May 16, 2003  |  By: JOE CREA  | COMMENTS     

BALTIMORE — Several longtime employees of the Baltimore Gay Life newspaper who have quit or been fired in recent weeks are launching a new rival publication today, May 16, amid allegations that they are tricking advertisers to sign up with the new paper.

The strife at Charm City’s only gay publication began when Mary Taylor, the sales manager, was terminated from her position in late April, according to sources familiar with Baltimore’s gay community center, which publishes the paper. Shortly afterward, according to these same sources, Mike Chase, the paper’s editor, allowed his contract to expire and left along with a third employee.

In the past two weeks, Gay Life has named a new interim publisher and brought on at least two other staffers to produce the paper; meanwhile, Taylor and Chase are said to be launching their own publication, called Baltimore OUTloud.

Several sources, including one Gay Life advertiser, claim that Taylor is contacting regular clients of Gay Life and suggesting that they take out ads in the new paper without being clear that it is a different publication.

Nancy Michell, marketing manager for Toby’s Dinner Theater in Columbia, Md., said she was surprised when she received a call during which she understood Taylor to be telling her that Gay Life had moved its offices and suggesting that Michell send a changed ad to the paper’s new address.

“I didn’t understand why she was asking me to send an ad to a new address, so I called up the office and spoke with Anthony McCarthy who told me that Mary Taylor no longer works there,” Michell said. “Then it all clicked.” McCarthy, a well known Baltimore activist and journalist, was recently named interim publisher of Gay Life.

Taylor, reached by phone at her new office, refused to comment for this article. Chase did not return phone calls.

Baltimore Gay Life was previously known as the Baltimore Gay Paper and Mid-Atlantic Gay Life, and is published by the non-profit Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center of Baltimore & Central Maryland. After the demise of the Baltimore Alternative several years ago, it is the city’s only gay newspaper.

A former Gay Life employee who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Chase and Taylor were seen removing boxes and files from the Gay Life office last month in the midst of a production deadline. “It seemed suspicious,” said the source. “I thought to myself, ‘this is a weird day to do housekeeping.’ I soon found out that everyone was going to work for a new publication.”

Shortly after that incident, the source said the GLCCB fired Taylor. The source suggested that the reason for her termination was sabotage. McCarthy, who was appointed to Mayor Martin O’Malley’s gay task force last month and is reportedly considering a run for Baltimore City Council, expressed disappointment in Taylor’s actions, calling them a “disservice to our community.”

“I’ve heard the frustration from many of our advertisers telling me what I consider to be deceptive business practices, and I think it is very unfortunate,” McCarthy said. “We have folks we’ve been advertising with for a long time telling us they were told the paper was going out of business. That is a blatant untruth, and [Taylor] was doing it prior to leaving.”

McCarthy said the “disgust” many advertisers are feeling will have a significant impact on Baltimore OUTloud, which he said will “debut under a cloud.”

‘Horrified’ at behavior

Ken Maher, a Baltimore real estate agent and longtime Gay Life advertiser, said he plans to honor his existing contract but will likely not advertise in either paper once his contract expires.

“I’m just horrified that our community does this to ourselves,” Maher said. “There really isn’t enough business in this town for two newspapers. When my contract expires, I’ll seriously consider not advertising in either paper.”

McCarthy said he was saddened by the recent turn of events.

“It is so disheartening for me to see people that I have a great deal of respect for participating in some of the things that have been taking place,” McCarthy said.

History of conflict with gay center

Tim Hurley, president of GLCCB, praised McCarthy’s leadership and noted the paper’s 20-year history, saying he wants to help the community feel that they own the paper. But Natalie Davis, a former Baltimore gay journalist and activist, disagreed with that notion and said that the community does not own the paper.

“[The GLCCB] are supposed to be representative of the community,” Davis said. “The community funds this organization, but they don’t want to ...