Meet LOOKOUT News, the US Southwest’s only nonprofit LGBTQ+ newsroom. Its mission is to deliver fearless journalism and community events that expand LGBTQ+ representation on the local news stage, while strengthening and engaging LGBTQ+ communities and their allies. LOOKOUT‘s ultimate vision is a queer experience liberated from injustice, with equal respect, rights, and opportunity for all people, backed by journalism that holds power accountable.
Founders Joseph Darius Jafaari and Jake Hylton started LOOKOUT in December 2022 because the data was clear: local news coverage of queer people and the issues affecting them was disappearing outside of election cycles and Pride month. When it did show up, it usually talked over the community’s voices, rather than including them. They wanted to change that.
It started as Jafaari’s monthly newsletter but has since grown into a full operation. LOOKOUT now publish a quarterly print magazine and three regular weekly newsletters, including their legislative tracker Eyes on the State, reaching a community of more than 15,000 readers. It also built the Glitterati, a volunteer street team that shows up at events across Arizona to get LOOKOUT directly into people’s hands.
In just its second year of eligibility, LOOKOUT has been racking up recognition, including a Business of the Year nomination from LION Publishers and four honors at the 2026 Association of Alternative Newsmedia Awards:
First Place – AAN Excellence in Journalism for Under the Badge, an investigative series by Celina Jiménez examining how law enforcement agencies across Arizona respond to violence targeting LGBTQ+ people.
First Place – LGBTQ+ Coverage for reporter Tori Gantz’s body of work exploring the intersection of queerness and far-right politics.
First Place – Newsletter for Eyes on the State, LOOKOUT‘s legislative newsletter by Tori Gantz tracking hundreds of bills affecting LGBTQ+ Arizonans during the legislative session.
Third Place – LGBTQ+ Coverage for Escaping Arizona, a reported series by Joseph Darius Jaafari and Ellie Samsal exploring why LGBTQ+ Arizonans are leaving the state amid an increasingly hostile political climate.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief Joseph Darius Jaafari also received the Spirit of AAN Award for his leadership in the field.
Beyond reporting, the organization’s flagship programs like Summer of Solutions and Reporting as Resistance train community members in journalism fundamentals, empowering those closest to the issues to tell their own stories. The Spring 2026 cohort covered stories ranging from a crepe shop doubling as a safe haven for activists to frontline medics tending to elderly protesters in the summer heat.
In exciting news, LOOKOUT officially expanded into Colorado in June after a feasibility study and months of listening sessions across the region. Thinking intentionally about building roots in the community, LOOKOUT started with a launch event in Denver for local partners, funders, and publishers. It also tabled at Denver Pride, where more than 400 people signed up to receive the newsletter. LOOKOUT plans to continue expanding its coverage to Utah, New Mexico, and Nevada, hiring local talent that are already embedded in each community.
We invite you to follow along with their work and read some of their recent articles:
- A Trans Woman Detained in a Deadly Arizona Detention Center Refuses to be Silent
- They Followed the Rules. Now They’re Being Targeted for Deportation.
- Dozens of Arizona Officials Call for Humanitarian Release of Phoenix Queer Woman Held by ICE
- LGBTQ+ outlet LOOKOUT aims to expand throughout the Southwest, and beyond