ST. LOUIS — Starting during the coming month, PROMO Executive Director AJ Bockelman will start writing monthly columns for The Missouri Times.
Bockelman started with PROMO, a grassroots LGBT advocacy organization, in 2007 when he decided it was time to step away from the corporate world that he worked in for more than 15 years.
In his future columns, Bockelman said he hopes to further discuss the factors involved in current state laws and pending legislation that impact the LGBT community, most of which he said people aren’t aware of. An example of that, he said, is that most people aren’t aware that sexual orientation isn’t a protected class by the nondiscrimination policy for the state, yet when they realize that he finds many end up backing the push to change it.
PROMO currently is most prominent in the St. Louis region of the state since the main office is located in the area, though Bockelman said the group also has an operation in Springfield and is hoping to get someone on the ground in Kansas City soon.
“We have a unique perspective to offer and the paper is an interesting, new platform,” Bockelman said.
Scott Faughn, publisher and owner of The Missouri Times, said he is looking forward to having Bockelman contribute as a columnist as he is a well-known leader in the community — Bockelman recently received a Diverse Leader award from the St. Louis Business Journal — and intends to write about a subject that no other columnists have touched on.
“We like to be innovative and we like to have as much diversity as possible in our columns,” Faughn said. “We’ve got several education writers and frequent guests who have interest in utilities issues and taxes, but this will be unique in our columnist pool.”
Bockelman’s first column will appear in The Missouri Times during the next few weeks.
