Oral History Interview with Lynne Brown (2026)
Description
Abstract
Updating her previous interview, Lynne provides a refresher on her experiences and an update on what she has been up to in the past twelve years. She talks about the history of the Washington Blade including the merger with Window Media in the early 2000s, the bankruptcy of the Blade, and the eventual return to employee ownership by Lynne, Brian Pitts, and Kevin Naff. Additionally, she goes into more detail about the sales side of the Blade, like how she found new advertisers and distributors, as well as some challenges with advertisers and distributors. Such as Don Mchaels’ ad preferences and businesses like JR’s who temporarily stopped distributing the Blade after the Blade reported crime that happened near JR’s. As well as a controversy over the Washington Blade’s presence at Fairfax County Public Libraries in the 1990s. She talks about how the Blade received a White House Correspondent Credentials and an interaction a reporter had with Trump during his first administration. Related to this, she talks about the changes she has seen in Washington DC during the second Trump Administration. She talks about her decision to step down from her role as the Publisher of the Blade and talks about her new focus on the Washington Blade Foundation and the efforts to preserve the Blade both digitally and physically. She also discusses her social life and changes in DC gay life throughout her time.
Date Created
9/13/2026
Access Rights
This interview belongs to the Rainbow History Project. These materials are for scholarly and research purposes and should not be used for commercial gain without permission.
Interviewer
Jeff Donahoe
Interviewee
Transcription
Available; needs to be edited
Duration
01:39:27
Citation
“Oral History Interview with Lynne Brown (2026),” Rainbow History Project Digital Collections, accessed November 9, 2026, https://archives.rainbowhistory.org/items/show/2181.
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