Gay USA

Gay USA is a weekly, hour-long TV news program hosted by journalist-activists Andy Humm and Ann Northrop, and produced by Bill Bahlman. The show, on the air since 1985, focuses on current political and social issues affecting LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, queer) communities locally, nationally, and internationally. It also includes interviews, human-interest stories, and entertainment features. Gay USA is aired on Manhattan Neighborhood Network cable access in New York City, nationally on the Dish Network channel Free Speech TV, and is available worldwide in the form of downloadable podcasts from the website.

Gay USA was preceded by Pride and Progress, another show hosted by Andy Humm. It was part of Gay Cable Network's (GCN's) original programming lineup and is best known for award-winning coverage, focused on LGBTQ issues, of the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. GCN is credited with being the first television network to cover stories related to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Andy Humm has been a gay activist since 1974 and also served as spokesperson for New York City's Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights. He has been with Gay USA since its inception and was one of a handful of reporters covering the 1980s AIDS crisis. He has extensive experience as a print journalist. He has interviewed prominent individuals such as Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, and Gloria Steinem and has appeared as a guest on CBS Evening News and the Charlie Rose TV interview show.

Ann Northrop has produced news for CBS Morning News and ABC's Good Morning America. Her passion for activism led her to join ACT UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) in New York City in the late 1980s, and she was arrested many times for civil disobedience. As well as hosting Gay USA, Northrop also regularly anchors the news slot of the satellite TV show Dyke TV.

Producer Bill Bahlman has an extensive activist and journalist background. He served as the Gay Activists' Alliance Executive Committee chair and helped found ACT UP. He was also anchor and news director for the cable show Out in the 1980s and 1990s, a worthy competitor to Gay USA.

Gay USA is one of the longest running and most consistent voices within LGBTQ media. Its commitment to consistently cover queer news stories from a noncorporate perspective, as well as to challenge definitions of queer news, is a much-needed service to the communities it represents.