[3] In 2017, CBC Arts wrote that "If you live in Montreal and you go out at night, you know Richard "Bugs" Burnett.
[2]Over the last decade, his column has been dropped by a Winnipeg weekly after complaints about its graphic content, and underwent an investigation by the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary for being 'pornographic'.
"[2] Burnett was one of the original organizers of Montreal’s internationally renowned Divers/Cité festival, was the founding president of the Montreal chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, is a regular lecturer and panelist at universities and conferences, and co-starred in the first season of the Life Network’s reality TV series Out in the City.
[4] Burnett was also editor-at-large of Montreal's alternative newsweekly Hour for 15 years until the newspaper published its last issue on April 7, 2011.
[5] Burnett wrote his POP TART blog for the Montreal Gazette from 2011 to 2016,[1] as well as his weekly Seven Days, Seven Nights arts column from 2014 to 2016.
[2] Burnett's 2004 Hour cover story interview with Jamaican dancehall performer Sizzla was reported on national newscasts in Canada,[8] and made international headlines—including in Jamaica's national newspaper The Jamaica Gleaner[9]—after Sizzla told Burnett, "[Homosexuality] is wrong!
"[10][11] In 2005, Burnett was quoted about rising new HIV infections in a POZ cover story called "Bite the Bullet" as saying that "If you want to play God, [deliberately] spread HIV and ruin other lives in the process—then do us all a g------ favor and put a f------ bullet through your head instead.”[12] Burnett made more headlines when he criticized the Federation of Gay Games decision to revoke Montreal's 2006 Gay Games after the FGG's acrimonious split with Montreal organizers.
"The gold and bronze medals look like melted chocolate someone pulled out of their back pocket," Burnett told the Associated Press.
In 2017, CBC Arts wrote that "If you live in Montreal and you go out at night, you know Richard "Bugs" Burnett.
"[3] Burnett cites the late Montreal newspaperman Nick Auf der Maur and The New York Times bestselling author Felice Picano as his two mentors.