UK: Gay magazine to be axed after 14 years
The Lesbian & Gay Foundation has announced that outnorthwest, its community magazine, will no longer be published.
It provides information about LGBT events and services across the north west of England.
The first article was published in 2000 by the Manchester-based charity.
LGF Chief Executive Paul Martin said: “The decision to close the magazine hasn’t been an easy one to make, but we know that the way people access and use information has changed dramatically since 2000, the year that outnorthwest was first published.
“Today, we are all accessing information instantly on our mobile phones, and online through a wide variety of communication channels.
“A bi-monthly, print magazine simply can’t compete in responding to, or delivering ‘immediate’ messages.”
Mr Martin explained that the touch financial climate had influenced the LGF’s decision. He said: “The funding landscape has changed too, and we have a duty to make sure that we spend public money with due care and diligence. The LGF, like many organisations, is experiencing significant cuts to our funding and it’s important for a charity like The LGF to carefully target our communications to where we believe they will have the maximum impact.”
Outnorthwest Editor Grahame Robertson paid tribute to the magazine, saying: “I’m unspeakably proud of everything this magazine has accomplished over the last 14 years. We’ve campaigned, reported, celebrated and given a voice to those who might not otherwise have had one. We’ve made a difference. I know this because you’ve told me. For that I’ll always be grateful. I’m also very grateful for everyone who has contributed to the production of outnorthwest over the last 14 years. Finally, I want to thank every single person who ever picked up a copy of outnorthwest. If anything you read in those pages made you stop and think, get involved, get tested, or even get angry – then we’ve achieved everything we set out to do.”
The final issue of outnorthwest will be published on Wednesday.
