Gay Vermont
publication to fold

Vermont's free monthly newspaper for the state's LGBT audience will fold after 21 years of publishing, according to Seven Days, a news Web site in Vermont. Burlington-based Mountain Pride Media board president Brian Cote told Seven Days that the decision to fold Out in the Mountains three weeks ago was emotional but necessary.

"When it came down to it," he said, "we had a few hundred dollars left in the checking account, and the model just could not continue."

When the newspaper appeared in 1985 it was still legal in Vermont to fire someone for being gay, the article said. The state has since seen the overturning of discrimination laws and the adoption of civil unions.

"Twenty-one years ago," Cote said, "people relied on this newspaper for information about our community." Now, he added, mainstream press outlets in Vermont are covering gay issues. He also mentioned that many people get their news from the Internet and that advertising revenues have been lagging.

The publisher will put on a fund-raiser to cover closing costs and payroll. (The Advocate)