After over three years with the Gay and Lesbian Times, I have decided that, like all good things, my sometimes hectic, albeit always-rewarding, ride must come to an end. As I prepare to move on this Friday, it is with a deep sense of satisfaction and pride in the paper and our community. The strides GLBT people have made towards full equality over the past three years have perhaps been greater than during any period in our nation’s history. I feel fortunate to have been on the frontlines witnessing our progression from the heartbreaking passage of Proposition 22 — which banned gay marriage in the state in 2000 — to the public promise made last weekend by Gov. Gray Davis, that he will sign the country’s most comprehensive domestic partnership bill before this year’s legislative deadline (though an impressive legacy, regrettably, this may be one of his final acts as governor).

While I had hoped to see the Massachusetts’ Supreme Court rule in favor of seven gay couples petitioning for the right to marry before my departure, I will have to settle for the ambivalence I feel towards the seeming commoditization of the GLBT movement that accounts for shows like “Queer Eye,” as well as VH-1’s recent assertion that homosexuality has become, ahem, “the hot new trend in popular culture.” (As a friend told me last week, “Welcome to Feminism 101, pal.”)

Though a positive change in social attitudes can often lead to social progress, TV shows can be canceled, pro-gay laws repealed, and, it would appear, pro-gay politicians ousted from office. Though it is a verb I have used hundreds of times in the past three years, I’ll indulge my sense of personal obligation and use it one more time: VOTE.

In the end life is about change and, ideally, personal growth. Despite the loss I feel at parting ways with the people I have shared so much with on a daily basis, I know that the Times will continue to grow and prosper. Rest assured, I leave the paper in the hands of a dedicated, hardworking editorial team, including Amber Cyphers, who will fill my position as editor; Travis Bone, who advances to a position as senior reporter; features editor and longtime community activist Nicole Murray-Ramirez; and, of course, longtime publisher and activist Michael Portantino — all of whom will continue to uphold the standards of quality and accountability the community has come to depend upon from the Gay and Lesbian Times. And who knows, as a contributor, you just might see my name pop up in the paper from time to time.