AfterEllen shut down, and the queer internet is mourning its loss
AfterEllen shut down, and the queer internet is mourning its loss
ICYMI, here’s what went down last week on the queer internet: AfterEllen, a MAJOR source not just of information but of community for queer women, shut down. So, of course, the queer women of the world had a collective breakdown. Yes, we know this sounds dramatic, but, like, there’s already hardly any places specifically catering to queer women’s issues (no, not even gay bars; most are for queer men), so the loss of an amazing place like AfterEllen felt like a punch in the gut for many.
On Tumblr, AfterEllen editor-in-chief Trish Bendix sadly announced that, after 14 years, the site “will be effectively shutting down as of [last] Friday.”
In the goodbye letter, Bendix wrote,
“I want to thank the writers for every second of themselves they’ve poured into not only the time and space it takes to write about things so inherently personal, but the passion they’ve done it with. I encourage any single one of you who have any capacity to hire them to do so. I will vouch for any of their talents while quietly mourning the fact I am no longer able to work alongside them.”
As if that wasn’t MISERABLE enough, there also seems to be some drama going down with the site’s new publisher, with reports bubbling to the surface about Bendix being denied her severance. This is seriously such a mess.
UGH OUR HEARTS ARE JUST CRACKING.
The Internet was, and is, so, so sad.
This is devastating. @afterellen has been a safe haven for myself and women in the queer community.
— #EvanRachelWould (@evanrachelwood) September 21, 2016
when i was a wee bb gay, a bunch of older lesbian women on the @afterellen forums coached me through my first breakup. ty 4 that space
— Jen Ruggirello (@jenrigatoni) September 21, 2016
Okay, so @EvolveMedia_LLC....so straight men are running @afterellen? You took it from a queer woman editor? https://t.co/CG5MBNgoqf
— GABY DUNN (@gabydunn) September 22, 2016
So sad for my friend Trish, everyone that worked tirelessly at AfterEllen to create LBTQ content & for the readers https://t.co/3xwqJDejaO
— Brittany Ashley (@britt27ash) September 21, 2016
AfterEllen news is a real blow. Please please please support queer media, queer-inclusive media, and the platforms that cover it.
— Brittani Nichols (@BisHilarious) September 21, 2016
It’s a sad time for queer women’s media, and our hearts are still feeling the pain. We’re so sad, and we hope that, sometime soon, things will turn around for the better. Until then, we’ll be reminiscing over our favorite AfterEllen moments.
The post AfterEllen shut down, and the queer internet is mourning its loss appeared first on HelloGiggles.
