Steve Rothaus
Steven Bruce Rothaus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | October 29, 1958 |
| Education | Miami Dade College (AA, 1983) Florida International University (BS, 1987) |
| Occupation | Journalist |
| Spouse(s) |
Eric "Ric" Stephen Katz
(m. 2014)(partnered since 1985) |
Steven Bruce Rothaus (born October 29, 1958) is an American journalist, editor, and media pioneer known for his extensive career at the Miami Herald, where he became one of the first mainstream newspaper reporters in the United States to cover LGBTQ+ issues as a dedicated, regular news beat. Over a career spanning more than three decades, Rothaus broke barriers in the newsroom and digital media, notably launching "Gay South Florida," the nation's earliest LGBTQ+ blog attached to a major daily newspaper.[1]
Early Life and Education
[edit]Rothaus was born into a Jewish family in Queens, NY, and attended public schools in Fresh Meadows, NY, and Nassau County, NY. In South Florida, Rothaus graduated from North Miami Beach Senior High School in 1976. He earned an Associate of Arts in journalism from Miami Dade College (MDC) in 1983; and a Bachelor of Science in communications from Florida International University (FIU) in 1987.
While pursuing a degree in journalism at FIU, one of his instructors, Kevin Hall (a former editor of the Herald’s Tropic magazine), informed him of an opening at the Miami Herald.[2] Rothaus accepted a late-night clerical role monitoring police radios from 5:00 PM to 2:00 AM, viewing the demanding position as his crucial "foot in the door" at a major metropolitan newspaper. He officially joined the publication in 1985 while completing his studies.
Career at the Miami Herald
[edit]After his time on the police desk, Rothaus transitioned into a full-time reporting role.[2] By 1988, he was working as the paper's beat reporter for Key West and the Florida Keys.[3] During this period, Key West had the highest per capita rate of HIV/AIDS in the United States. Rothaus heavily covered the crisis and local incidents of anti-gay violence, providing front-page coverage of topics that had previously been largely ignored by mainstream regional press.
Rothaus came out openly as a gay man to his colleagues in 1987.[2] A decade later, in 1997, Miami Herald editors approached him to establish a regular, semi-monthly reporting platform dedicated exclusively to gay and lesbian issues.[1] Rothaus agreed on the condition that his stories would run throughout the newspaper's entire circulation rather than being geographically zoned or restricted to specific neighborhoods, ensuring maximum visibility for the coverage.[3]
As digital media evolved, his platform expanded into "Gay South Florida," a dedicated online blog hosted by the Miami Herald.[1] The blog combined original reporting on local legal battles, same-sex marriage, and community events with aggregated global LGBTQ+ news, establishing Rothaus as a leading regional and national authority on the subject.
In 2014, he wrote about Jennifer Gable, a transgender woman in Idaho who died at age 32. At the funeral, Gable's family presented her as a man in an open casket. The Herald article about Gable was the most-read story of the year across all of McClatchy's publications with more than 1 million page views.[4]
During his tenure at the Miami Herald, Rothaus served in multiple editorial capacities, including editing for the business and features sections, working as an online producer, and serving as the editor of the Neighbors community sections beginning in November 2014.[1] He was also a member of Miami Herald news teams awarded the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service (Hurricane Andrew) and the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting (Elián González).[5]
Media Production
[edit]In 2014, Rothaus co-produced The Day It Snowed in Miami: A Chronology of the LGBT-Rights Movement.[6] The documentary film, presented by the Miami Herald Media Company and WPBT2, traced the early history of the gay rights movement in Florida, focusing on the political fallout of the 1977 Anita Bryant anti-discrimination campaign in Miami-Dade County. The documentary later won a regional Emmy Award.[2]
Advocacy and Professional Associations
[edit]Rothaus was an influential figure in the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, later renamed NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists). He served for five years as a national board member and also held the role of local chapter president in Miami.[7]
Within the organization, Rothaus founded the Newsroom Outreach Project. Through this initiative, he traveled across the United States visiting television stations, newspapers, and university campuses to train editors and journalists on fair, sensitive, and accurate coverage of LGBTQ+ individuals. Notably, he acted as an early advocate for developing newsroom style protocols and pronoun guidelines regarding transgender individuals long before major media organizations adopted standardized guidelines. In 2019, Rothaus was inducted into the NLGJA Hall of Fame.[8]
Awards and Recognition
[edit]Rothaus has received numerous honors for his career achievements and community advocacy:
- 1998: GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Newspaper Columnist.[8]
- 2010: Named Business Person of the Year by the Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce.[9]
- 2012: Received the Voice for Equality Award from Equality Florida.[9]
- 2016: Royal Palm Award by PRSA, the Public Relations Society of America, Miami[10]
- 2016: Inductee, Miami Dade College Alumni Hall of Fame[11]
- 2016: Presented with the Eddy McIntyre Community Service Award by the National LGBTQ Task Force[2]
Personal life
[edit]Rothaus resides in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with his husband, Eric "Ric" Katz, a long-time South Florida public affairs public relations professional who specializes in large infrastructure projects.[12]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 Nesmith, Susanna. "How the Miami Herald's Steve Rothaus became an LGBT pioneer in mainstream journalism". Columbia Journalism Review. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "FIU alumni profile: Steve Rothaus". FIU Student Media. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- 1 2 "Reporting on LGBTQ+ Issues | Council on Foreign Relations". www.cfr.org. December 13, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ↑ "A 2014 Transgender Story Heard Around the World". AdWeek. November 3, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ "2019 Hall of Fame Archives : NLGJA". Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Writers, FIUSM Contributing (February 2, 2018). "FIU alumni profile: Steve Rothaus". PantherNOW. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Steve Rothaus : NLGJA". Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- 1 2 "Steve Rothaus Archives". Lying On The Beach. May 9, 2022. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- 1 2 "Steve Rothaus". Miami Book Fair. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Royal Palm Award – Coral Gables Community Foundation". gablesfoundation.org. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Dixon, Michelle (April 18, 2016). "The Miami Dade College Foundation Hosts Hall Of Fame Ceremony". The Reporter: The Student Newspaper at Miami Dade College. Retrieved June 23, 2026.
- ↑ Joseph, Samantha. "West Dade turning into 'new downtown' - Miami Today". www.miamitodaynews.com. Archived from the original on December 11, 2025. Retrieved June 23, 2026.