Ann Northrop
Encyclopedia
Ann Northrop is a journalist
and activist
, and the current co-host of TV news program Gay USA
.
, Connecticut
, Northrop is a native of her mother's hometown, Windsor
. Northrop's father was a pilot for United Airlines
, and the family moved frequently, thus she spent most of her youth in the areas surrounding Hartford, Washington, D.C.
, Boston, Denver
and Chicago
. Northrop describes her childhood home as being "very Republican."
When Northrop left home to attend college in 1966, she considered herself indoctrinated into a conservative
viewpoint. College proved transformative for Northrop who said "I’m one of those very dangerous converts – someone who discovered a radical, leftist point of view, in my late teens and sort of traveled that road, ideologically, since." Northrop graduated from Vassar College
in 1970.
in Washington, D.C. She reported on all branches of the federal government which included The White House
, Congress
and the Supreme Court
. After a year and a half, Northrop moved to New York City
where she worked for WCBS-TV on a program called Woman.
After Woman ended, Northrop worked in WCBS-TV operations, was a freelance production assistant for ABC Sports, wrote for a nationally-syndicated newspaper column as well as Ms.
and other publications such as Ladies' Home Journal
. Northrop acted as the New York officer for a study of thousands of straight and gay couples by Drs. Pepper Schwartz
and Philip Blumstein titled "American Couples: Money-Work-Sex".
Northrop returned to regular television production in 1981 as a writer-producer for ABC
's Good Morning America
. She was then recruited by George Merlis to CBS News
in 1982. For five years, Northrop was a producer for the CBS Morning News
, planning, coordinating and executing the program on a daily basis. Northrop worked with the show's hosts including Diane Sawyer
, Bill Kurtis
, Forrest Sawyer
, Maria Shriver
, Phyllis George
, Charlie Rose
and Meredith Vieira
.
In 1987, Northrop resigned her position at CBS, seeking a change. She chose to become an AIDS and homosexuality educator for New York City's Hetrick-Martin Institute for Lesbian and Gay Youth
. After four years as an educator teaching and answering questions by youths and adults alike, she left Hetrick-Martin to pursue other interests.
In 1992, Northrop was the only openly lesbian or gay individual in the New York delegation to the Democratic National Convention
. She served for four years as a board member of the Gay Games which were held in New York City in 1994. Northrop helped create the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies, a gay think tank, for which she also served on the board of advisors. She wrote a weekly column for QW, a short-lived New York City gay magazine, and then wrote a regular column for LGNY, a NYC gay newspaper. Northrop has also provided training for activists on how to deal effectively with the news media. She also helped found the Lesbian and Gay Alumnae Association of Vassar College.
Northrop has been a speaker at many events, including the 25th anniversary celebration of the Stonewall riots
. She is featured in several books including Making History by Eric Marcus
, Wolf Girls at Vassar by Anne MacKay, and Queer in America by Michelangelo Signorile
.
In 1996, Northrop became a co-host of the television news
program Gay USA
. She and fellow anchor Andy Humm
present news "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues" on a local, national and international level.
and involved with the developing feminist movement
during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
When Northrop became an AIDS
and homosexuality
educator, she "...realized the issues were the same that had engaged her as an activist against the Vietnam War and for the feminist movement." Thus, in 1988, Northrop joined the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
in New York City, known as ACT UP/New York. She became involved in "direct action" demonstrations and was arrested approximately two dozen times for civil disobedience
.
In December 1989, Northrop participated in ACT UP
's "Stop the Church" protest at St. Patrick's Cathedral
in New York City
by lying in the center aisle. She, along with 110 other protestors, was arrested. Northrop was later convicted on four misdemeanor charges.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and activist
Activism
Activism consists of intentional efforts to bring about social, political, economic, or environmental change. Activism can take a wide range of forms from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism such as boycotts or preferentially patronizing...
, and the current co-host of TV news program Gay USA
Gay USA
Gay USA is a weekly one-hour news program "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues" on a local, state, national, and international level. It is filmed in the studios of, and aired by, Manhattan Neighborhood Network in Manhattan, New York...
.
Early life
Born in HartfordHartford, Connecticut
Hartford is the capital of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960, it is the second most populous city on New England's largest river, the Connecticut River. As of the 2010 Census, Hartford's population was 124,775, making...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, Northrop is a native of her mother's hometown, Windsor
Windsor, Connecticut
Windsor is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, and was the first English settlement in the state. It lies on the northern border of Connecticut's capital, Hartford. The population was estimated at 28,778 in 2005....
