Linda Birner

Linda Birner, an extraordinarily loved leader in the Sacramento LGBTQ+ community as a social justice activist and newspaper business founder, passed away on July 3, 2024. She is survived by her two younger sisters.

Linda was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana on January 21, 1949. Her family moved to a village on the shores of Lake Erie in Timberlake, Ohio before relocating in 1962 to Sacramento when her father took a position with Aerojet. She graduated from Mira Loma High School and California State University, Sacramento with a degree in journalism and psychology.

In the Fall of 1978, Birner founded one of the first LGBTQ+ newspapers in Sacramento County. She named the newspaper after a popular coming out phrase, Mom...Guess What! Newspaper (MGW). She was motivated to start the newspaper as a response to a measure on the state ballot, Proposition 6, sponsored by State Senator John Briggs. A perilous time for the gay and lesbian community, Proposition 6 was a California ballot measure that proposed to ban gay and lesbian people as well as their supporters from teaching in public schools. On November 7, 1978, Californians voted down the measure. MGW Newspaper went to press to advocate against the measure and continued to be a place for LGBTQ+ folks to learn about their community news while also helping educate heterosexual people that gay and lesbian people were just like everyone else wanting to live productive and fulfilling lives with families and dreams and aspirations to give back to their community.

Under the mentorship of the editor of the Sacramento Bee, C.K. McClatchy, her goal was to produce a publication that mirrored the same comprehensive array of news as the Bee, from politics, to healthcare, to the arts and sports and even topics like car maintenance. She assembled an army of dedicated contributing writers and subject matter experts along with the strong financial support of abundant advertisers who recognized the value of reaching the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2009, Birner no longer controlled MGW. Eventually, it became Guess What Media, LLC.

In her memory and grateful for her life, the archives of MGW are held in trust with the Center for Sacramento History, seeking to preserve the history of this special community and to recognize its leaders.

In addition to educating the LGBTQ+ community and its allies, Birner was heavily involved in the Sacramento political and activist community. She was President of the local chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). She appeared before the California legislature on numerous occasions. She received the Sacramento YWCA Outstanding Women award in 1985 and recognition for serving on the Human Rights Commission from 1977 until 1981. She served as an advisor to the Sacramento City Police Department and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department and was recently involved in the Sacramento Renaissance Society among many other organizations and causes. Her 40th birthday was celebrated at the Benefit for the Sacramento AIDS Foundations' Hand to Hand Project and Hope House and was hosted by Jane Fonda.

In her personal life, Birner was an avid equestrian, race car driver, recreational sailor, pilot, snow skier and owner of dogs, specifically schnauzers.

Donations in memory of Linda Birner to the local Sacramento LGBT Community Center are encouraged and welcome. Contact https://saccenter.org/.

A celebration of life is planned for Linda on Thursday, September 19, 2024. For details and an invite to RSVP, send an email with your name to: lindabirner.lifecelebration@gmail.com