Pride in Practice: Meet Six LGBTQ+ Publishers Building Authentic Digital Brands

The most successful publishers in digital media build trust by showing up authentically, creating genuine content, and cultivating communities that connect.

This Pride Month, we’re celebrating five LGBTQ+ publishers in the Mediavine network who have built thriving digital businesses by doing exactly that. Their niches range from food and travel to gardening and disability advocacy. Their audiences vary significantly, but they all share a commitment to authenticity, inclusivity, and creating welcoming spaces.

Introducing…

Kathryn Doherty

Looking for practical recipes that make family dinners easier? Family Food on the Table is packed with approachable, healthy meals designed for real life. Founded by Kathryn Doherty, the site helps busy families get nutritious meals on the table without unnecessary stress or perfectionism.

Kathryn’s content is rooted in meeting readers where they are, whether that’s juggling work, school activities, or simply trying to get dinner ready after a long day. Her welcoming approach and practical solutions have made Family Food on the Table a trusted resource for families of all kinds.

Danielle Madden

Meal prep can feel overwhelming, but Project Meal Plan makes it accessible. Created by Danielle Madden, the site focuses on approachable meal prep recipes and planning strategies that help readers simplify their weekly routines.

Danielle has built a loyal audience by creating a space where everyone feels welcome. Through practical recipes and thoughtful community engagement, Project Meal Plan empowers readers to build confidence in the kitchen while making healthy eating more achievable.

Maartje Hensen

Travel looks different depending on who you are, and Once Upon a Journey embraces that reality. The travel and lifestyle platform created by Maartje Hensen draws from personal experiences navigating the world as a non-binary queer traveler.

Through destination guides, travel resources, and lifestyle content, Maartje offers a perspective that helps readers explore the world with confidence while celebrating both adventure and authenticity.

Raffaele DiLallo

For plant enthusiasts seeking expert advice without the intimidation factor, Ohio Tropics is a go-to destination. Founded by Raffaele DiLallo, the site offers practical guidance on houseplant care, rooted in years of hands-on experience.

Known for his approachable teaching style and honesty about both successes and failures, Raffaele has cultivated a thriving community of plant lovers who appreciate the welcoming, judgment-free environment he cultivates.

Meriah Nichols

At the intersection of disability advocacy, travel, parenting, and personal storytelling sits Meriah Nichols‘ platform. Through her work, Meriah explores life through multiple lenses, including disability, motherhood, and queerness, creating content that challenges assumptions and celebrates diversity.

Her long-running relationship with her audience has allowed readers to grow alongside her as she shares her evolving experiences and perspectives, building a community rooted in connection and understanding.

Branden Harvey

Good news is a radical act and Branden Harvey has built a media company around it. As the founder and CEO of Good Good Good, Branden created the Goodnewspaper, a printed newspaper dedicated entirely to good news, hosts the podcast Sounds Good, and has built an online community of more than 500,000 people committed to making the world better.

Before Good Good Good, Branden traveled the world as a humanitarian photographer, working with clients including the United Nations and Feeding America. He was invited to the first-ever White House photography meetup and was hired to cover Pope Francis’ visit to the United States on behalf of The Vatican. His work has been featured by The New York Times, Men’s Health, and Mashable, among others.

Branden brings the same intentionality to his publishing work that he brings to everything else. The belief that the stories we tell shape the world we live in.

Building Community Through Authenticity

Despite serving different audiences and content verticals, the foundations of these publishers’ successes are remarkably similar. They’ve built businesses by making people feel seen, welcomed, and understood.

Creating Spaces Where Everyone Belongs

For many LGBTQ+ publishers, Pride is deeply connected to the idea of belonging. That philosophy often extends beyond identity and into the communities they build online.

Danielle Madden says her identity has shaped the environment she creates for her readers. “My identity as a bisexual woman has made me keenly aware of some of the challenges faced by anyone who has ever felt different or out of place. That awareness shapes the kind of space I try to create at Project Meal Plan.”

Even as a recipe site, her goal is simple: “I want anyone to feel welcome within that niche if they find Project Meal Plan.”

