Has the Gay Media become irrelevant?

Has the Gay Media become irrelevant?
By Carlos T Mock
June 27, 2009


Since the gay rags come only once a week. By the time we read these and other news, they are obsolete—it’s like last week Newsweek. The way that we as a community react to this will either make or break the livelihood of our own Newspapers.

For those who choose to ONLY read the gay media—there is no issue.

But for most of us, who read three or four newspapers everyday, it is becoming annoying.

When was the last time you read an interesting article on either The Advocate or Out Magazine? My subscription ran out three years ago and they still keep sending me the magazines. Truth be told, they are irrelevant. They are only ghosts of what they once were, and have completely lost tract of their mission. They can’t even find GLBT people to be on their covers because you have to be young and beautiful before they pay any attention to you.

The local rags are much more helpful and informative. They still carry substance and meaning. But as we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Stonewall, I've decided that both the New York Times and the Washington Post have much better coverage of the event. Not to mention the Colbert Report. I found nothing of relevance in the gay rags.

True, most of the smaller events will only be covered by the Gay media, and authors like me, will never have our books reviewed by the straight press, so I’m thankful for all of our Chicago’s GLBT periodicals.

However, the gay rags truly need to reinvent themselves.

Dr. Mock has published four books with Floricanto Press, Berklety, CA. His articles have appeared on publications like The Chicago Tribune and several gay and lesbian newspapers. He was inducted in The Chicago GLBT Hall of Fame in 2007. He can be reached at: www.carlostmock.com