Gay Star News Readers Launch GoFundMe to Support Out-of-Work Staff

Gay Star News is closing.

The British LGBTQ news source confirmed the unhappy news Tuesday after word of the closure leaked on social media.

In this letter to GSN readers, Tris Reid-Smith and Scott Nunn -- who jointly founded the website in 2011 -- pointed to the anxieties of investors and advertisers over Brexit as one of the reasons for its demise. They also cited the "rainbow wash" of brands who pay lipservice during Pride month but fail to invest in LGBTQ brands.

"Rather than working with us to engage and serve LGBTI people year round, many have chosen to 'rainbow wash,'" the founders stated. "They have turned their logo rainbow colored for Pride week or month and - at best - made a small donation to an LGBTI good cause. Worst still, we have learned that some brands have done this while at the same time funding anti-LGBTI politicians to the tune of millions of dollars. Tokenism has reached a new low."

Additionally, Reid-Smith and Nunn thanked Gay Star News's shareholders, business loan providers, clients, partnering LGBTQ organizations, the readers who made the news source possible, and their "exceptional, dedicated, talented" editorial team. The cofounders urged other employers to hire their suddenly out-of-work staffers.

"Gay Star News and Digital Pride have never just happened," they concluded in the letter. "They have been willed into being by incredible people. Until the very end we had good reason to believe we would survive. We have fought through and won through so many times. We were incredibly close. But this one has broken us, and truly broken our hearts.

Members of the editorial team were informed of GSN's closure just prior to payday. To support them, readers have launched a GoFundMe campaign.

"This GoFundMe has been created to crowdfund as much money as possible to support the hardworking team at Gay Star News who poured their hearts and souls into raising awareness for every member of the LGBTI community," the campaign stated. "We just want to support these LGBTI workers while they find the next place to continue the work that has touched people around the world."

At the time of this article's publishing, the crowdfunding campaign had raised PS415 of a PS30,000 goal.

GSN is not the only LGBTQ news source to go under in recent months. Other closed brands include Into, SheWired, and Hello Mr.