Riese Bernard

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Riese Bernard
Born
Marie Lyn Bernard

1981 (age 44–45)

Marie Lyn Bernard[1] (born 1981), known professionally as Riese Bernard, is an American writer and digital media executive. She is best known as the CEO and co-founder of the lesbian and queer women's interest website Autostraddle. Bernard received a 2017 GLAAD Media Award nomination for her article, "105 Trans Women On American TV: A History and Analysis."[2]

Early life and education

Bernard was born and raised in Michigan.[3] Her father, Victor L. Bernard, a scholar, researcher and professor in the field of financial statement analysis, died of a heart attack when she was 14 years old. Her mother came out to her as gay shortly after her father's death.[4][5]

She graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy in 1999 with a major in creative writing.[6] After graduating from University of Michigan with a bachelor's degree in English in 2003, she moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing.[7][8]

Career

In 2007, Bernard created The Road Best Straddled, a spin-off of her personal blog This Girl Called Automatic Win, to recap The L Word, then in its fourth season.[8] This led to collaborations with The L Word Online and Showtime and her blogs gained sizeable followings.[9][10] She also interned at the now-defunct website Nerve and worked for the Donald Maass Literary Agency.[11]

Bernard has published writing in Marie Claire, Curve, GO, Queerty, Bitch, Jezebel and Emily Books.[12][13] Her article “105 Trans Women On American TV: A History and Analysis” was nominated for a 2017 GLAAD Media Award.[14] In 2018, Bernard's profile of Hayley Kiyoko was the cover story for Nylon's first-ever Pride Issue.[15]

Autostraddle

At the end of the final season of The L Word in 2009, she created Autostraddle.com with her then-girlfriend Alex Vega, with the intention of creating a digital website focused on gay women. Bernard stated she was inspired to create the website because nothing else like it existed at the time.[10] The website received a GLAAD Media Award in 2015 and receives 4 million unique page views per month.[8] In 2012, she created A-Camp, an annual 5-day "curated conference/camp/retreat combo" for queer women and trans people, located in Ojai, California.[16][17]

Personal life

Bernard first began to identify as a bisexual, and then as a lesbian, in her twenties.[8] Bernard is Jewish.[7] She is divorced and lives in Los Angeles.

Accolades

  • 2010 – 100 Women We Love, GO [18]
  • 2011 – 100 Women We Love, GO[19]
  • 2016 – 100 Women We Love, GO[3]
  • 2017 – GLAAD Media Award (nomination), GLAAD[14]
  • 2018 – Queero, Them[20]

References

  1. Allen, Samantha (September 22, 2016). "AfterEllen Is Shutting Down: Is This the End of Lesbian Media?". Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  2. "How Autostraddle's Riese Bernard Forever Changed the Queer Media Landscape". them. June 20, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  3. Hymowech, Gabby; Jackson, S. E. (June 30, 2016). "100 Women We Love 2016 | Page 84 of 98". GO Magazine. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  4. Dupont, Nicole (April 4, 1994). "A Tribute to Professor Victor Bernard". The Monroe Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 16, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  5. "Riese Bernard, episode #57 of Queery with Cameron Esposito on Earwolf". www.earwolf.com. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  6. D'Art. Interlochen Arts Academy. 1999. p. 86.
  7. Bussel, Rachel Kramer (April 1, 2008). Dirty Girls: Erotica for Women. Basic Books. ISBN 9781580052511.
  8. Pasulka, Nicole (September 11, 2015). "Clicking the Bean: The History of the Internet's Most Popular Lesbian Blog". Vice. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  9. A New Lezberado. Plus, Jenny is Dead!, January 22, 2009, retrieved July 9, 2019
  10. Bonney, Grace (May 1, 2018). Good Company (Issue 1): The Community Issue. Artisan Books. ISBN 9781579658427.
  11. "AfterEllen Was a Refuge for All Queer Women — Until It Wasn't". www.out.com. February 13, 2019. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  12. "HER - Dating and Social App for LGBTQ+ People". Her. June 15, 2015. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  13. "You Guessed Right: We're Pushing The LGBTQ Agenda". NYLON. June 1, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  14. "Moonlight, The OA, and Frank Ocean Among GLAAD Media Awards Nominees". www.vulture.com. January 31, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  15. Byrnes, Lindsey (June 1, 2018). "Hayley Kiyoko Is Our June Cover Star". NYLON. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  16. "Introducing Camp Autostraddle". Autostraddle. February 14, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  17. "A-Camp". A-Camp. Retrieved July 8, 2019.
  18. Zinn, Esther; Long, Kat; Burke, Cheryl; Isaac, Emily (August 13, 2010). "100 Women We Love Class of 2010". GO Magazine. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
  19. Maritescu, Corina; Pitagora, Dulci; Long, Kat; Jackson, Sharyn (June 17, 2011). "100 Women We Love 2011". GO Magazine. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  20. "How Autostraddle's Riese Bernard Forever Changed the Queer Media Landscape". them. June 20, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2019.