H.L. Comeriato, staff writer at The Buckeye Flame, named national ‘LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year’

From a jaw-dropping exploration of the rise of Ohio-based neo-Nazis, to a groundbreaking guide to navigating health insurance for LGBTQ+ Ohioans, to a smile-inducing walk around Cincinnati with an LGBTQ+ elder, H.L. Comeriato has explored an astonishing range of topics in their three years as staff writer for The Buckeye Flame.

The scope and skill of their work has now been recognized on a national stage as Comeriato is the 2024 recipient of the prestigious Sarah Pettit Memorial Award for the LGBTQ+ Journalist of the Year.

The award is presented by the National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists (NLGJA) and recognizes the contributions of an individual journalist within an LGBTQ+ media publication. The award is one of the highest honors bestowed by the organization. 

Comeriato joined The Buckeye Flame in 2021 as the inaugural staff writer for Ohio’s LGBTQ+ newsroom. The position was funded with generous support from The Cleveland Foundation. 

A queer and non-binary writer and reporter from Akron, Ohio, Comeriato previously covered public health as a Report for America fellow for The Devil Strip, a former Akron magazine.Akron. 

Their work has been recognized by multiple journalism organizations, including first place honors from both the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the Associated Press Media Editors Association for a story they co-created on the relationship between redlining and asthma rates in children. 

Comeriato’s story on queer deathcare in Ohio won SPJ first-place honors in the “Best Medical/Science/Health Care Reporting” category and was named to the list of “Local Journalism Worth Reading” by the New York Times.

“No matter what the topic, H brings depth, sensitivity and humanity to every single piece they write,” said Ken Schneck, editor of The Buckeye Flame.

In addition to the 143 stories – and counting! – they have published with The Buckeye Flame, Comeriato is also a talented photographer, publishing a dozen different galleries of Prides and protests. 

Pettit, the award’s namesake, was a pioneer in gay media:

Pettit’s emergence as a groundbreaking journalist began in 1989, when she became the arts editor for the now-defunct OutWeek, a New York gay and lesbian weekly that stirred national debates about ACT UP, gay rights activism and “outing” public figures.

In 1992, she and Michael Goff created Out magazine, the nation’s first lifestyle magazine targeted to gay men and lesbians. After Goff left in 1996, Pettit was named editor-in-chief and continued in that role until 1998.

In 1999, Pettit became the arts and entertainment editor for Newsweek magazine.

Pettit died on January 2, 2003, from complications with lymphoma she had been diagnosed with less than a year earlier. 

“When she spoke, as she often did on gay rights issues and journalism issues, she did so with an intellectual rigor and passion that was persuasive to anyone within earshot,” said Steven Petrow, former NLGJA president. 

Comeriato brings that spirit to The Buckeye Flame’s newsroom. 

“H stands strong in their convictions and writes with a compelling sense of clarity and purpose that makes readers pause, learn and take action,” said Schneck.

This is the second time in four years that the Sarah Pettit award has been bestowed on The Buckeye Flame: Schneck was the recipient in 2021. 

“For our scrappy little queer newsroom to be recognized twice with this unbelievable honor is incredibly validating to the work we are putting forth to the world and certainly motivates us to just keep doing what we do to amplify LGBTQ+ Ohioans,” Schneck said. 🔥

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