For 1,000 weeks, the Gay & Lesbian Times has cast a light on and for the GLBT community, reflecting both the celebrated and controversial aspects of this proud, diverse, vibrant and rich community.

For those trying to do the math on your fingers and toes, 1,000 weeks is 19 years ago. That’s when, on Jan. 1, 1988, the GLT, then known as the San Diego Gay Times, first hit the stands.

Back then, the publication was a newspaper, rather than a newsmagazine. A mere 16 pages in a fold-over format, the Gay Times was printed in black and white, the only exception being a single color on the front page.

The paper has changed a lot since then. In 1989, our present publisher, Michael Portantino, and his former business partner, Jim Krupiarz, bought the paper – just as it was about to go under due to competition from three other gay papers in the area.

Portantino bought the Gay Times because he was disappointed that other gay newspapers either lacked coverage of news that was important to the GLBT community, or they had a distinctly republican slant – as was the case with the now-defunct Bravo. “I wanted to give the community a democratic voice,” Portantino says.

New ownership brought other changes too. One of the most notable was the publication’s name from the Gay Times to the Gay & Lesbian Times, which was changed to be more inclusive and representative of its readers. Another change was the format, which went from being a traditional fold-over newspaper to a newsmagazine. The new paper soon doubled in page count, and today averages around 80 pages.

Fairness and objectivity without alienating readers and/or advertisers – it’s a fine line that all reputable publications have to walk, and the GLT is no exception.

One early story that upset many advertisers compared the price of AZT at various pharmacies. At the time, AZT was the only drug that had any effect on HIV, and the story revealed some significant disparities in pricing that could only be viewed as price gouging.

“We went around and checked the price of AZT at all the pharmacies in the Hillcrest and North Park area and published those prices. There were certain pharmacies that were actually charging much higher rates, and patients were being referred to them by the doctors,” Portantino recalls. “Our investigation also turned up relationships existing between the doctors and the pharmacies.”

The GLT’s decision to expose the conflict of interest cost the paper a lot of money, as some of the pharmacies and doctors involved were advertisers. Nonetheless, it was an important story that needed to be told.

Another controversial story ran in 1997, when the GLT covered the San Diego AIDS Foundation scandal, revealing that the foundation was a victim of mismanagement, if not incompetence, by its board of directors. The foundation eventually went out of business, and some blamed the GLT for its downfall.

“We had written editorials that the board members should resign, that they were ‘cocktail party’ board members … who just enjoyed saying that they were on the board,” Portantino, who had to turn the weeping director of the board away from his office, remembers. “She was crying and pleading for the articles not to be published. She said that we were going to be responsible for bringing down the foundation. I simply had to tell her: ‘No, your behavior is responsible for bringing down the foundation, and the board’s lack of involvement is responsible for bringing down the foundation. … It’s our job to report that.”

Former Assistant Editor Corri Planck remembers the AIDS Foundation scandal and subsequent closure well. “We covered that story for nearly a year,” Planck says. “It was really interesting, sometimes people would be upset about other stories, but I never had anyone say ‘stop looking into this’ or ‘stop trying to find out what’s going on over there.’ People felt that there was a sense of community ownership of the foundation, and it was important to people who needed the services the agency offered to be assured that the services would still be there.”

The AIDS Foundation eventually had to close its doors because of financial insolvency, but Planck recalls that the reaction from the community toward the paper was mostly positive. “We had clients calling us leaving us messages on our voicemail asking us to keep up the good work. At the time, the consumer council had a lot of the same questions we were asking. So there was a sense that there was something going on there. None of us were quite sure what it was, but we wanted some information and accountability and it wasn’t forthcoming.”

Fast forward to San Diego Pride 2005, when noted anti-gay activist James Hartline discovered and made public that two Pride volunteers were on the Megan’s Law Web site list of sex offenders. A GLT investigation further revealed that another volunteer as well as a paid staff member was also listed on the site.

Over the course of several weeks, many GLT news articles, editorials and columns by prominent community members called for the resignation of the entire Pride board of directors. While some felt this was going too far, others felt it was essentially accomplishing Hartline’s objective by driving a wedge into the community.

“When one of the registered sex offenders was allowed to work at the festival after the Pride board gave the District Attorney’s Office its word that all registered sex offenders would be asked to step down, the paper felt strongly that the Pride board was making poor decisions that could permanently damage the organization,” says Russell O’Brien, current editor in chief. “When the clown from the children’s garden was also found to be a registered sex offender, all confidence in the board’s ability was lost.”

Ah the trials and tribulations of a community publisher! Portantino stresses that he is a big supporter of Pride. “That’s sometimes hard for people to understand,” he sighs. “We didn’t write an editorial against Pride. We wrote an editorial against a decision they made, which we thought would impact the community and their ability to serve more people. We take no pleasure in harming or hurting an individual or organization. What we’re trying to do is make it better so they can serve the people better.”

An example of this was in 1999 when the paper ran an editorial about the need for a change in leadership and a new board of directors at The Center. “I think it was our most important editorial,” Portantino says. “It was called ‘The Fish Stinks at the Head’ and it was during a time of crisis at The Center. The Center was really heading down the wrong road. It had a lot of support from the community, but it was hemorrhaging money and horribly mismanaged. These days it is one of the best centers in the country. It’s one of the most financially secure Centers and has the best management and one of the strongest boards of any center in the country. I think that at the time we took a lot of heat when we wrote the editorial, but I think people look back and realize that that was what started the turnaround.” The GLT is not an advocacy press, but rather an advocacy company, he says. “We use the resources of the company to advocate for the community, but the press is the press and the editorials and the news pages have to be honest and unbiased. That sometimes has made the paper unpopular in the short term, but has earned long-term respect for what we do.”

Yet, while GLT editorials are sometimes controversial, they’re also a point of pride: “We do 52 of them a year … and we’re going to make almost everyone upset at least once!” laughs Portantino.

Not every GLT story is controversial of course. Some are just great news. Many have even made national headlines. In 1997, Hillcrest resident Andrew Cunanan went on a three-month, cross-country killing spree, culminating in the killing of designer Gianni Versace in Miami Beach, Fla.

The Cunanan story brought a swarm of media attention to the San Diego “gayborhood” and to the GLT, which, because of its local connections, was able to interview people who knew Cunanan and were otherwise unwilling to talk to the authorities or national news media. When FBI agents came to the GLT to talk to Portantino and other staff members, the paper became part of the story instead of just reporting it – attention that brought us new visibility and credibility in the community.

Visibility, credibility and diversity. “No other publication on the West Coast has had lesbians, transgender and people of color on the cover as often as the GLT,” says City Commissioner Nicole Murray-Ramirez, also a columnist with the GLT. “The facts are that anytime a GLBT publication puts a person of color or a lesbian on the cover, the returns [unread copies] are always high. A lot of people don’t pick them up, but [the GLT] has had the courage to make sure that this happens.”

Nicole Murray-Ramirez describes Portantino as a soft touch. “I don’t think I have ever known Michael to say no to any organization which asked for help,” said Murray-Ramirez. “Michael was one of four businessmen who signed as guarantors of the mortgage for The Center’s new building. That’s why his picture is prominently displayed in The Center.

“He also was one of the first businessmen who donated money to the campaign to pass the Human Dignity Ordinance,” Murray-Ramirez continues, “and he was one of the first people to donate money to Mama’s Kitchen when that organization was first starting.”