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Richard “Bugs” Burnett is a Canadian journalist, writer, columnist and editor. Based out of Montreal, Burnett has covered culture and LGBTQ life across Canada and around the world since the 1990s. Having graduated from Concordia University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Journalism, Burnett has since become a frequent contributor to a host of print, radio and television media outlets.
Getting his start with Montreal’s alt-weekly Hour, Burnett served as the magazine’s editor-at-large for over 15 years, from 1996- 2011. Burnett’s column “Three Dollar Bill” debuted in Hour in July 1996, before becoming syndicated in over half of Canada’s alt-weeklies for 15 years. Dealing primarily with LGBTQ life and culture across Canada and around the world, “Three Dollar Bill” was the only syndicated LGBTQ column in the country. At its height, the column reached over 500,000 readers a week. In September 1998, “Three Dollar Bill” made national headlines when Winnipeg’s Uptown Magazine dropped it after one installment, following citywide furor over the column’s discussion of gay sex. In April 2000, the column made headlines when the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary investigated complaints that the column was too pornographic, charges were later dismissed.
Burnett is a regular contributor to the Fugues, XTRA! And the Montreal Gazette through his “POP TART” blog and “Seven Days, Seven Nights” arts column. Additionally, he has been published in dozens of national and international publications from the Globe & Mail, Voir, Passport, and Editor & Publisher. Burnett has also become a frequent pop culture pundit on Montreal’s CJAD 800 AM Radio. Burnett co-starred in the first season of the Life Network’s reality TV series Out in the City. Over the course of his career, Burnett has sparked debate over a variety of cultural and political issues. He has also written about issues such as AIDS, safer sex, domestic violence, and sexual abuse.
Burnett was also one of the original organizer’s of Montreal’s internationally renowned Divers/Cité Pride Parade and Festival. He served as its Media Relations Director. He was the founding President of the Montreal Chapter of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association. Burnett has been a regular panelist at conferences and universities and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Quebec Gay Chamber of Commerce in 2019.