The ink is barely dry on his diploma, but alumnus Darian Aaron has already been tapped as the editor of “The Georgia Voice,” an Atlanta-based newspaper that “covers stories of local and national importance to Georgia’s LGBT communities.”
“I’m humbled by this amazing opportunity to lead one of the premier LGBT publications in the country,” said Aaron, a Georgia native. “With this new role, I will become the first African-American editor of ‘The Georgia Voice’ and the face of the publication. It is a responsibility that I do not take lightly. I look forward to returning home to help tell the stories of one of the most vibrant and diverse LGBT communities in the nation.”
Aaron graduated with honors from ASU in May of 2015, earning a Bachelor of Arts in communications. As a student leader, he founded AMPLIFIED, the University’s first LGBT-chartered student organization.
A prolific and talented writer, Aaron already has become recognized as an award-winning digital journalist, blogger and author. He is best known for his acclaimed LGBT blog, “Living Out Loud with Darian,” and his ‘coffee-table book,’ “When Love Takes Over: A Celebration of SGL Couples of Color.”
Aaron said the instruction and mentoring that he received at Alabama State University helped to prepare him for a successful career in journalism.
“The academic foundation I received at ASU, along with the technical training in broadcast and print media, will undoubtedly serve me well in my new position,” said Aaron. “I couldn’t have asked for a better undergraduate experience. The professors in ASU’s Communications Department are truly extraordinary! It continues to mean the world to me that their investment in my success did not end the moment I received my degree.”
More from Aaron’s Bio
Darian Aaron has used his voice towards LGBT equality and visibility in print and on television, and as a contributor to several publications, including “CLIK Magazine” where he served as a staff writer, “The Advocate,” “The LA Times,” “The Huffington Post,” “The Georgia Voice,” “Project Q Atlanta,” “The Montgomery Advertiser” and “AOL Black Voices.” His work also has appeared on several LGBT websites, Keith Boykin, Rod 2.0, Pam’s House Blend and Mused Magazine among others. Aaron became one of a few openly gay black men to be profiled in “EBONY Magazine” in 2012 in the featured piece “Black, Gay and Christian: Where Spirituality and Sexuality Converge.” He recently completed fellowships in television and radio news reporting at WSFA 12 News and WVAS FM 90.7 in Montgomery, Ala.
Aaron has served as a member of the Atlanta Black LGBT Coalition and as an organizer for the annual State of Black Gay America Summit during Atlanta Black Gay Pride. In 2011, he was one of dozens of black gay activists invited to attend GLAAD’s first Media Institute in New York City. He received a GLAAD award for his work in Atlanta’s LGBT community the following year.
Aaron is a member of the Atlanta Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists
