“I consider this Stonewall reboot in its infancy,” says Mike Schultz, the publisher of Stonewall News Northwest.
“Stonewall” is a symbolic word in LGBTQ+ communities, hearkening back to the Stonewall Riots, also called the June 1969 Stonewall Uprising, at the Stonewall Inn in New York City when same-sex relationships were illegal.
The Stonewall Inn was one of the most popular gay clubs in NYC, and on the morning of June 28, police raided it, finding bootlegged alcohol and arresting 13 people — within minutes, hundreds began to resist. This six-day event empowered a number of gay rights organizations.
Unlike New York City, the Pacific Northwest’s LGBTQ+ communities are more spread out, especially in rural areas. But Schultz has something gay activists did not have in the 1960s — the internet. In February, Schultz launched the digital independent LGBTQ+ publication Stonewall News Northwest, merging Schultz’s previous print publications Stonewall News Northwest and Q View Northwest (serving Spokane and the Inland Northwest) with Coastal Pride (serving Ocean Shores and southwest Grays Harbor County, Washington).
Stonewall’s goal is to be “informing and empowering rural LGBTQ+ communities, which are marginalized and increasingly threatened segments of the populace.” It shares stories from local news to national news and stories that center on diversity, equality, dignity and other attributes of a civil, mindful, progressive society.
It has published local articles on the opening of the Pride history exhibit at the Spokane Library, and a comprehensive guide to 2025 PNW Pride Events for Washington, Oregon and Idaho through September. It has also featured a national story on American LGBTQ Bars by Uncloseted Media, pointing out the issue of some communities, especially rural communities’ difficulty accessing gay bars.
Although Schultz says that he has no growth expectations and timelines, the publication welcomes 5,000 visits monthly with a monthly email subscription list of 5,700 as of June. Starting with the May issue, Schultz began producing a once-a-month flipbook version of Stonewall on PDF, which can be printed when the advertising can support it.
Schultz has lived in Washington all of his adult life, working as a business owner with a strong passion around LGBTQ+ equality and civil rights. Stonewall has working relationships with Seattle Gay News, FaVS and RANGE Media serving the Inland Northwest. Schultz says he focuses on building relationships with people and organizations starting in Washington.
Schultz’s husband and partner of 20 years, Steven Stanford, has been his main supporter. Decades ago, Stanford had helped Schultz deliver copies of Seattle Gay News and Coastal Pride, even in snow drifts in Spokane, to get the publication’s issues to the other side of the state.
Schultz says that activism can take place in different forms and ways. Some can be very visible and others are more behind the scenes. He sees the importance of a community that shares a common cause to spread the message.
He says, “My contribution happens to be my passion: bringing together writers and photographers and editors and all the talented kindred souls to help make our lives more informed, insightful and accepting, and in the process celebrating life’s rich diversity.”Stonewall News Northwest needs queer and allied contributors interested in writing about local queer news and events. Schultz says that the publication works best with community engagement, and the writer does not have to be a professional. Contact Schultz at Publisher@costalpride.net.
Find Stonewall News Northwest at StonewallNews.net.