Queer media is dead.

Long live The Queer Agenda.

Back in the “Yes We Can” era of politics, I remember telling people that there was no “queer agenda.” The “queer agenda” was the same as anyone’s: wake up, get by, and try to eke out as much joy as possible along the way. That felt true then. Most queer people are just trying to get by. And for a while, that was enough.

It’s not working anymore.

Many of the rights extended to some of us in the last decade have been hanging by a thread, and the rest of us never saw those rights to begin with. Meanwhile, queer media has been dying a slow death.

The team at Rainbow Media Co. has worked in queer media for over a decade. We’ve been in a years-long situationship with an industry we both loved and resented. We fought to create meaningful, impactful work in a business that only tolerated our presence. Each of us made sacrifices dictated by ad dollars and algorithms beyond our control.

We started Rainbow Media Co. to break free from that cycle. What if we shifted queer media away from legacy publications that depend on ad dollars and search engines? What if we used social media to build something rooted in community?

We ended right back under the boot, contending with the same ad dollars and algorithms that only wanted us if we were offering platitudes or division. And now, politics have caught up with us, too.

IMAGE VIA OUT MAGAZINE

A nail in a coffin.

The new administration has worsened an already desperate situation. In just the past few months, we’ve lost major sponsors. Our reach on social media has been throttled. Posts are flagged or buried; our survival feels like a moving target.

And we’re not alone. Independent media is on the verge of collapse, trapped in a cycle of clickbait and cutbacks. Journalists have been forced to wear every hat at once: reporter, editor, designer, social media manager. Many are finding that true journalism no longer keeps the refrigerator running.

We spent years giving away our work in hopes of being seen. We told ourselves that free news was enough because at least it was accessible. If we’re being honest, the news was never truly free. It came with a hidden cost: the truth, unfiltered and without compromise.

Enter, The Queer Agenda.

So we built The Queer Agenda—not just as a newsletter, but as an act of defiance.

This is where we tell the truth. About what’s happening to our rights. About who’s funding the fear. About how to push back. This is where queer writers get to speak without editing themselves. At Rainbow Media Co., our team is small, nimble, and experienced. And we’re not going down without a fight.

Here’s what to expect.

We will cover what others won’t. The laws being passed quietly. The ripple effects of cultural shifts. The silenced voices and the growing resistance in the margins. And we will have no corporate sponsors. Ever.

We’re just getting started. In the coming weeks, subscribers will get access to:

• Original reporting and interviews

• Investigations into policy, power, and queer rights

• Guest essays from brilliant queer writers

• Special perks for paid subscribers (stay tuned)

We can’t do this alone.

We need queer people to prove they want more from their news. We need you. The queer community has proven that we will band together when the need is great, and the need is certainly great. It’s never been greater.

There is a queer agenda, and it means more than just survival. It means telling the truth about who we are, what we need, and what we believe in. No compromises.

Queer media is dead. Long live truth. Long live The Queer Agenda.