By TJA in community newsletter — May 29, 2024

Looking forward to Pride Month: John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships, Peer Career Network, and IRE24

Introducing the TJA's new community managers. Plus, member spotlights and upcoming events.

Hello! This is Kai Proschan, one of TJA's new community managers. Together with my co-manager, Leo Aquino, we'll curate and send out these monthly newsletters that get you up to speed on all things TJA and trans journalism. We have some exciting member spotlights and journalism events to learn about this week. Plus, a job opening. Without further ado, enjoy!

Member spotlights
TJA Peer Career Network
Journalism Events
Job Listings
Our Events at IRE24
What We're Reading

Member spotlights

TJA member N. Kirkpatrick, a visual reporter at The Washington Post, and their team of over 75 won the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting for the series American Icon on the AR-15. Nick was the lead reporter on “The Blast Effect” a story that animates how bullets fired from an AR-15 destroyed the bodies of two young victims. Nick was also a co-reporter on “Terror on Repeat”, which chronicles the pattern of destruction wrought by the weapon through never-before-published photos, videos, and first-hand accounts from 11 mass shootings.

"I’m proud of the extraordinary degree of transparency we shared with readers in our reporting and editing process and our thoughtful approach to guiding our readers through these disturbing and difficult visuals. I’m most proud of the care we took with the victims’ families and the communities most impacted by these mass killings — it was an important reminder of our duty as journalists to the people we report on. Without their openness and bravery, we couldn’t have told these stories."

Renee Raketty, TJA member.

TJA member Renee Raketty bought Seattle Gay News, one of the U.S.'s oldest LGBTQ+ newspapers!

"I've been associated with the paper on and off for nearly a decade altogether and previously served as Managing Editor, before returning as Editor. I have worked under three publishers. So, I understand what the SGN was, what it is now, and where it should go."

National Queer Theatre brings the Criminal Queerness Festival to New York City this year, and in the lineup is "Waafrika 123: A Queerly Scripted Tragic Rise to African Fantasia" written by TJA member Nick Hadikwa Mwaluko. Read below for a synopsis of the play and where to buy tickets.

On the eve of Kenya’s first democratic elections, the rural village of Luoland is brewing with tension. Although queerness ‘doesn’t exist’ in Kenya, Bobby, an American lesbian, falls in love with Awino, a trans man from the Luo tribe. To complicate matters, Awino’s father is the tribe’s Chief, who steadfastly enforces the tribe’s traditions and codes. When famine strikes, the villagers blame the queer couple, and Awino is sent away to be ‘circumcised’ by force. Will Awino and Bobby have to separate for the good of their community? Or will the village be forced to reckon with change?

⏰ June 26 at 7:00 PM, June 28 at 8:00 PM (Talkback), June 29 at 2:00 PM
📍 Perelman Performing Arts Center, 251 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007
✍️ Buy tickets here

PRSSA Nevada and the TJA held a panel on inclusivity in the current media landscape. Byron Kimball, public relations strategist, and Kim Garcia, media researcher with the Berkeley Media Studies Group, discussed how to reach out to genderqueer and transgender communities appropriately. TJA member Jesse Cabrera organized and recapped the panel on his LinkedIn account. You can watch the full panel here.

announcing head empty brew, a crushable pilsner beer by @RightProperBeer inspired by our debut album “pink balloons”

all proceeds to @TransJA

avail at right proper spots starting June 7

more bars tba 😊 tho tell yr bartenders u want the ekko beer pic.twitter.com/PFwEPZu7O0
— Ekko Astral (@ekkoastral) May 27, 2024

D.C.-area beer-drinkers can support TJA and one of its members' bands by heading to Right Proper bars, with more bars to-be-announced. Jael Holzman's Ekko Astral is releasing the pilsner June 7 in partnership with Right Proper Brewing Company, with proceeds going to TJA. They'll be available on draft at select bars in D.C. for Pride Month, then physical cans in packs at an event TBA in August.

TJA Peer Career Network

TJA board member Adam Rhodes and mentorship program coordinator Tat Bellamy-Walker spoke to URL Media about the TJA's new Peer Career Network.

Tat explained how the Peer Career Network came to be:

I pitched a mentorship program to TJA because I saw a lack of safe spaces for trans journalists to receive support when compared to their cisgender peers. It’s necessary to provide transgender people with professional development opportunities because they’re underrepresented as staffers in newsrooms.

Adam pointed to the importance of this network:

A mentorship program has always been one of the things that members continually ask for, and it’s something our community needs. We are underrepresented across the industry but especially in decision-making roles, so this kind of career coaching and mentorship is crucial.s because they’re underrepresented as staffers in newsrooms.

Learn more about becoming a mentee here: https://members.transjournalists.org/Mentorship

Journalism events

TJA @ EWA

The TJA is planning a panel on covering policies and bills related to trans students in the U.S. public schools at the 77th EWA National Seminar. There will be a small meetup for TJA members and friends—stay tuned for more details.

⏰ May 29-June 1 2024
📍 3400 South Las Vegas Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV
✍️ Members can register here

Info session on the JSK Journalism Fellowship Programs for trans, nonbinary, & gender-expansive journalists

Learn more about the John S. Knight Journalism Fellowships at Stanford University. There will be a presentation from Alberto B. Mendoza, Managing Director for the program, and time for Q&A.

⏰ June 05, 2024, 4 p.m. PT
✍️ Members can register here to receive a Zoom link

June Book Club: “The Race to be Myself” by Caster Semenya

On Wednesday, June 26, 2024 at 8:30 p.m. ET, NLGJA x TJA's book club will gather to discuss “The Race to be Myself” by Caster Semenya. Keep an eye on NLGJA's newsletter for the link and updates, or join the book club channel in the TJA x Allies chat.

⏰ June 26, 2024, 8:30-10 p.m. ET

Job listings

News Developer at The Trace

Are you looking for a new job or another gig? If you lean on the side of data visualization and journalism, this News Developer job at The Trace could be a fit. Check out a description of the job below.

The Trace is hiring a news developer to be a core member of The Gun Violence Data Hub. This new initiative aims to increase the accessibility and use of data in journalism about gun violence.

Application due: June 2, 2024.

💼 Hiring? Post your job on our jobs board or email our listserv
🗃️ Want info about our jobs services? Learn more
🤝 Want to reach our members? Here's how

IRE24

With June right around the corner, IRE24 is getting closer and closer! This schedule is stacked with more than a dozen talks, panels, and sessions — such as "Getting trans issues right in the 2024 elections" and "Investigating hate crimes and bias incidents."

During that weekend, TJA is hosting a networking reception dinner for our members, fellows, the TJA board, and friends. You can still attend this event even if you're not attending the conference. Just RSVP and let us know how many attendees you're bringing.

⏰ Friday, June 21, 2024
📍 RSVP for info
✍️ Members can register here

We'll have outdoor space for COVID safety and indoor space as a bad-weather backup. See you there!

Stay in touch

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