Fresh Ten Lesbian and Gay Business RIPs of 2009

The economic crisis that has been taking place over the past year and beyond has impacted individuals all over the world, in various areas of interest. Hit particularly hard, unfortunately, seems to have been valuable and long-standing LGBT businesses. Magazines, bookstores, and even an initiative for lesbians in sport were forced to close their doors in 2009… leaving our community worse off for it. With sadness and respect, here are our Fresh Ten Lesbian and Gay Business RIPs of 2009.

10. Zero Magazine. Spain’s leading gay and lesbian publication closed last month after 12 years and 120 editions. The business filed for bankruptcy on 11/6 after income from advertising fell by 60%. Personalities interviewed and placed on the front page included the Mayor of Madrid and the Prime Minister.

9. Triangle Journal. Earlier this month, the Triangle Journal and its sister publication Triangle Quarterly announced that they would no longer be printing Memphis’ only gay newspaper. The monthly newspaper was published by the Memphis Gay and Lesbian Community Center (MGLCC).

8. Out Word Bound Book Store. Indianapolis’ only gay and lesbian bookstore will close its doors after Christmas. Out Word Bound Book Store served as a center of gay and lesbian intellectual life in downtown Indianapolis, IN for more than a decade.

7. Cornwall Lesbian Line. The Cornwall Lesbian Helpline was created in 1989 in response to what the local gay and lesbian community in the county – set at the South Western tip of England – felt was homophobia from Cornish Authorities. The volunteer project closed in June after 20 years of service.

6. Southern Voice. In November, a headline read: “Atlanta’s gay community has lost its Southern Voice.” The city’s gay and lesbian weekly shut its doors after 21 years.

5. A Different Light Bookstore: West Hollywood. The historic Los Angeles branch of A Different Light bookstore closed in spring 2009. A longtime fixture of the Los Angeles gay and literary community, the store was sister to A Different Light San Francisco, which is still operating in the Castro.

4. Lambda Rising Bookstore. At the beginning of the month it was announced that Lambda Rising was closing its stores in Washington, DC and Rehoboth Beach, DE at the end of the year. Established in 1974, Lambda Rising emerged at a time when the community struggled to find LGBT literature in bookstores and libraries but 35 years later, Founder and co-owner Deacon Maccubbin feels that he has accomplished his mission of showing that there was a market for LGBT literature.

3. The Oscar Wilde Bookshop. Gay activist Craig Rodwell founded the Oscar Wilde Bookshop in 1967. Located in Greenwich Village, NYC, it was believed to be the oldest gay and lesbian bookstore in the country until it was forced to close its doors for good in March.

2. It Takes A Team. Although not technically a business, the It Takes A Team initiative was certainly in the business of enhancing the visibility of lesbians in sports. Pat Griffin, the Director of the It Takes A Team! Education Campaign for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Issues in Sport, an initiative of the Women’s Sports Foundation, announced on her blog recently that the Foundation has eliminated the initiative, effective at the end of January when her contract as director of expires.

1. Window Media. Gay newspapers in several United States cities abruptly shut down on Monday, 11/16, when Window Media (which owned The Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Houston Voice, and others) went out of business. Window Media had been in serious financial trouble, but employees reportedly expected a reorganization or sale, so were quite surprised by the liquidation.