A glimmer of hope

BY MICHAEL AARON EDITOR & PUBLISHER

A year ago today (as I write this), I was sending pages to my press when it was announced that bars, restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, and other locations would be closed to the public. QSaltLake Magazine is largely distributed through bars, restaurants, coffee shops, libraries, and other locations.

I sat for several minutes pondering whether we could even print the issue. After many phone calls and emails, we were able to kludge together enough places to distribute enough copies to make it worth printing.

We then called my larger advertising clients to make sure they were alright with a smaller run. They said yes.

Of course, we thought this would last a month, maybe two. If we’d only known then.

As it drew on, it was obvious we weren’t going to be able to print the QPages directory, as the bottom lines of so many of its advertisers were directly affected by the pandemic. Imade the painful decision to skip this year and give all advertisers a free listing for the year.

Fast forward to today. More and more people are getting vaccinated, and the huge spike that started in October has waned. Utah Pride announced an in-person Pride event (though different than previous years — look in the News section for more details). Businesses are looking forward to a slow rebuild.

With the CDC announcement today that fully vaccinated people can meet face-to-face without the need to wear masks or socially distance, I have great hope for us getting through to the other side of this.

Today, I announce that we will move forward with a printed QPages directory to be distributed at Pride. We will start the new season of the Big Gay Fun Bus in October, as usually scheduled. Q Lagoon Day will happen on either the first or second Sunday of August.

All of this is dependent on our continued efforts to get past this pandemic. I’m hoping those in our community will get vaccinated, remain vigilant on mask-wearing and other protective measures, and continue to follow medical professionals’ guidelines. Masks will still need to be worn while in large groups, mandated or not by political interests, more concerned about money than human lives. Physical contact will still need to be done safely.

But I’ll accept this glimmer of hope that we can move forward.