Rob Phelps is the award-winning Editor-in-Chief of Boston Spirit Magazine, New England’s premier LGBTQ publication. With over 20 years’ experience in community journalism, he specializes in stories bridging policy analysis, cultural criticism, and grassroots activism.
Recent honors include the 2023 New England Press Award for healthcare reporting and NLGJA recognition for pandemic mutual aid coverage. His work consistently demonstrates how rigorous journalism fosters LGBTQ community resilience.
Rob Phelps has spent over two decades shaping LGBTQ journalism in New England through investigative reporting, community storytelling, and editorial leadership. His career began at the grassroots level with the Provincetown Advocate, where he honed his skills in local reporting while documenting the AIDS crisis’ impact on LGBTQ communities. This foundation in community-focused journalism informs his current work as Editor-in-Chief of Boston Spirit Magazine, where he oversees six annual print issues and digital content reaching 20,000+ readers.
“Being LGBTQ is as much about responsibility as the pleasures that the community shares.”
Phelps’ 2024 profile of Vermont novelist CJ Cluff demonstrates his commitment to amplifying LGBTQ artistic achievement beyond major urban centers. The 1,200-word piece contextualizes Cluff’s rural queer narrative within broader New England literary traditions while analyzing how small presses foster diverse voices. Phelps employs comparative analysis with 20th-century queer authors like Sarah Waters, creating a bridge between regional storytelling and canonical LGBTQ literature.
This 2024 investigative feature maps 23 community funding initiatives across six states, combining data journalism with human-interest storytelling. Phelps developed a proprietary scoring system evaluating funds’ accessibility, impact metrics, and intersectional priorities. His interviews with 14 grant recipients reveal how micro-funding supports transgender healthcare access and rural LGBTQ youth programs—a masterclass in translating policy into personal narratives.
Phelps’ 2025 political analysis piece dissects the legal strategist’s role in achieving marriage equality while critiquing current legislative challenges. By juxtaposing Bonauto’s 1990s courtroom battles with contemporary anti-trans bills, he creates a throughline connecting historical and modern LGBTQ advocacy—a methodology praised by Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government researchers.
Phelps prioritizes stories demonstrating tangible local impact, such as his 2024 coverage of Rhode Island’s LGBTQ Senior Housing Project. Successful pitches should include specific demographic data, community partner quotes, and visual documentation potential. Avoid broad national trends without New England-specific case studies.
His analysis of generational divides in queer terminology usage (“queer” vs. “LGBTQ+”) reveals interest in evolving community identities. Pitches comparing pre/post-AIDS crisis activism or Gen Z digital organizing strategies align with his editorial calendar’s recurring themes.
While Boston features prominently, Phelps actively seeks stories from Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom and Maine’s rural counties. His 2023 series on LGBTQ farmers markets in Aroostook County demonstrates preference for initiatives bridging urban/rural divides.
Phelps’ profile of Provincetown’s Theater in the Open illustrates his editorial standard for cultural coverage. Ideal arts pitches demonstrate how creative projects address current policy issues, similar to his analysis of drag story hours as literacy advocacy.
His 2024 investigation into Massachusetts’ LGBTQ youth homelessness rates set a benchmark for data journalism. Successful policy pitches must include original datasets, expert commentary from at least three stakeholders, and clear legislative action items.
