A new gay and lesbian newspaper, Southern Star, has opened in Melbourne after Sydney Star Observer (SSO) moved in to fill the gap created by the closure of independent GLBTIQ newspaper, Bnews. The new weekly publication’s first edition hit the streets on October 9 under the editorship of SSO publishing editor, Scott Abrahams.

‘We are very proud of the new Southern Star,’ Mr Abrahams said in a written statement to OUTinPerth. ‘Melbourne deserves to have a reliable and trustworthy gay and lesbian newspaper, and given our 30 year history in publishing, we feel we are in the ideal position to fill that void.’

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‘We are confident the move into Melbourne will be a successful one, and it seemed a natural progression for SSO, which is among the oldest gay and lesbian newspapers in the world,’ he added.

Although the paper is under the leadership of SSO, it has signed four former Bnews staff to the publication.
Southern Star becomes the latest newspaper to join the nationwide Gay and Lesbian Australian Media Alliance (GLAMA), which includes SSO, Queensland’s QNews, LOTL (Lesbians On The Loose), DNA Magazine, Joy FM and OUTinPerth.

Scott-Patrick Mitchell