3 | QIdaho Magazine | NEWS
Publisher’s Corner
Two years ago, I took a huge leap
of faith and stepped into a role I
had very little experience in. Sure,
there were bits and pieces I knew
something about, but I didn’t have
the knowledge or the experience I
needed to get things done the way I wanted.
Despite knowing very little, I knew what it was I wanted
to accomplish. So I took this little dream I had of making
an LGBT magazine and I went for it. Three months later,
after many hours of hard work, several website redesigns,
countless meetings and interviews, and two very blistered feet later, the first issue of OutBoise Magazine was
released.
The first issue was, in many ways, a rough draft of what
I wanted to see come from the vision that I had. There
were a number of design flaws and countless spelling
and grammar mistakes; but, I helped to accomplish
something Boise had never really seen the likes of before.
Our mission was pretty simple: to educate, inform,
inspire, and entertain the LGBT Community. As clear as
the mission was, it wasn’t, necessarily, an easy task to accomplish. We had some pretty big shoes to fill. How to do
you give people in the community what they need, when
they’ve never known they needed it? How do you provide
them something that is fresh and new, yet gives them
access to information and resources they may not have
known about. How do you inspire them to live as stronger, better individuals? How do you get them to want to
read something they’ve never been given the opportunity
to appreciate?
While OutBoise was not the first LGBT publication in
the Treasure Valley, we wanted to make sure it stood out
as something unique. And in the past two ears, we have
worked as hard as we can to make it new and interesting
QIdaho.com | Issue 22 | August 2016
every month.
Over the past two years, we have seen incredible
growth of our reader base, and often see many readers
from all over the US and even overseas.
What does this accomplish? Well, for one, we’re showing people what Boise, and the state of Idaho has to
offer the LGBT community. A More importantly, we are
trying to show our community that it has more to offer
itself. There’s a huge potential for us to grow and support
one another. We have the opportunity to show people
that it is OK to express who they are without fear of
judgement. We can encourage people to live authentically and openly, and we can open doors to start communication with people who may not be as open as most
of our readers are.
Last month, we made the transition to QIdaho, not
only to expand our reach, but to offer the entire LGBT
community in Idaho a place to find what they need;
whether it be words of inspiration to help them come out,
to the nearest LGBT-friendly businesses, or even resources
they need in case they find themselves in danger.
We’re not JUST a magazine.
We’re a place for people to find what the need. We’re
a place for people to find hope when they might not
have it. We’re a place for them to come and find other
people they can relate to. And most importantly, we’re a
place where everyone can have a voice, if they choose to.
This month, we’re giving you access to as much information as we can for the whole LGBT community in
Idaho. From mental health resources,LGBT realtors, local
businesses who support our cause, STD testing locations,
and other LGBT resources available throughout the state.
We’re doing this to show what Idaho has to offer, and
what we hope our magazine can be in the future. We
hope you enjoy!