Gays talk about life on the job

Staying in the closet became a professional career obligation for Los Angeles Times reporter Victor Zonana. Zonana, one of four speakers in yesterday's program entitled "Mainstream and Movement: Professional Gay or Gay Professional," said he felt being openly gay would challenge his journalistic objectivity because "in the 70s, coming out was a political statement." "For a long time I did not come out and would not because I thought it would violate the cannons of my profession," he said. "But as time went by I realized that staying in the closet was also a political statement." He added that he came out when he left the Wall Street Journal to go work for the Times. "Being out led me to point out shortcomings in our coverage, specifically our AIDS coverage," he said. Zonana added that he ended up asking his editor for a special AIDS beat. "My [colleagues] thought that I covered it so well, they nominated me for a Pultizer Prize," he said. "So I spent years [covering the beat] and being a professional gay, gay professional." He said he recently founded a group for gay and lesbian journalists, in an effort to side-step the objectivity stigma. "We got over 450 initial responses," he said. "There was this outpouring of pent-up activism." Another speaker, physician Marla Gold, said it is a "curious" time to be gay or lesbian. "It's amazing that [sexual orientation] is asked of us -- to make us more marketable," she said. "Welcome to the 1990s." Gold said it is still difficult being out and said gay and lesbian people should "do what's comfortable." "Being out means fighting the assumptions all the time," she added. "Just by being visible you're a walking revolution." Another speaker, Andrew Chirls, a lawyer in a prominent Philadelphia law firm, said through his work with the law he has had many opportunities to further the gay, lesbian and bisexual rights movement. "Law is a great career to do this," he said. "I think most law firms are aware that they need to reach out to the community." Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Youth Project director Jenie Hall, another speaker on the panel, said being a lesbian is inseparable from her career. "I'm literally the only card-carrying queer on this panel," she said. "I've always felt that [my sexual orientation] was an asset." Hall added that she could probably be making more money doing something besides helping gay or lesbian youth, but said she is not too interested in money. "Right now this is something I believe in," she said. "I'm a part of something that I can't measure with my bank account."

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