated purpose.

The Advocate’s announcement describes the initiative as a way to strengthen independent LGBTQ+ journalism, support original and investigative reporting, and train emerging journalists. Equalpride chief executive Mark Berryhill has said queer-focused journalism can connect marginalised voices, challenge harmful narratives and hold powerful people accountable.

Daniels knows how reporting travels

Daniels has worked across print, digital journalism and television. Before becoming a senior Washington reporter and co-host of The Weekend, he worked at Politico as a White House correspondent and chief Playbook correspondent. He also co-hosts Clock It with Symone Sanders Townsend, a podcast exploring politics and popular culture.

His The Weekend co-host Jonathan Capehart was also among the Out100 honourees. Daniels has spoken about looking up to Capehart as a journalist who wrote, hosted a podcast and appeared on television; now, the two share a desk. Their partnership also reflects a milestone in representation: the pair are openly gay Black men co-hosting a national television programme.

Print can still open a door

Daniels made the case for print at the gala, recalling how readers once sought out queer magazines in bookshops. A magazine could carry the news, but it could also offer a glimpse of a community someone might not yet feel ready to enter. That history gives the archive a human dimension: it’s not only a record of events, but a record of people finding their way towards belonging.

The gala offered another reminder of that power. Actor Andrew Scott, accepting Out’s Icon of the Year award, recalled being afraid even to glance at a magazine cover while growing up in Dublin. At the event, he was the cover star being celebrated, with Lisa Kudrow introducing him.

Dolly Parton’s tribute brought warmth to the room

The evening also honoured Dolly Parton, with her longtime friend and 9 to 5 co-star Lily Tomlin remembering her as an ally to LGBTQ+ people. Tomlin said, “You can be a Christian girl from Tennessee who loves transgender people.” Stella Parton accepted The Advocate’s Advocate of the Year award on behalf of her late sister and encouraged the audience to hold on to Dolly’s optimism and hope.

It’s a fitting note for a night centred on recognition and memory. Daniels’s appeal was ultimately about making sure queer stories keep being reported, shared and saved for the next generation.

Explore The Advocate Journalism Project if you’d like to help keep those stories coming.

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