Lez Get Real was a news site for lesbian audiences that operated between 2008 and 2014.
The website was founded in 2008.Flock, Elizabeth and Melissa Bell. " ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
''. June 13, 2011. Retrieved on April 8, 2013. The founder operated the website as "Paula Brooks," and pretended to be a lesbian, as well as deaf to deflect suspicion about being unable to use the phone to talk to journalists. In 2011, after it was revealed that the self-described Syrian lesbian blogger
Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari
''A Gay Girl In Damascus'' was a weblog purportedly by Amina Abdallah Arraf al Omari who was in fact a fictional character and hoax persona created and maintained by American Tom MacMaster. The identity was presented as a Syrian-American blogger ...
was actually a hoax by an American man, Tom MacMaster, "Brooks" revealed himself as Bill Graber, a retired construction worker from
Ohio
Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper
A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background.
Newspapers can cover a wide ...
''. June 14, 2011. Retrieved on June 14, 2011. The revelation came one day after MacMaster was revealed.
After the Lez Get Real hoax was revealed, reaction from the lesbian community was negative. Judy Dlugacz, the founder and owner of
Olivia Olivia may refer to:
People
* Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
* Olivia (singer) (Olivia Longott, born 1981), American singer
* Olívia (basketball) (Carlos Henrique Rodrigues do Nascimento, born 1974 ...
, a travel company catering to lesbians, described the hoax as an "outrage."
Suzanne Goldenberg
Suzanne Goldenberg is a Canadian-born author and journalist currently employed by ''The Guardian'' as their United States environmental correspondent.
Biography
Goldenberg was born and raised in Canada.
The site continued to operate under new ownership.
At the end of 2014, Lez Get Real shut down due to a combination of financial reasons and burn out among the remaining writers. The writers and editors released a statement regarding the closure of the website, which is no longer available.