Lesbian Journalist Victoria Brownworth Dies at 69

Victoria Brownworth, a lesbian journalist who wrote for The Advocate, The Bay Area Reporter, and Philadelphia Gay News, died Thursday at age 69. 

Victoria had recently been hospitalized in her hometown of Philadelphia. She “had long lived with multiple sclerosis and had battled cancer for many years,” according to an obituary in the Reporter, where she was a television critic.

Victoria wrote a 2023 column for the Reporter, The Advocate, and other publications where she chronicled the National Organization for Women’s (NOW) denial of lesbians in its early years (though NOW later became lesbian-inclusive). Her other pieces published by The Advocate include subjects like whistleblower Chelsea Manning, disability, marriage equality, author Doris Lessing, and more.

“One of the great pleasures of my editorial job of the past five years was working on Victoria’s twice-monthly Lavender Tube column, which she had been writing for decades,” Jim Provenzano, Reporter arts and nightlife editor, says in Victoria’s obituary. “We’d like to volley back-and-forth emails over TV show suggestions.”

“Toward the end of her illness, she was writing her column from a hospital bed, determined not to miss any deadlines,” Jim continues. “Her perspectives on television and other topics will be sorely missed. She was a true pioneer in journalism.”

Victoria’s final column for the Reporter was a review of Hack’s recent season and Martha Stewart’s cooking program, as well as praise for the late Pop Francis’ outreach to the queer community. 

She was also a contributor to the Philadelphia Gay News’ LGBTQ History Month program. “She had a gift for writing,” Mark Segal, the publisher, shared via Facebook. “She was fearless in her reporting and always looking for the next unique story. I remember she came to me in the 1980s and said, ‘You might not go for this, but how about a story on lesbian nuns?’ That story ended up winning numerous awards.”

Victoria has also written Ordinary Mayhem, a Lambda Literary Award winner in 2016 for Best Lesbian Mystery. She has left a rich legacy as part of the LGBTQ+ community and publishing world. 

Photos courtesy social media