In the wake of significant layoffs across its publications last week, Out and The Advocate publisher Equalpride announced that it has acquired Condé Nast’s LGBTQ+ news and culture website Them.

According to The Hollywood Reporter (THR), the LGBTQ+ media publisher confirmed the acquisition of Condé Nast’s only LGBTQ+ property on Friday.

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“Equalpride exists to elevate, celebrate and protect LGBTQ+ storytelling at scale,” said Equalpride CEO Mark Berryhill told THR. “By combining the strengths of our brands with this respected digital platform, we’re creating a unified ecosystem that delivers even more impact for our audiences, advertisers, and community partners.”

“Adding the Them brand accelerates our mission and expands the ways we can champion LGBTQ+ voices year‑round,” Berryhill added. “This is about scale with purpose. Together, we’re building the most trusted, far‑reaching LGBTQ+ media network in the world that honors our history while innovating for the future.”

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Launched in 2017 by former editor-in-chief and Anna Wintour protégé Phillip Picardi, Them stood out both as Condé Nast’s first and only LGBTQ+ publication and one of the few digital-only publications in the storied publisher’s portfolio of glossy magazines. Its content has also been notable for foregrounding the stories and work of queer people of color and the trans community. Since last March, the site has been led by transgender editor-in-chief Fran Tirado.

As THR notes, the announcement of the acquisition comes hot on the heels of a round of layoffs at Equalpride last week, which saw cuts to both editorial and corporate staff across multiple titles. A source told the outlet that the layoffs came on February 20, and social media posts confirmed that among the people let go were Advocate editor-in-chief Alex Cooper, Pride.com editor-in-chief Rachel Shatto, Out magazine staff writers Moises Mendez and Bernardo Sim, and Equalpride brand partnerships manager Erin Manley, and community editor Marie-Adélina de la Ferriére.

In a staff memo obtained by THR, Equalpride CEO Berryhill cited ongoing “turmoil” in the advertising market as part of the reason for the layoffs.

“Companies aren’t spending as much on marketing due to current economic concerns and challenges. In the last few months, we have had cancellations of major advertising campaigns, which have dramatically impacted our company,” Berryhill wrote.

The CEO reportedly detailed plans to pursue “revenue projects that are not tied to advertising dollars,” merging departments and reassigning remaining staff to new roles.

“We can’t let the economic and political climate overshadow our calling to amplify the voices that need to be heard as our queer community fights for inclusion and faces daily setbacks in human rights,” Barryhill wrote, per THR.

Responding to the staff cuts, THR’s source referred directly to the impact the Trump administration’s anti-LGBTQ+ and anti-DEI agenda has had on companies’ willingness to advertise and market to the LGBTQ+ community. Last year, a survey by Gravity Research found that 39% of companies it surveyed planned to reduce Pride-related engagement in 2025, with senior corporate leaders citing fear of potential investigations by the Trump administration over DEI as their top reason for pulling back on LGBTQ+ marketing.

“We’re in a really in tough time. The anti-DEI policies of this administration are really brutal, and it trickles down so much that we’re seeing the impact of it,” THR‘s source said. “LGBTQ+ media is essential, and it’s crucial to have brands dedicated to telling our stories. It’s part of why these brands have been rescued and have thrived for decades and decades. These brands mean a lot to people, and we need to be telling our stories now more than ever.”

According to THR, the latest round of cuts at EqualPride come after six staffers were laid off in October. That same month, NBC News eliminated the teams behind its NBC BLK, NBC Latino, NBC Asian America, and NBC Out verticals as part of sweeping layoffs affecting 150 staffers across the network’s entire news operation.

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