. Northrop's father was a pilot for United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
, and the family moved frequently, thus she spent most of her youth in the areas surrounding Hartford, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, Boston, Denver
Denver, Colorado
The City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Denver is a consolidated city-county, located in the South Platte River Valley on the western edge of the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Northrop describes her childhood home as being "very Republican."
When Northrop left home to attend college in 1966, she considered herself indoctrinated into a conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
viewpoint. College proved transformative for Northrop who said "I’m one of those very dangerous converts – someone who discovered a radical, leftist point of view, in my late teens and sort of traveled that road, ideologically, since." Northrop graduated from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
in 1970.
Career
After college, Northrop worked for the National JournalNational Journal
National Journal is a nonpartisan American weekly magazine that reports on the current political environment and emerging political and policy trends. National Journal was first published in 1969. Times Mirror owned the magazine from 1986 to 1997, when it was purchased by David G. Bradley...
in Washington, D.C. She reported on all branches of the federal government which included The White House
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
, Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
. After a year and a half, Northrop moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
where she worked for WCBS-TV on a program called Woman.
After Woman ended, Northrop worked in WCBS-TV operations, was a freelance production assistant for ABC Sports, wrote for a nationally-syndicated newspaper column as well as Ms.
Ms. magazine
Ms. is an American feminist magazine co-founded by American feminist and activist Gloria Steinem and founding editor Letty Cottin Pogrebin together with founding editors Patricia Carbine, Joanne Edgar, Nina Finkelstein, and Mary Peacock, that first appeared in 1971 as an insert in New York magazine...
and other publications such as Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal
Ladies' Home Journal is an American magazine which first appeared on February 16, 1883, and eventually became one of the leading women's magazines of the 20th century in the United States...
. Northrop acted as the New York officer for a study of thousands of straight and gay couples by Drs. Pepper Schwartz
Pepper Schwartz
Pepper Schwartz, PhD, is an American sociologist and sexologist teaching at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. She is the author or co-author of numerous books, magazines, website columns, and a television personality on the subject of sexuality.Schwartz is notable...
and Philip Blumstein titled "American Couples: Money-Work-Sex".
Northrop returned to regular television production in 1981 as a writer-producer for ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. She was then recruited by George Merlis to CBS News
CBS News
CBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
in 1982. For five years, Northrop was a producer for the CBS Morning News
CBS Morning News
For CBS's main morning news program, formerly known as CBS Morning News, see The Early Show.CBS Morning News is the half-hour daily television broadcast from CBS News that airs following Up to the Minute and features late-breaking news stories, weather forecasts, and sports scores...
, planning, coordinating and executing the program on a daily basis. Northrop worked with the show's hosts including Diane Sawyer
Diane Sawyer
Lila Diane Sawyer is the current anchor of ABC News' flagship program, ABC World News. Previously, Sawyer had been co-anchor of ABC Newss morning news program, Good Morning America ....
, Bill Kurtis
Bill Kurtis
Bill Kurtis is an American television journalist, producer, narrator, and news anchor. He is also the current host of A&E crime and news documentary shows, including Investigative Reports, American Justice, and Cold Case Files...
, Forrest Sawyer
Forrest Sawyer
Forrest Sawyer is an American broadcast journalist. Sawyer worked 11 years with ABC News, where he frequently anchored ABC World News Tonight and Nightline and reported for all ABC News broadcasts...
, Maria Shriver
Maria Shriver
Maria Owings Shriver is an American journalist and author of six best-selling books. She has received a Peabody Award, and was co-anchor for NBC's Emmy-winning coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics. As executive producer of The Alzheimer's Project, Shriver earned two Emmy Awards and an Academy of...
, Phyllis George
Phyllis George
Phyllis Ann George Brown is an American businesswoman, actress and a former sportscaster. She is a former Miss Texas and Miss America of 1971.- Early life :...
, Charlie Rose
Charlie Rose
Charles Peete "Charlie" Rose, Jr. is an American television talk show host and journalist. Since 1991 he has hosted Charlie Rose, an interview show distributed nationally by PBS since 1993...
and Meredith Vieira
Meredith Vieira
Meredith Louise Vieira is an American journalist, television personality, and game show host. She is best known for her roles as the original moderator of the ABC talk program The View and co-host of the long-running NBC News morning news program, Today...
