As we march forward into the 21st century — in a time when an ever-increasing portion of the LGBT community is coming of age after Ellen DeGeneres came out on primetime television, after Will & Grace helped normalize gay life for the masses, after Gavin Newsom made gay marriage legal in San Francisco, which, though later repealed, warmed the national consciousness up to the idea, eventually allowing several states to follow suit, either with gay marriage or civil unions — it’s hard not to notice that the rules of the gay game are fast changing. Some worry that the LGBT community is losing its activist voice, its identity, its cohesiveness — a victim of its own success. I have no such worry because I believe our community is not dying, but evolving. We are out—now what? Upon accepting ourselves and claiming our place in society, we must continue to define our gay identity as we work toward self- actualization. We are already doing this in a myriad of ways, holding high-powered political offices, adopting children and giving legitimacy to our relationships by marrying.

Words cannot express how incredibly humbled I am to be a part of this movement as editor in chief of IN Los Angeles. With this publication, I hope to continue giving historical context to our community by never forgetting the enormous struggles faced by our gay forebears who have laid the groundwork for the community we know today. I also hope to do my small part to drive the movement forward, to inform our readers with news and political analysis; to spotlight gay business owners, entertainers and personalities; and to illuminate gay life here in the City of Angels. It may seem a tall order; luckily, I am fortunate to work with some of our community’s best publishers, editors, writers, photographers, illustrators, graphic designers and public relations people, who are the real key to this magazine’s success. I look forward to serving our community as we continue to evolve in ways our revered gay predecessors could never have imagined.

John Hobbs
Editor in Chief