Kathryn Doherty shares a similar philosophy. To her, Pride is “an opportunity to celebrate progress, community and love in all its forms,” something reflected in both her content and her approach to readers. She creates recipes “designed to work for families of all kinds” and says her audience feels comfortable sharing their specific needs because they know they’ll be met with understanding rather than judgment.

For Branden Harvey, that sense of belonging runs through everything Good Good Good publishes. “Every single day, Good Good Good publishes stories of people who have found ways to make a difference in the world,” he says. “For our readers, those stories serve as a reminder that change is possible and that hope is real. Many of our readers take that newfound sense of hope and turn it into action.”

When audiences feel welcomed instead of judged, trust follows.

Showing Up Honestly

Many of these publishers spoke about authenticity not as a branding strategy, but as a way of moving through the world.

For Kathryn Doherty, that means embracing imperfection. “I show up as I am— no makeup and hair not done, kitchen not clean— and try to share recipes that are helpful and solve problems.”

For Raffaele DiLallo, authenticity is inseparable from Pride itself. “Pride, to me, is about showing up fully as yourself without apology,” he says. “I spent years compartmentalizing different parts of my identity, and at some point I just got tired of that.”

That mindset has shaped Ohio Tropics from the beginning. “I don’t make Pride a headline, but I also don’t hide from it. That authenticity is baked into everything I do.”

Readers consistently respond to publishers who choose honesty over perfection, and connection over performance.

Turning Lived Experience Into Unique Perspective

In a publishing landscape where content is increasingly commoditized, lived experience remains one of the strongest differentiators a publisher can have.

For Maartje Hensen, their identity directly informs the stories they tell. “As a non-binary queer person, my identity has heavily influenced my work. My travel and lifestyle blog draws from my own experiences navigating the world as a queer person.”

Their definition of Pride reflects that perspective. “Pride is a protest. It’s a time to make our voices be heard for the most marginalized in our community,” they explain. “And sure, it’s also a celebration of queer joy, because we don’t have to be miserable while fighting this battle.”

Meriah Nichols sees Pride through a similarly expansive lens. “Pride means moving beyond acceptance or merely surviving in a world not built for us,” she says. “Pride means reclaiming joy, ditching shame, and celebrating how our differences shift culture forward.”

The most memorable publishers aren’t trying to sound like everyone else. They’re leaning into experiences and perspectives that only they can bring to the conversation.

Representation Isn’t a Campaign

Several publishers emphasized that authentic inclusion can’t be limited to a single month on the calendar.

Raffaele DiLallo offers straightforward advice for brands hoping to connect with LGBTQ+ audiences: “Don’t show up once in June and disappear.”

He notes that audiences can quickly spot the difference between genuine support and performance. “They can tell the difference between a brand that actually values them and one that’s using a rainbow logo as a marketing tactic.”

Meriah Nichols echoes that sentiment. “Pride isn’t performative. It isn’t a once-a-year thing to be celebrated or paid attention to.”

Instead, she argues that diversity should be reflected consistently in the people brands hire, partner with, and elevate throughout the year. “The things that we’re proud of are natural and normal parts of human diversity,” she says. “They need to be integrated into brands and advertising in authentic, holistic ways.”

Branden Harvey’s approach to running Good Good Good reflects that same principle year-round. “I made the decision to keep Good Good Good fully independent so we could make our own autonomous decisions and live out our mission without outside pressure,” he says. That independence means the publication never has to compromise on the stories it tells or the communities it covers, in June or any other month.

Community Is the Foundation

Pride and community go hand in hand. It’s about creating spaces where people can show up as themselves and know they’ll be welcomed.

Whether they’re helping families get dinner on the table, teaching meal prep, sharing travel experiences, helping plant lovers thrive, or advocating for disability and LGBTQ+ visibility, these publishers have built loyal audiences through that same principle.

Their success is a reminder that the strongest publishing brands aren’t built solely on traffic or trends. They’re built on trust, connection, and a genuine commitment to serving the people who show up every day.

Branden Harvey puts it simply: “The world is made better — bit by bit. And then one day you look up and realize all those small acts of hope and action have added up to a better world.”

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