Scott Gatz founded Q.Digital in 2008 with GayCities and soon after, it became the home for Queerty, LGBTQ Nation, INTO, and Outsports. The media banner became a leading voice in LGBTQ+ media and journalism, providing news that amplifies the diversity within the LGBTQ community.
For the 36th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, Q.Digital was honored with GLAAD’s Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media. The award recognizes a pioneering individual, group, or community media outlet that has made a significant contribution to the development of LGBTQ media. The award is named after Barbara Gittings in recognition of her groundbreaking work as editor of The Ladder, and for her appearances as an out lesbian on national news media throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
We had the opportunity to talk to Gatz about receiving the honor, the future of Q.Digital, and the importance of LGBTQ journalists in newsrooms and media.
How does receiving GLAAD’s Barbara Gittings Award for Excellence in LGBTQ Media speak to the evolution of Q.Digital and its mission?
Just a year after Barbara Gitting’s passing, Q.Digital launched with a simple mission: to entertain and enlighten LGBTQ+ people, amplify their voices and inspire action. In those early days, it would have been an honor to just meet the people worthy of winning a GLAAD award. We could never have imagined that one day our journalism would receive multiple nominations and wins, and that we’d be honored with the Barbara Gittings award. Through these tough times, we want to grow our reach and our impact through our sites GayCities, Queerty, LGBTQ Nation, INTO and Outsports. The more LGBTQ+ people — and allies — we can reach, the more we can help make a world where every LGBTQ+ person is free to be themselves and live their lives to the fullest.
Since 2008 when Q.Digital launched, what are some of the most memorable accomplishments Q.Digital has done in LGBTQ media?
I’m proud that Q.Digital has grown into the most trusted, most visited LGBTQ-owned media company in the country—and we’ve earned that position by telling queer stories with scale, integrity, and impact. GayCities was the first LGBTQ+ app in the iOS app store when the iPhone launched. Outsports turned “Team LGBTQ” into a global headline by covering every out athlete at the summer & winter games. LGBTQ Nation covered essential elections and politicians, ran op-eds from the sitting President and Vice President, and pulled together LGBTQ+ leaders to give their take on the state of the movement. We gave INTO a new life and new purpose. And the Queerties became a LGBTQ+ cultural staple. We’ve convinced Fortune 100 companies that you can advertise to our community in an authentic way and that it isn’t only about doing the right thing, it is very good business. It’s a joy to get to do this work each day and it makes us all proud when someone recognizes all the work that we do.
As the LGBTQ community continues to fight the good fight for equality, how does Q.Digital navigate the struggling media landscape to get their stories front and center?
For as long as we’ve been around, platforms and algorithms have shifted regularly either amplifying our content to new audiences or surpassing our content. Being nimble, experimental, and willing to change is in our blood and so we’re constantly shifting our tactics to find our readers. With certain social networks creating policies openly unwelcome to LGBTQ+ folks, we’re relying more on our readers bookmarking our sites, typing in our urls, or subscribing to our newsletters. We’d encourage everyone to take a moment and subscribe to queer newsletters and we’d be honored if you subscribe to Queerty, GayCities, INTO, LGBTQ Nation, and Outsports while you are at it.
How important are LGBTQ journalists in mainstream media?
LGBTQ+ journalists at mainstream media are essential for keeping our voices heard in newsrooms across the country. While we’ve seen great strides in gay and lesbian representation, there are not nearly enough trans journalists inside mainstream outlets. With trans equality being one of the top stories of 2025, we need actual trans folks writing the stories and contributing context to their newsroom peers. There are plenty of very talented trans writers, mainstream media just needs to hire more of them.
In a time when LGBTQ rights are being threatened and the rollback of DEI, how does Q. Digital maintain hope for itself and give hope to its audiences?
Our community has a deep history of advocating for and attaining change, and we have demonstrated fortitude and resilience in the face of attacks. Even as some politicians use us, particularly the trans community, as a wedge issue to divide voters, LGBTQ+ people are more accepted than during any other time in history.
All of us at Q.Digital are passionate about this work and feel that it is more needed than ever before. No matter who is in the Oval Office or what party controls Congress, this is our work, and we are committed to doing it.
What kind of projects can we expect from Q.Digital in the near future?
We recognize that people need to hear stories of queer joy and be entertained. You’ll see more good news from us alongside the critically important coverage of the threats we face. You’ll see us celebrate Pride in June while reminding folks that Pride itself is a form of resistance. You’ll see us create more video content, more fun games like Queerty Crosswords, and more big events like Pride 50 and The Queerties awards. And later this year, we’ll start Team LGBTQ coverage for the 2026 winter games, widely expected to have the most out LGBTQ+ athletes in history.
