Women Out West’s founder and editor, Ruth Wykes, has announced that the monthly Perth-based lesbian magazine will be closing its doors after eight and a half years in publication.
In a statement to the press released today, Ms Wykes cited the switch to internet-based publications, the difficult advertising climate and a shift to an emphasis on pop culture permeating media as factors in her decision. Ms Wykes expressed her pride in the magazine, which pre-dated the law reform, and was for many years the only lesbian publication in Perth.
She explained, “I started WOW because I wanted to give WA lesbians a voice, a forum for views, a place where they could access information, and also to advocate for those women whose voices couldn’t be heard. I really believe that small publications, those which serve minority communities, have an important job. They become historical documents, an oral history if you will, of where our community was at a certain point in history. They also serve to reflect our community back to itself. I hope we achieved that with WOW.”
You can read OUTinPerth’s interview with Ruth Wykes in the February issue available from February 1st.
Log in to OUTinPerth and share your favourite memories of WOW.
