The British publication Gal-Dem closes after eight years due to financial problems

Gal DemThe UK-based digital and print magazine for women and non-binary people of color is closing after an eight-year run.

The editors behind it Gal Dem broke the news Friday afternoon with a public statement that it was “unfortunately no longer viable” to continue publishing as a company. Financial and structural problems, exacerbated by the current global cost of living crisis, were cited as key factors in the decision.

“It has become increasingly challenging to sustain a small, independent media company that has relied on partnerships for the past three years,” the statement said.

“During a global pandemic, brand budget cuts and an economic downturn, we’ve worked tirelessly to reconfigure and sustain the way we operate. Gal Dem endure everything. And while we are excited about our membership model, it has been difficult to maintain the level of growth needed here to sustain our work over the long term.”

The statement continued, “There have been so many amazing, awe-inspiring moments that we can’t even express our gratitude for. The support we’ve received from the beginning has been truly overwhelming in the best sense of the word.”

News of the closure follows a series of large-scale layoffs and staff departures at the magazine earlier this month, as editors finalized proposals from outside writers for the publication’s January and February issues.

As part of the final announcement Gal Dem also shared a list of 17 independent UK media organizations to support their readers, as well as a public directory for their past contributors to share their work.

Gal Dem was founded in 2015 by journalist and author Liv Little and quickly attracted a large following with published work in the UK highlighting issues affecting marginalized communities across the country. Little left the publication in 2020 and has since worked at the BBC in actual production.

At the beginning of his run Gal Dem published one print issue a year and produced widely read online content on topics ranging from politics and culture to first-person essays. In August 2018, the magazine was guest editor of an issue of The guards Weekend culture magazine. And in 2019, Gal Dem reached out I Will Not Be Erased: Our Stories of Growing Up People of Coloran anthology of essays by women and non-binary writers of color.

Representatives of the British media industry paid tribute to the publication after the news broke. Former BBC creative director Pat Younge tweeted that the magazine “punched big holes in many glass ceilings and then helped others achieve bigger and better things”.

shame Editor-in-Chief Zing Cheng added: “Motivated to hear about the closure of gal-dem. I’ve worked with their amazing team on our Open Secrets series and they’re a tremendously talented, dedicated bunch who deserve better.”