qPDX on indefinite hiatus

Glory daze: Just some of the folks who have been a part qPDX over the years

[Note: All of this content is old. Even this hiatus post. I am keeping this online as an historical reference and for anyone looking for information on queer Portland from the aughts and early teens. Keep on the lookout for more projects from the creator, that’s me, Alley Hector.]

I just noticed that qPDX is approaching its 2000th post. I’ve been dedicating my time and effort to serving Portland’s queer community for almost 7 years now with this project in its various forms and I’m proud of what it has done. So it is with both sadness and celebration that I announce a new chapter in how I will serve Portland’s queer community, as well as an indefinite hiatus for qPDX.

The local LGBT media landscape is constantly changing and I applaud all the efforts of various projects over the years. Though it has gone through many changes in its 30 years of publication Just Out has been a constant. We were all shocked to see it fold so quickly last December and equally surprised when it announced a resurrection under new management/ownership. After much soul searching I have decided to become a part of this new team as the Editor-in-chief of the new Just Out.

Lending my voice to this platform was an opportunity I could not pass up. My first priority has always been to serve and engage our communities and I believe this is the best way I can accomplish that. Though I will not have the autonomy that I have had with qPDX I am confident that our emerging team will put together thought-provoking articles and media from our diverse perspectives. Reader input is also always welcome.

Our goal is to keep the legacy of JO alive and draw on its rich history while taking the publication in a new direction that better fits with how we consume media and what our audience wants out of a local newsmagazine. This will begin to take shape over the course of the next weeks as we aim for a pre-Pride launch.

In the meantime, I will continue to maintain the events calendar on qPDX until JO has a fully functioning system, because I wouldn’t want you all to miss out on anything! Lyska and I will also continue to podcast with a loose schedule so that we continue to improve our patter and don’t lose sight of local subjects as we transition to JO as well.

This will certainly be an adventure and I hope you all see this as a positive step forward. The heart of qPDX is not going anywhere and I’m sure you’ll see some contributors continue on with this new project. On that note I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me and qPDX in the past including contributing writers, photographers and everyone who has marched with us at Pride or otherwise pitched in. I would also like to thank Perry Eising, who has been both SuperGay and a partner in crime, and who contributed much to the running of the site for the year when we first went independent in 2009. And thank you all for being readers or organizers of events, activism and other things we’ve covered during our run. Your work has made mine possible.