CJ Walden, Executive Editor of OutFAU, will be the second recipient of the Norm Kent LGBTQ Newsmaker Fund. The $750 scholarship is awarded to the OutFAU Executive Editor.
“I am deeply grateful to Our Fund and OutSFL for receiving this scholarship,” said Walden. “Credit is owed to the people who have made me into the journalist I am today. While I appreciate all my teachers, Camile Lofters and Aurora Dominguez made the biggest impact on me in high school. Jason Parsley has guided me at SFGN [South Florida Gay News], OutSFL, and now as our Publisher and Advisor. Mary, our founding Executive Editor, was a true delight to work with, and I am happy to always have her guidance. I look forward to continuing Mary’s legacy and bringing more good trouble to OutFAU.”
Christian or CJ Walden was a Contributor for OutFAU from July 2024 until he took over in late October to debut as Executive Editor in the November issue. Walden is an Event Coordinator at Boomers, a contributor for OutSFL, a former contributor for SFGN, and a former Chair of PRISM’s Board of Directors until he stepped down in October 2023 to focus on his mental health. He earned his Associate of Arts degree from Florida Atlantic University in December and is now majoring in multimedia journalism with minors in non-profit management and gender, women, and sexuality studies.
“I had the pleasure of serving as a contributor for SFGN until the publication dissolved in 2023,” said Walden. “The publication was my first taste of professional journalism outside high school, for which I will always be grateful. I deeply enjoyed my time with SFGN, and I know its mission will always be close to my heart. I hope to uphold the values of Norm Kent and aim to always be a journalist with true integrity.”
Mary Rasura was the founding Executive Editor of OutFAU when it launched in January of 2024. OutFAU is OutSFL’s supplemental publication for the queer community on the campus of FAU. Rasura will remain involved as an advisor. She graduated from FAU in December with her bachelor’s in multimedia journalism with a minor in sociology.
The monthly newspaper is currently one of only a handful of LGBTQ publications on a university campus. The publication will go on hiatus after its April issue, resuming once the Fall semester starts. Last year, OutFAU won third place in the Apple awards at the College Media Association’s annual awards.
The Norm Kent LGBTQ Newsmaker Fund is administered by the Our Fund Foundation and was launched in memory of Kent, who died in April 2023.
“Norm Kent’s voice and journalistic activism are especially missed in our current fight with anti-LGBTQ forces,” said David Jobin, CEO of Our Fund. “To have a fund that helps find and elevate future generations of LGBTQ journalists is a fitting legacy to Norm for all that he fought for on our behalf.”
Kent was the co-founder and publisher of SFGN and before that he had founded Express Gay News. Kent was also a noted criminal defense attorney. He dedicated his life to standing up for the LGBTQ community, the First Amendment, and marijuana legalization. The fund is currently accepting donations to make sure the scholarship can continue for years to come.
“Starting a newspaper in this day and age is no easy feat. We do hope OutFAU will continue for years to come,” said OutSFL Publisher Jason Parsley. “We’re excited to see where CJ takes the newspaper this year. We also are grateful to Mary for all of the hard work and time she spent getting OutFAU off the ground and into the hands of students. I would wish her luck, but I know she’s still invested in the success of OutFAU and I know she’ll be advising for a long time.”
You can donate to the fund at our-fund.org/normkentfund/