.
In 1987, Northrop resigned her position at CBS, seeking a change. She chose to become an AIDS and homosexuality educator for New York City's Hetrick-Martin Institute for Lesbian and Gay Youth
Hetrick-Martin Institute
The Hetrick-Martin Institute is a New York City based non-profit organization devoted to serving the needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning youth. The institute was founded in 1979 as the "Institute for the Protection of Lesbian and Gay Youth" by Dr. Emery Hetrick, a...
. After four years as an educator teaching and answering questions by youths and adults alike, she left Hetrick-Martin to pursue other interests.
In 1992, Northrop was the only openly lesbian or gay individual in the New York delegation to the Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
. She served for four years as a board member of the Gay Games which were held in New York City in 1994. Northrop helped create the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies, a gay think tank, for which she also served on the board of advisors. She wrote a weekly column for QW, a short-lived New York City gay magazine, and then wrote a regular column for LGNY, a NYC gay newspaper. Northrop has also provided training for activists on how to deal effectively with the news media. She also helped found the Lesbian and Gay Alumnae Association of Vassar College.
Northrop has been a speaker at many events, including the 25th anniversary celebration of the Stonewall riots
Stonewall riots
The Stonewall riots were a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of June 28, 1969, at the Stonewall Inn, in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City...
. She is featured in several books including Making History by Eric Marcus
Eric Marcus
Eric Marcus is an American non-fiction writer. His works are primarily of LGBT interest, including Breaking the Surface, the autobiography of gay Olympic diving champion Greg Louganis, which became a #1 New York Times Bestseller and Making History: The Struggle for Gay and Lesbian Equal Rights,...
, Wolf Girls at Vassar by Anne MacKay, and Queer in America by Michelangelo Signorile
Michelangelo Signorile
Michelangelo Signorile is a gay American writer, a national talk radio host whose program is aired each weekday across the United States and Canada. He is a political liberal, and covers a wide variety of political and cultural issues...
.
In 1996, Northrop became a co-host of the television news
News broadcasting
News broadcasting is the broadcasting of various news events and other information via television, radio or internet in the field of broadcast journalism. The content is usually either produced locally in a radio studio or television studio newsroom, or by a broadcast network...
program Gay USA
Gay USA
Gay USA is a weekly one-hour news program "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues" on a local, state, national, and international level. It is filmed in the studios of, and aired by, Manhattan Neighborhood Network in Manhattan, New York...
. She and fellow anchor Andy Humm
Andy Humm
Andy Humm is a journalist, activist and currently co-host of TV news program Gay USA.-Career:As a gay news reporter, Humm has covered virtually every major gay and AIDS news story since the 1980s...
present news "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues" on a local, national and international level.
Activism
Northrop became an active demonstrator against the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and involved with the developing feminist movement
Feminist movement
The feminist movement refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment and sexual violence...
during the late 1960s and early 1970s.
When Northrop became an AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
educator, she "...realized the issues were the same that had engaged her as an activist against the Vietnam War and for the feminist movement." Thus, in 1988, Northrop joined the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
in New York City, known as ACT UP/New York. She became involved in "direct action" demonstrations and was arrested approximately two dozen times for civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
.
In December 1989, Northrop participated in ACT UP
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power
AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
's "Stop the Church" protest at St. Patrick's Cathedral
St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York
The Cathedral of St. Patrick is a decorated Neo-Gothic-style Roman Catholic cathedral church in the United States...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
by lying in the center aisle. She, along with 110 other protestors, was arrested. Northrop was later convicted on four misdemeanor charges.
Personal life
Northrop came out when she was about 28, working for Ms. magazine, and met a woman she fell in love with, Linda. Northrop and Linda were together for 17 years, and raised Linda's two children from a previous marriage.External links
- Meet Ann Northrop at Gay USAGay USAGay USA is a weekly one-hour news program "...devoted to in-depth coverage of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender issues" on a local, state, national, and international level. It is filmed in the studios of, and aired by, Manhattan Neighborhood Network in Manhattan, New York...
- Queer Justice League BlogSpot to which Northrop contributes
- Ann Northrop Interview for the ACT UP Oral History ProjectAIDS Coalition to Unleash PowerAIDS Coalition to Unleash Power is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people with AIDS and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and...
.