Trump supporter resigns from Advocate, Out parent company after outrage

Jay Katari in a MAGA hat seen on social media. (Photo via Instagram)

EqualPride, a prominent LGBTQ media company that owns the Advocate and Out magazines, added a Trump supporter to its board of directors.

Jay Katari, an entrepreneur and investor who served as EqualPride’s “Strategic Advisor, Growth & Innovation,” also sat on its official leadership team.

EqualPride announced that Katari resigned from the board as of Sept. 15 after outrage.

“I have decided to step down from the Board of Directors of equalpride,” Katari said in a statement shared by EqualPride CEO Mark Berryhill. “My intention was simply to volunteer my time and experience to support the incredible team and the important work they do for the LGBTQ+ community.”

EqualPride’s website described his role as “focused on helping the company expand its reach, strengthen its commercial partnerships, and develop new sources of recurring revenue.”

The change in leadership caused an outcry of concern from LGBTQ media consumers, people working at the outlets published under EqualPride, and LGBTQ advocates who seem unsure of how a Trump supporter will fare on the board of one of the most important LGBTQ media organizations in the country.

The story was first reported by Kevin Ortega-Rojas, a freelance writer and podcaster who specializes in covering social issues. His resume includes a number of connections to the world of LGBTQ media — particularly under EqualPride — including being a former rapid response reporter for GLAAD and host of “The Advocate Weekly,” a queer news podcast produced by The Advocate magazine.

Earlier this year, EqualPride laid off staff across its existing publications, including senior editors and writers. That move, followed by the addition of a Trump supporter to its board, has created concern among LGBTQ consumers.

According to his Instagram, Katari is married to a woman and still has posts showing him wearing Trump MAGA-branded merchandise. He also follows members of the Trump family, including President Donald Trump, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, Lara Trump, and his daughter Ivanka Trump. He also follows an account with the username donaldtrump.hq titled “Donald Trump Fans.”

This apparent endorsement of Trump and MAGA politics, which includes restricting the rights of transgender people as well as rolling back protections for LGBTQ people more broadly, seems to be in direct conflict with EqualPride’s mission statement.

“Our mission is to provide content of inspiration, hope, community, equality and love through our platforms that reach a vast majority of the American LGBTQ+ audience every month and increasingly women and people of color,” a statement on EqualPride’s website from 2023 said. “We are a diverse community of storytellers, innovators, and influencers who believe in giving a voice to all people!”

The Washington Blade reached out to Christopher Wiggins, the politics and news editor at EqualPride, but was directed to the already publicly available joint statement made by editors of the largest publications represented by EqualPride.

In the Instagram post, the editorial teams of The Advocate, Out, Them, PRIDE.com, Out Traveler and Plus all co-signed the statement, assuring readers that Katari being on the board has not — so far — impacted any of their reporting and implying EqualPride needs to expand on what Katari’s role will be for the organization.

View this post on Instagram

“Our editors became aware of concerning reports this morning that Jay Katari — one of the board members of our parent company, equalpride — may have espoused beliefs that are antithetical to the mission of our brands, per a new article from journalist Kevin Ortega-Rojas.

“The editorial teams only recently learned of Katari’s expanding role and had no information about his background or past political statements prior to this week.

“Please know that Katari’s position has not influenced our reporting.

“In an initial meeting today, we urged management to provide further clarification about Katarı and hıs role at equalpride, and are awaiting information.

As queer and trans journalists, we are committed to independent reporting that serves the LGBTQ+ community – and to getting answers on this critical matter.”

Nearly 200 comments were made online under a joint post made by multiple EqualPride publication accounts, including Them, The Advocate, and Out.

Gisselle Palomera, a Future of Queer Media fellow for The Advocate and former local news reporter at the Los Angeles Blade, commented under the post, questioning how much leadership actually knew about Katari.

“No one did any research on him prior to this moment? How did his political stance get past dozens of editors and reporters? I don’t buy it,” they said in the now most liked Instagram comment under the announcement, with 283 likes.

Another Instagram user, Aaron Frank Duncanson, who goes by the username aaronfrankpdx, pointed out how the situation looks and expressed fears for the future if Katari stays on the board.

“If this man stays in that position, it threatens the integrity of the reporting of all your publications,” Duncanson wrote. “As journalists, it’s your responsibility to ensure that integrity.”

The Blade reached out to Katari, and to Tony Morrison of Morrison Media Group— who is working with EqualPride, according to Wiggins— but did not hear back in time for initial publication of this story.

EqualPride CEO Mark Berryhill issued a statement after Katari resigned.

“I want to clarify Jay Katari’s involvement with equalpride, which was limited to business growth, revenues and the company’s long-term sustainability,” said Berryhill. “Under our investment agreements, our lead investor group held the right to appoint two board members without separate votes or approval by the CEO or management. Jay joined the board through that process. Going forward, the investor group has provided me with the right to appoint future board members.”

Berryhill then noted Katari’s decision to resign and referred to his statement.

“Our focus now is on strengthening our brands, and continuing to support the stories of our LGBTQ community,” added Berryhill.

The National LGBT Media Association represents 13 legacy publications in major markets across the country with a collective readership of more than 400K in print and more than 1 million + online. Learn more here: NationalLGBTMediaAssociation.com.