Lou Chibbaro, Jr.

Lou Chibbaro Jr. is an American journalist best known for his efforts as senior news writer for the Washington Blade to chronicle the gay rights movement in the Washington metropolitan area and nationwide in the United States.

Biography

Raised on Long Island, Chibbaro moved to Washington, D.C., in the early 1970s after completing an undergraduate degree. Chibbaro first came to Washington, D.C. in 1971 while a student a SUNY Brockport; he returned in 1975 to work and to earn a graduate degree in broadcast journalism. After telling them in person, he followed up his announcement with a "Dear Mom and Dad" letter that he hoped would help them understand. As he wrote them, "There are many who have advised me never to tell my parents I'm gay. I think it's to your credit that I can't do this. I just can't and won't live a lie!" While his mother was initially upset and his father worried about the prospects for his career if anyone found out that he was gay, his parents ultimately accepted his sexual orientation. In 1978, two years after he started volunteering at the Blade, he became self-employed as the publisher of a public utility newsletter; it was at that time that he dropped the use of the pseudonym in favor of using his real name.

He was inducted into the Society of Professional Journalists' Washington Pro Chapter's Hall of Fame in 2011, the first member of the LGBT community to do so, joining acclaimed journalists such as Helen Thomas and Bob Woodward.

Local awards

In 2009, Chibbaro received the Rainbow History Project's Community Pioneers Award.

Selected works