Gay Blog Queerty Is Dead
Queerty, the LGBT blog known for its tongue-in-cheeck irreverence, gratuitous nudity, and surprisingly, questionably, almost at times anti-gay point of view, has closed. The blog, created by Jossip founder and extremely successful Internet entrepreneur David Hauslaib, had come under the operational control of 353 Media. In an email (below) sent by Hauslaib, he states, “a scenario that began with some technical headaches, has ended with 353 opting to not continue operating the site.”
Bilerico, for whom I used to write, muses today and offers some not intended to be factual statements as to the fall of the controversial LGBT blog.
Joe.My.God. points to the very not-safe-for-work site The Sword, which evidently was not a Queerty fan. They write, appropriately, “I’ll keep the schadenfreude at a minimum and simply say that even though there are plenty of other awful websites just like it, losing even one like Queerty, which has repeatedly fostered the wrong kinds of conversations, gloated over teen suicide, suggested fining people who acquire HIV, misled readers, gotten its facts laughably wrong, and provided a forum for some of the stupidest, most shrill commenters on the internet is still a great, great thing.”
For my part, two years ago when The New Civil Rights Movement was barely six months old, I was happy to be named by Queerty as one of the “10 Gay Twitterers You Need to Follow,” (though less happy about them calling me “Twitter’s gay uncle.â€)
Queerty was ground-breaking and irreverent, but, I feel forced to say, their contribution to the national conversation was often inappropriate and mostly just plain wrong. I met Hauslieb once, at a course he taught on how to start a blog. He was young, knowledgeable, and, unlike his web creation, seemed impressive.
Queerty’s demise proves the need for sites that offer factual news reports, intelligent analysis, a global perspective, and voices not stifled by the persistent desire to pander to the lowest common denominator to make a few bucks.
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