John Scagliotti (born 1948)

On the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots that ignited the gay rights movement, it is appropriate to honor American broadcaster/ journalist/ filmmaker John Scagliotti.  Scagliotti has devoted his career to transformative storytelling that shattered barriers and led to meaningful discussions about the LGBTQIA+ community. As the co- creator of In the Life, the 1st national tv series devoted to gay and lesbian issues and The Lavender Hour, the nation’s 1st LGBT radio show, he presented an unapologetic and positive view of the contributions of the queer community to American culture. His documentaries -Before Stonewall, After Stonewall and Before Homosexuals – preserve queer history by presenting the stories of LGBTQIA+ individuals in their struggle for freedom and acceptance. “An architect of visibility,” Scagliotti was the News and Public Affairs Director of WBCN in Boston during the Seventies and is now the founding administrator of the Kopkind Colony in Guilford, Vermont. Named after journalist Andrew Kopkind, his late husband and collaborator, it is a summer residency program for nonpartisan journalists and community organizers. Scagliotti’s latest projects explore the evolving nature of gender and sexuality.