[5] Stafford is the first black person to serve as the editor-in-chief of The Advocate, the oldest and largest LGBTQ publication in the United States.
[6] "I have long respected The Advocate and the role the magazine played in the LGBTQ community, which started with their reporting on police brutality in the late 1960s, a topic I'm intimately familiar with from my own work", Stafford told NBC News.
"I am incredibly excited to lead The Advocate in reporting and storytelling on LGBTQ life around the world, even if it means ruffling a few feathers along the way.
At the event, Vox reported that New Jersey senator Cory Booker "entered the stage and immediately gave the Advocate editor-in-chief Zach Stafford a bearhug, lifting the journalist off his feet."
[2] In August 2022, Stafford launched a podcast with Sirius XM's Stitcher called Vibe Check, focusing on "news and culture from a Black and queer perspective."