From anti-drag legislation to a rise in hate crimes to a new treatment to prevent the spread of HIV, it’s been a year of ups and downs for LGBTQ+ people in Arizona. And Joseph Darius Jaafari has been tracking it all.

Jaafari left the Arizona Republic this year to start LOOKOUT: an independent publication focused on covering LGBTQ+ stories.

The Show sat down with Jaafari in our studios to talk about the biggest trends he saw here this year, beginning with one of the most important — and most problematic — ones to emerge: A rise in hate crimes against LGBTQ+ people. 

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