Year-by-year with Texas’ premier media source for the LGBT community
ROGUE’S GALLERY | A history of logos for Voice-owned publications and platforms over the years.
EARLY DAYS | Dennis Vercher, Dallas Voice’s first editor. He served for more than 20 years.
• 1984: Dallas Voice is founded by Don Ritz, Robert Moore and William Marberry with a financial investment of $250 from each partner. Marberry is publisher; Ritz is editor and Moore is advertising director when the 24-page Vol. 1, No. 1 issue is published on May 11, 1984. In its inaugural year, the Voice becomes a member of the Gay Press Association. Its offices are located at 3409 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. 212.
• 1985: Ritz and Moore buy out William Marberry and move all production operations from Houston to Dallas. Don Ritz becomes controller. Robert Moore continues as advertising director. Dennis Vercher III is hired as editor of Dallas Voice. Ritz and Moore become founding members of the National Gay Newspaper Guild, an affiliation of LGBT papers in 12 markets. The Voice offices are now located at 2727 Oak Lawn Ave., Ste. 105.
• 1986: When Robert Moore, the victim of a stabbing attack is hospitalized at Baylor, staff place him in an isolation ward, simply because he is gay. Dallas Voice adopts a format with a single photo on the front page.
• 1987: Dallas Voice incorporates as Voice Publishing Company Inc.
• 1988: Voice offices are now at 2525 Wycliff Ave.
• 1989: David Taffet joins the staff part-time as a travel writer. His duties will expand over the next 25 years.
• 1990: Dallas Voice reports on a demonstration commemorating 1,421 AIDS deaths in Dallas County.
• 1991: When amyl nitrate — the original “poppers” — are banned, Dallas Voice reports on those hoarding the formula.
• 1992: The Dallas Voice offices relocate to larger quarters at 3100 Carlisle St., Ste. 216.
• 1993: Leo Cusimano joins the Dallas Voice staff, first as a part-time graphic artist, later becoming a full-time ad sales representative. This same year, conservative religious groups protest at Prestige Ford in Garland after the auto dealership begins advertising in Dallas Voice, and the Dallas Morning News features Don Ritz and Robert Moore in its Business section.
• 1994: The Voice offices move across the parking lot to 3000 Carlisle, into an even larger space.
• 1995: Dallas Voice organizes the first Gay Day at Six Flags over Texas as a community event during the Dallas gay Pride celebration surrounding the Alan Ross Texas Freedom Parade in September. John Bode, Dallas Voice graphic artist, dies of AIDS.
• 1996: DallasVoice.com is launched and provides DFW’s weekly LGBT news online. Greg Hoover joins the Dallas Voice staff as a classified advertising sales representative, where he will remain until December 2013.
• 1997: Daniel Kusner is hired as Dallas Voice’s first Life+Style Editor.
• 1998: Don Ritz retires. Robert Moore becomes publisher. Leo Cusimano becomes advertising director. Rex Ackerman dies of AIDS.
• 1999: Robert Moore is elected treasurer of the National Gay Newspaper Guild.
• 2000: Qtexas magazine, a statewide publication, is launched.
• 2001: Robert Moore becomes sole owner of Dallas Voice and president of Voice Publishing Company Inc. upon the death of his investment partner, Don Ritz. Terry Thompson joins the Voice staff as office manager.
• 2002: Conservative religious groups begin a boycott campaign and protests to try and stop Gay Day at Six Flags Over Texas during the September gay Pride weekend. They fail.
• 2003: Dallas Voice moves its offices to the third floor of 4145 Travis St. Arnold Wayne Jones joins the staff of Dallas Voice as a Life+Style reporter and theater/dining critic.
• 2004: Dallas Voice marks its 20th anniversary, and Tammye Nash returns to the staff as a reporter. Qtexas acquires the Texas Triangle and DFW Lambda Pages in November. The Texas Triangle and Qtexas merge to create TXT Newsmagazine. Former Texas Triangle graphic artist Michael Stephens joins the staff.
• 2005: TXT Newsmagazine launches in January, but ceases publication at the end of December. DallasVoice.com is redesigned and relaunched at the first of the year. DFW Lambda Pages is redesigned and retooled as an annual LGBT Yellow Pages business directory and visitors guide.
• 2006: A new video component, called DVtv, is added to DallasVoice.com, featuring news and entertainment videos from around North Texas produced and filmed. Dallas Voice produces its first annual Readers Voice Awards issue in March. Dennis Vercher dies in September from complications from AIDS and lymphoma. Tammye Nash is appointed senior editor.
• 2007: Gay businessman Ed Oakley gets into a run-off for Dallas mayor. He loses, but the winner, Tom Leppert, hires a gay man, Chris Heinbaugh, as his chief of staff.
• 2008: DFW Lambda Pages is rebranded Dallas Voice Yellow Pages.
• 2009: Dallas Voice completes its 25th full year of publication issue and begins its second quarter-century of business. Arnold Wayne Jones becomes Life+Style Editor. David Taffet joins the staff full time as a news reporter. Dallas Voice’s print edition is redesigned with a “stitch and trim” format and regularly produces glossy-cover editions.
• 2010: Kevin Thomas joins the staff as a graphic artist, and Jesse Arnold comes onboard as office manager.
This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition May 16, 2014.
• 2011: Anti-bullying legislation passes, the first time any pro-gay legislation passes in Texas in a decade.
• 2012: Anna Waugh joins the staff as a news reporter, and Chad Mantooth and David Liddle are hired as advertising sales representatives.
• 2013: Robert Moore retires as publisher, and sells his interest in Voice Publishing to Leo Cusimano and Terry Thompson. Cusimano takes over as publisher, and Thompson becomes president of the company. Steve Ramos is hired as Senior Editor. Chase Overstreet joins the staff as manager of the classified ads department, replacing longtime employe Greg Hoover, who embarks on a worldwide sailing tour.
• 2014: Dallas Voice Yellow Pages is rebranded as a full-sized glossy magazine, OUT North Texas. Dallas Voice begins its 31st year of publication with its 1,561st issue.