Staff Of Chicago's Gay Paper Quit

The woes of queer print media appear unending. Staffers of the long-running LGBT paper Chicago Free Press have quit because their salaries weren't being paid.

The art director, graphic designer and most of the writers at the Chicago Free Press left the gay publication Monday after the company stopped paying its employees, according to Matt Simonette, who also left his position as editor. The news follows financial struggles and decreased ad sales for the paper, which is geared toward the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities. Simonette said Tuesday that editorial contributors had not been paid since mid-November and staff members had not received paychecks that were due Dec. 15. Other former employees said paychecks had not come on time in the past. "The senior staff did not resign; it was just simply a matter of leaving because of non-payment," Simonette said.

The paper is owned by Rainbow Media.