The Advocate
U.S. left (LGBTQ-focused progressive)
Background
The Advocate was founded in September 1967 in Los Angeles as a community newsletter by the activist group Personal Rights in Defense and Education (PRIDE), initially responding to police raids on gay bars such as the Black Cat Tavern. By 1968 the paper was sold for one dollar to Dick Michaels and Bill Rand, and by 1969 it had been renamed The Advocate and begun national distribution. Investment banker David B. Goodstein purchased it in 1974 and transformed it into a professional bi-weekly national news magazine. It passed through several ownership changes over subsequent decades, including Planet Out, Here Media, and Pride Media, whose owners at one point drew criticism for not publicly identifying as LGBTQ+. In June 2022, Equal Entertainment LLC acquired Pride Media and rebranded as equalpride, restoring LGBTQ+ ownership. Media Bias/Fact Check rates The Advocate as left-biased with high factual reliability. In early 2026, equalpride laid off several senior staff—including The Advocate's editor-in-chief—citing turbulence in the advertising market, and simultaneously acquired the LGBTQ+ brand Them from Condé Nast. Throughout the second Trump term, the outlet has explicitly committed to criticizing administration policies it views as harmful to LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender Americans.
Sources
- About The Advocate | Advocate.com
- The Advocate - Bias and Credibility - Media Bias/Fact Check
- The Advocate Media Bias | AllSides
- The Advocate (magazine) - Wikipedia
- Pride Media, Home to Out Magazine and The Advocate, Returns to LGBTQ Ownership | Mediaite
- Out Magazine, The Advocate Sold to New Owners in Pride Media Acquisition | Hollywood Reporter
- After layoffs at Advocate, parent company acquires 'Them' from Condé Nast | Washington Blade
- Donald Trump isn't going anywhere. But neither are we. Here's our promise to you, our readers. | Advocate.com
Profile compiled 2026-08-01; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.