Local DJ Comes Out

On Wednesday, January 31, 2007 Portland DJ Mitch Elliott of 105.1-The Buzz announced that he has a boyfriend. 

Byron Beck, the author of Willamette Week's Queer Window sums up the significance: "Elliott did the one thing no one else has ever dared do in a top radio market."

Prior to coming out, Mitch Elliott led a double life in the radio industry, one of the few remaining bastions of homophobia.  (Just listen to any "comedy" radio show and wait for the inappropriate fag jokes to start rolling.)  Mitch DJ'd in other top markets like Atlanta and Seattle.  In Seattle, he had one of the city's top-rated morning shows.  Since DJ's share their personal lives on the air he often worried that he might give away his gayness. 

"Our show's based on our lives.  If something was going on in my relationship, I couldn't talk about it.  I always worried I'd screw up and get my pronouns wrong."

His gig in Seattle ended when the station switched to non-human DJ's to spin the tracks.  He showed up in Portland at The Buzz with a determination to stop leading a double life. 

He landed the afternoon show with popular Portland DJ Daria O'Neill (long a great friend of the gay community) who insisted that Mitch come out on the air.

Elliott's double life has ended and he is relieved.  "I'm not trying to be Big Gay Mitch.  I'm just trying to be myself." 

It has only been a few weeks since Mitch Elliott's professional outing.  Just a few minutes ago, I heard Daria say "Oh my gosh, we just had our first Will and Grace moment."  Sounds like it's working out.

Given the diverse listening audience of The Buzz, especially in the afternoon, Mitch's presence, comfort and authenticity helps people to understand our cause.

Portland businesses have a chance to support Mitch, Daria and 105.1 The Buzz for supporting one of our own.  Please consider how you and I can do that.

Also, here's hoping that Mitch will see this post and be proud.  Hey Mitch, how about starting a blog on here to keep us all posted on how life is going?

Thanks to Byron Beck and Willamette Week for an excellent article that served as an inspiration and the source of information for this post.