Atlantic Canada's Queer quarterly, Gaze Magazine, has ceased production. The magazine was run by John Williams, a local journalist who started Gaze just over a year ago. He said at the time that he wanted the magazine to show the gay, lesbian, bi and trans community is "really not that different," and to be positive and informative for everyone, gay or straight.

Williams writes in his farewell editorial in the Fall 2011 issue:

Gaze has always been a labour of love. Never intended to be a cash cow or a permanent replacement for regular, paid employment, this undertaking was born solely from a personal desire to provide Atlantic Canada with a queer-themed publication capable of transcending the boundaries of both age and sexuality.

That it has fulfilled that mandate makes this announcement all the more difficult: this issue of Gaze will be its last.While profit was never paramount among my concerns, generating enough ad revenue to cover production costs remained crucial to the magazine’s long-term existence. Regrettably, that goal remains unmet.The decision to cease publication was not an easy one. In fact, from an economic standpoint, it’s one that probably should have been made before now. But pulling the plug without properly signing off just didn’t seem right.

The farewell issue is extra sad for me: the cover profile of Rick Johnston, an IWK nurse and AIDS awareness activist, was my first and now last contribution to the magazine.

Williams says he'll be delivering the last issue over the weekend to its regular drop spots: the Second Cup on Spring Garden Road, most of the Starbucks locations in town, Two if By Sea in Dartmouth, Just Us!, Reflections Cabaret, Menz Bar, the Company House, and eventually all branches of the Halifax Public Libraries.

You can also read it in flash here or download the PDF. And even without a magazine, you will continue to find William's particular take on local, national and international LGBTQ news on his excellent Twitter feed, @CitizenWilliams.