It’s been almost four years to the day since I walked into the Gay & Lesbian Times office seeking an internship. I was 24 years old, and “green” wouldn’t even begin to describe my skills at that point. This editorial will be the last thing I file, and I do so a little less wet behind the ears and with a few more notches in my belt (skill-wise – get your minds out of the gutter).

There are some memories I’ll keep with me, such as interviewing Maya Angelou (by phone and only for five minutes, but it was still a religious experience for me) and asking for her thoughts on same-sex marriage.

There are other memories I’ll happily leave behind, such as typing 13 to 17 handwritten pages of Nicole’s column every Wednesday morning. (Nicole, to his credit, treats me like a queen.)

A lot has happened in the 200 or so issues published since I’ve been affiliated with the GLT, and I wouldn’t trade working as a journalist in the gay media through all that news for anything. I’ve spoken to elated couples fresh from participating in the San Francisco same-sex wedding spree and then reported their mix of disappointment and resolve when the California Supreme Court invalidated their licenses five months later. I’ve interviewed same-sex couples here in San Diego who flooded the county clerk’s office to demand the right to tie the knot while their Massachusetts counterparts married in state courthouses. I spent days trying to chase down Bishop Robert Brom for comment after he refused funeral rites to the late John McCusker, a gay nightclub owner, and then listened to the cheers of hundreds of people inside The Center’s auditorium when the McCusker family read Brom’s statement apologizing for his refusal and promising to hold Mass in John’s memory.

I watched the Federal Marriage Amendment defeated – twice. I weathered the “Pridegate” storm in the summer of 2005, and at the same time watched Chula Vista Mayor Steve Padilla come out at the Spirit of Stonewall Rally while sharing the stage with Councilmember Toni Atkins, the openly gay, then acting mayor of San Diego.

That September, all of us in the editorial and production departments stayed in the office until 10:00 p.m. one Wednesday night waiting to hear if Gov. Schwarzenegger would veto the same-sex marriage bill that had just been passed by the California Legislature – the first legislative body in the nation to do so.

I woke up (slightly hung over, I’ll admit) to work my shift at the Pride festival last summer, only to hear at the media check-in tent that a series of anti-gay attacks had taken place the night before behind the Balboa Park bowling green across the way from the festival gates. Normally, the week after Pride is the beginning of some much-deserved downtime for GLT staff after putting our largest issue of the year to bed, but the attacks kept us hard at it that Monday as we reported on the communitywide – and citywide – reaction to them. The swift response from top city and law enforcement officials condemning the attacks and the thousands who participated in the anti-hate rally and march through Hillcrest made me proud of – and for – the community I’ve lived and breathed for four years.

When I had my final interview for a reporter position on my 25th birthday, I might have run screaming from the building had I known all that would transpire during my time with the paper. Really, it’s a good thing we can’t know the future.

But leaving the GLT right before its 1,000th issue (expect big changes, by the way) is a bittersweet reminder of all that unforeseeable news I won’t be reporting on. Hillary or Obama? “Don’t Ask” or “I do”? Whitburn or Gloria?

For the record, Angelou’s thoughts on same-sex marriage were: “[I]f two people find that they love each other, that is so amazing that the whole community should say: ‘Bravo! Keep it going. Thank you for having the courage to risk.’”

I can say the same about our community’s evolution. I’d add that a strong sense of responsibility and the occasional burst of blind optimism will get us through just about everything the future will bring.

One thing I’ve always wanted to tell you, our readers, is that your feedback is vital to this paper’s success. Your tips, thoughts and suggestions, both positive and negative, help us craft relevant and accurate content. So please, keep it coming.

And, on that note, I leave you with something one of my dear buddies in the sales department often says: “End scene.”

Rachel Ralston

Associate Editor