CHICAGO — The online community newspaper Illinois Eagle announced Saturday morning that it would cease publication, effective immediately.
The site, which had focused on Illinois LGBTQ, bear and kink news, stopped publishing because of low readership and a lack of resources to expand. The Illinois Eagle was a sister publication to the Great Lakes Den.
Publisher Daddy Tom said that Illinois news would still be carried on the Den. He also stated that the Eagle website and archives would remain online and the site’s Facebook page would remain up with occasional updates.
Tom also offered an open invitation to others to pick up where the Eagle had left off:
However, this doesn’t have to be a permanent closure. We may have left the car parked, but we’re also leaving the keys in the ignition. All of you can consider this an open invitation to grab the wheel and drive.
The biggest impediment to growing the Eagle was simply the available time and energy to give to it. Any person or group that wants to take over and see what they can do with it is welcome. The Den will continue to pay for the hosting, even if whoever takes it over competes directly with the Den.
The Eagle was established to give a voice to all the LGBTQ communities of Illinois, especially those outside of the Chicago area. I still believe those communities need that voice. Those communities should have a publication that speaks to and for them. The house is built. You just need to move in and arrange the furniture how you like it.
