New Gay Magazine Goes Online to Avoid Oppressive Attitudes, State Media Rules in Singapore

The publisher's of Singapore's Element magazine are hosting its website in the U.S. and selling it online only to get around oppressive social attitudes and media restrictions in the conservative southeast Asian nation, the WSJ reports:

Element launches later this month, billing itself as the “voice of gay Asia.” Its first issue features interviews with dancers at gay clubs in Thailand and profiles of gay-friendly luxury resorts in Asia, keeping with the regional focus of the magazine. Advertisers already include fashion label Paul Smith, and Avalon, a glamorous nightclub at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands casino resort....

Published by Singapore-based independent media company Epic Media, the magazine aims to have 10,000 digital subscribers and possibly a Mandarin version to tap into the Chinese market next year.

Element is working around media rules in Singapore. Print magazines distributed in the city-state require a license through the government’s Media Development Authority, which regulates and censors media content. The online world, by comparison, is regulated with a “light touch,” circumventing many of the same license applications mandatory in printed content.

The bi-monthly magazine will only be available Apple and Android app storesa nd cost $1.99 an issue.

Toronto's Fab 'Gay Scene Magazine' Closes Up Shop

Toronto's bi-weekly "Gay Scene Magazine" is closing, Now Toronto reports:

“I’m pretty devastated,” editor Phil Villeneuve told NOW over the phone. “Next year would have been 20 years. It would have been great to make it one more year.”

Villeneuve says the decision stems from larger restructuring efforts at Pink Triangle Press, which purchased Fab in February 2008, and who also publishes Xtra!. The decision the cease publication of Fab was “purely financial,” says Villenueve, and comes along with layoffs across several departments at Pink Triangle.

For now, let's revisit their 'Sexy Beards' video HERE.

Madonna To Honor Anderson Cooper At GLAAD Media Awards

Madonna will be in the house at 24th annual GLAAD Media Awards March 16th, when the queen of pop will present journalist Anderson Cooper with the Vito Russo Award for his tireless work toward full equality.

GLAAD President Herndon Graddick said in a statement, "By sharing his own experiences as a gay man, Anderson has reminded millions of Americans that LGBT people are part of their everyday lives and an integral part of our cultural fabric. He continues to raise the bar and set a new standard for journalists everywhere, and I'm proud to call him a friend."

Despite all his wonderful work, Cooper may very well be upstaged by Madonna, who has been fighting discrimination, ignorance and hate for years and whose presence will GLAAD, Cooper and hosts Lara Spencer, Josh Elliott, and Sam Champion get their point across. If anyone can make people pay attention, it's Madonna. She takes no prisoners.

"From speaking out against bullying to raising support for marriage equality, Madonna has always been one of our community's strongest allies. We are honored to have her stand with GLAAD and Anderson Cooper," said Graddick.

Cooper will receive his award on March 16 in New York City.

'The Advocate' Print Edition to Return to Newsstands After Two-Year Absence

The Advocate will be returning to newsstands after a more than two-year absence, according to a press release from Here Media:

“Due to both reader and advertiser demand, we are thrilled to bring The Advocate print edition back to newsstands in 2013,” said Advocate editor in chief Matthew Breen and executive vice president publishing Joe Landry in a joint statement. “We remain committed to providing timely and in-depth reporting of issues important to the LGBT community and our community allies, as well as providing the best media outlet for businesses targeting the gay market.”

For the first time in over two years due to strong reader demand, The Advocate, which has been sold only by subscription since 2010, will again be available at major distributors nationwide starting February 2013.

The first edition will be back on January 15.

Andrew Sullivan Set To Start Independent Pay Site February 1

Gay blogger Andrew Sullivan announced today that he and his executive editorial team, Patrick Appel and Chris Bodenner, are leaving their virtual home at Newsweek-owned The Daily Beast to set up shop as a pay site with no ads, a move they say will help them get back to their online grassroots.

From Sullivan's announcement:

...As we contemplated the end of our contract with the Beast at the end of 2012, we faced a decision... As we debated and discussed that unknowable future, we felt more and more that getting readers to pay a small amount for content was the only truly solid future for online journalism. And since the Dish has, from its beginnings, attempted to pioneer exactly such a solid future for web journalism, we also felt we almost had a duty to try and see if we could help break some new ground.

The only completely clear and transparent way to do this, we concluded, was to become totally independent of other media entities and rely entirely on you for our salaries, health insurance, and legal, technological and accounting expenses.
...
As of February 1, we will revert to our old URL - www.andrewsullivan.com... Here's the core principle: we want to create a place where readers - and readers alone - sustain the site. No bigger media companies will be subsidizing us; no venture capital will be sought to cushion our transition (unless my savings count as venture capital); and, most critically, no advertising will be getting in the way.

The cost will be $19.99 a year, which works out to about a nickel a day. Whether or not you think that is a fair price probably depends on how much you value Sullivan and his team's opinions. If you ask me, that's actually a pretty good deal.

In the meantime, The team's work will still be accessible at The Daily Beast until their new site officially launches next month.

Mark Hundahl, Co-Owner Of Gay Magazine 'Frontiers,' Has Died

Sad news to report from Los Angeles: Mark Hundahl, the straight co-owner of LA's Frontiers magazine, has died after a battle with cancer. He was 62.

Frontiers has an excellent remembrance of Hundahl, a man who stood by the LGBT community for decades, far longer than many men of his generation. In it LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa describes Hundahl as "a tremendous ally in the fight for equality" who broke down barriers, "providing a voice to the voiceless."

LA County supervisor and longtime friend Zev Yaroslavsky meanwhile remembers Hundahl's commitment to covering the AIDS crisis. "He had a vision and he had a commitment to the LGBT community during one of the most difficult times in its history, covering the AIDS crisis from the very beginning when too many mainstream outlets misreported, downplayed or simply ignored it. His contributions deserve to be remembered, and he will be deeply missed," said Yaroslavsky.

And Frontiers publisher David Stern, one of Hundahl's closest friends, offered this touching note, "[People] called us 'the odd couple.' I'm the eternal optimist, always seeing the glass half-full. Mark, on the other hand, was more like, 'Where’s the glass? There’s water everywhere.' He always saw that you could either ride its wave or possibly drown in it. We always had each other’s back, and we never let each other drown."