Zach Stafford, the founding editor-in-chief of INTO magazine, has announced he will be leaving Grindr at the end of the month.
He is moving to The Advocate, the USA’s oldest LGBTQ-focused magazine, where he will take-over as the new editor-in-chief.
Stafford has been working as Grindr’s Chief Content Officer since May 2017, despite initially turning down the role.
In a farewell letter posted on INTO, Stafford admitted: “I am a bit overwhelmed as I look back at all that we’ve accomplished, but look forward to what’s in store next for Grindr and INTO.
“And most of all: I can now say I’ve never been so happy I said “yes” to something in my entire life.”
In November 2018, the 28-year-old was named on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 List for the wide variety of LGBTQ media content he oversees.
He was recently reprimanded by Grindr’s President Scott Chen, however, after INTO published an article accusing Chen of not supporting same-sex marriage.
Stafford defended the professionalism of his journalists and insisted they would continue to present unbiased opinions, even if it meant presenting their owners in a negative fashion.
Stafford said to The Advocate: “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.
“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.”
Read more here.