Yesterday it was announced that the magazine/journal “Hello Mr.” will publish one final issue before shuttering their doors.
Over and over again, through six years and their soon to be published tenth issue, “Hello Mr.” provided the widest breadth of queer writers and I was always impressed with the quality of the writing. Combine that with innovative photo spreads and entertaining layout, and it was always something I looked forward to.
From the start, Hello Mr. was a space to understand each other better through a deeper understanding of ourselves. But I was determined to create something bigger than that. With the support and validation from this community, we built a platform to showcase new stories on a global stage. We may not have “rebranded gay,” but we exposed some flaws in the existing models, and opened the door for queer people to demand more, by showing them how.
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Whether you contributed or consumed it, the content we produced, issue after issue, amounted to something truly powerful. I can’t thank you enough for believing in it unconditionally. The world we live in today is a very different place than the one that originally afforded me the space to subvert gay media through a branding exercise. “Marriage can wait” meant something different in 2012 than it does now. After six dedicated years pushing our queer stories forward, I’ve learned a few things about my place in this conversation. When I came out a decade ago, for instance, I could have never imagined that my visibility, the thing I feared most, would become such a powerful form of activism.
It’s certainly a sad day, but also a time to look back on what they were able to produce an where we are now as compared to 2012. The world has changed, and the world continues to change. I’m happy to have been along for the ride as a dedicated reader.
Looking back helps move us forward. Decades of various kinds of activism paved a way for me to make the most of the chance I was given. Now, it’s up to you to continue defining the future you want to live in. You already know what’s possible, so trust yourself and manifest that shit already! I’ll be seeing you.
Back issues are available at hellomrmag.com, I’d suggest anyone looking for some amazing writing to check it out.
All my best,
Mike
