Another day, another LGBT media death. This time, it is the boys at Queerty. Here’s a link to the email sent out by David Hauslaib (via Bilerico Project). In it, the site’s founder talks about the problems with the blog’s
As many of you know, last year Queerty partnered with the folks at 353Media to handle its operations. I transitioned out of my original role to make time to tackle some unrelated projects, and a trusted crew took the reins. Sadly last week, in a scenario that began with some technical headaches, has ended with 353 opting not to continue operating the site. It is a decision I was saddened to hear, and I worked to find an amenable solution that would keep Queerty online. That effort was unsuccessful.
The LGBT blogosphere is ripe with schadenfreude and commentary about the fall of the controversial site. You can also bet there was a little celebration at Here Media after news of Queerty’s fall surfaced. Problems with Queerty’s owners also suggest that there are problems with even that model of blogging.
I met Hauslaib at NLGJA’s conference in San Francisco and instantly liked him, sensing he was a smart thinker. While a lot of Queerty’s stories were not always my cup of tea, it really served as a gayer version of Gawker or Jezebel and amidst the blind items and gossip, there was often some solid reporting and commentary. Their coverage of the problems at Here Media and changes at The Advocate were consistently ahead of everyone else. The site has little patience with Gay Inc. and the legacy LGBT media, but they also weren’t afraid to skewer the “inside the LGBT blogosphere” echo chamber and raise questions about the anti-Gay Inc. counterestablishment.