Erie Gay News Establishes Nonprofit to Support Community Newsletter

By Bobbie Fenno

For more than three decades, Erie Gay News has helped connect the LGBTQIA+ community in the Erie region by sharing local news, events, and resources through its print and online newsletters. Now, a new step is being taken to help ensure that work continues well into the future.

Erie Gay News recently acquired nonprofit status to support and sustain the newsletter and its mission of bringing LGBTQIA+ information to the greater Erie community.

The Erie Gay News nonprofit will serve as the organization that funds, supports, and guides the community efforts of Erie Gay News. This includes the continued publication of the Erie Gay News newsletter, planning community events, and collaborating with and participating in events hosted by other Q+ organizations throughout the region. By adopting a nonprofit structure, the newsletter gains new opportunities to strengthen its long-term sustainability and expand its impact. In addition, the nonprofit structure enables expanded outreach, educational efforts, and further partnerships that strengthen connections within the LGBTQIA+ community.

Since its founding in the early 1990s, the Erie Gay News newsletter has served as an important hub for the local LGBTQIA+ community. It provides coverage of community events, highlights local organizations and initiatives, and shares resources that help people stay connected and informed. For many readers, the newsletter has been one of the few consistent sources of LGBTQIA+ news and information focused specifically on the Erie area. It has also helped document the history and growth of the local queer community while promoting events, advocacy efforts, and opportunities for involvement.

As Erie Gay News moves forward with this new structure, its core mission remains the same: to share information, promote community engagement, and help connect LGBTQIA+ individuals and allies throughout the Erie region.

You can find more information about the nonprofit and its work at egncommunity.org

With community support, Erie Gay News will continue to inform, connect, and celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community in Erie for many years to come.

About the Author

Bobbie Fenno Bobbie Fenno (She/Her) joined as a contributing editor in 2025, but has been involved with Erie Gay News as a folding volunteer previously. She graduated from the University of Phoenix with a Bachelor's degree in Business, a certificate in Project Management, and an Associate's in Information Technology. Bobbie is also an active member of the LBT Women of Erie group and was also a board member for the NWPA Pride Alliance for four years (2021-2024).