Switch (Romanian magazine)
Encyclopedia
Switch was a Romanian LGBT
magazine published by Michael Labelle of CONTRAAD, SRL, now defunct. Switch was the first commercial glossy magazine for the LGBT Community in Romania. Labelle hired Lucian Dunareau of Angelicus, a group that published a newsletter for the LGBT community of Cluj Napoca, a big city in Transylvania, as Editor, though Angelicus did NOT publish Switch, as Dunareau would later claim; rather it was entirely funded by Labelle's firm, who actually published three issues before leaving the country in January 2006. The magazine was 40 pages, included news in Romanian as well as articles in English,( most by Michael Labelle) and featured a glossy centerfold that was both artful and irreverent, as well as sexy.
The first issue of Switch was released on July 1, 2005, and dealt extensively with the organisation of Romania's first gay pride parade, as part of Bucharest's annual GayFest
. A second issue was released in September and the 3 in January 2006 by Andrei Pop (without Be An Angel
)
The Switch Magazine was an LGBT magazine published by SC.ContraAD.SRL ( With Michael Labelle as Publisher/Director). Switch is the successor of Angelicuss
Magazine ( the first LGBT newsletter from Romania ). Switch had 40 color pages and was distributed with pay by the national distribution network . - After the first two numbers edited in Cluj-Napoca by the team led by Lucian Dunareanu
( chief editor ),executive head manager of Be An Angel Romania (the majority of the team members being working journalists with specialized studies ), Michael Labelle moved to Bucharest following Andrei Pop's proposal to make the Switch Magazine together without the help of Be An Angel
. Though the first Bucharest based issue was well received, there was never enough community support or advertising dollars to make it a viable enterprise and thus the first of the Bucharest based edition of Switch was also the last.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
magazine published by Michael Labelle of CONTRAAD, SRL, now defunct. Switch was the first commercial glossy magazine for the LGBT Community in Romania. Labelle hired Lucian Dunareau of Angelicus, a group that published a newsletter for the LGBT community of Cluj Napoca, a big city in Transylvania, as Editor, though Angelicus did NOT publish Switch, as Dunareau would later claim; rather it was entirely funded by Labelle's firm, who actually published three issues before leaving the country in January 2006. The magazine was 40 pages, included news in Romanian as well as articles in English,( most by Michael Labelle) and featured a glossy centerfold that was both artful and irreverent, as well as sexy.
The first issue of Switch was released on July 1, 2005, and dealt extensively with the organisation of Romania's first gay pride parade, as part of Bucharest's annual GayFest
GayFest
GayFest is the annual gay pride festival of Bucharest, Romania, which first took place in 2004 and now occurs in May-June of each year, lasting for nearly a week. It is organised by the non-profit organisation ACCEPT, the country's largest lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights organisation...
. A second issue was released in September and the 3 in January 2006 by Andrei Pop (without Be An Angel
Be An Angel
Be An Angel Romania is a Romanian human rights organisation based in Cluj-Napoca founded by Lucian Dunăreanu, a LGBT rights activist...
)
The Switch Magazine was an LGBT magazine published by SC.ContraAD.SRL ( With Michael Labelle as Publisher/Director). Switch is the successor of Angelicuss
Angelicuss
Angelicuss is the first Romanian LGBT magazine and is published by Be An Angel, an LGBT rights organisation from Cluj-Napoca. The magazine was initially only available through the internet, with the first print version released in November 2004 and distributed free of charge. In 2005, the magazine...
Magazine ( the first LGBT newsletter from Romania ). Switch had 40 color pages and was distributed with pay by the national distribution network . - After the first two numbers edited in Cluj-Napoca by the team led by Lucian Dunareanu
Lucian Dunareanu
Lucian Dunăreanu is a Romanian gay rights activist and the executive director of Be An Angel Romania, an LGBT rights organisation based in Cluj-Napoca.-LGBT activities:...
( chief editor ),executive head manager of Be An Angel Romania (the majority of the team members being working journalists with specialized studies ), Michael Labelle moved to Bucharest following Andrei Pop's proposal to make the Switch Magazine together without the help of Be An Angel
Be An Angel
Be An Angel Romania is a Romanian human rights organisation based in Cluj-Napoca founded by Lucian Dunăreanu, a LGBT rights activist...
. Though the first Bucharest based issue was well received, there was never enough community support or advertising dollars to make it a viable enterprise and thus the first of the Bucharest based edition of Switch was also the last.