Editors from some of the country’s largest LGBTQ+ publications pushed their parent company, equalpride, for answers after reporting surfaced about a board member’s support for President Donald Trump and the MAGA movement.
The controversy centered on Jay Katari, an equalpride board member who had recently been given a larger role within the company. Equalpride owns The Advocate, Out, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus, and acquired Them earlier this year.
In an August 31 email to employees, equalpride CEO Mark Berryhill said Katari would become more involved with the company and told staff he had “full confidence” in him. Employees were also encouraged to meet with Katari so he could better understand their work and the company’s future opportunities.
That changed after independent journalist Kevin Ortega-Rojas published an investigation into Katari’s social media history. Ortega-Rojas reported finding posts and images that he said showed Katari wearing a MAGA hat, sharing pro-Trump content, mocking former President Joe Biden, and following Trump family members and administration officials. The reporting did not identify a public statement from Katari directly attacking LGBTQ+ people.
Following the report, editors from The Advocate, Out, Them, Pride.com, Out Traveler, and Plus released a joint statement saying they had only recently learned about Katari’s expanded role and had not been given information about his previous political statements.
“Our editors became aware of concerning reports this morning that Jay Katari—one of the board members of our parent company, equalpride—may have espoused beliefs that are antithetical to the mission of our brands,” the editors say.
The editorial staff also made it clear that Katari had no influence over their journalism, saying his position had not affected their reporting.
Berryhill told employees that Katari’s role was intended to focus on developing new revenue opportunities and not editorial decisions. After employees raised concerns that Katari had already contacted people working in editorial and social media, those meetings were stopped.
The situation also came during a period of major changes at equalpride. Earlier this year, the company acquired Themfrom Condé Nast after layoffs affected employees across several of its publications.
The controversy moved quickly. One day after editors publicly demanded answers, Katari resigned from equalpride’s board. Berryhill announced the resignation to employees, and editorial leadership from The Advocate, Out, and Them said they appreciated the company taking action
The editors said their focus remains on independently covering issues affecting LGBTQ+ people and continuing to serve the communities that rely on their reporting.
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