Perpetually troubled New York fag rag HX made some staff changes yesterday. And there are more in the works, according to a reader:

This week, HX Media Creative Director Matt Farris, who just returned to the company last year after a seven year absence, was laid off.

In addition, The New York Blade will be appearing only every other week, so editor in chief Trenton Straube was reduced to half time. The head bookkeeper's hours were also reduced and ad salespeople were recently told that there base salaries were being taken away, leaving them to exist on commissions.

Spin-off rag HX Phildelphia [sic] will be shuttered shortly. Rumors also have that some staff
members are not being paid consistently.

This tipster also took some time to bash Genre editor Neal Boulton, who's acting as editorial director for HX.

According to this person, Boulton's talk about trash talking HX staffers is really just a way for him to leak stories about himself and point the finger. Shocking.

Meanwhile, in other HX news, editor Brandon Voss sent us some pictures from this week's Black Party issue. Voss included a note, which we've included, explaining the issue's shoot and taking some shots at main competitor, Next Magazine.

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Genre's Neal Boulton gets more scandalous press today.

When we last saw the lady-loving fag-rag editor, he defended himself against rumors that he was spending time with a buxom Penthouse model. Boulton admitted chilling with the chick, but insists his heart lies with his recently reconciled wife, Claire, who bore him two children.

Today, however, some "sources" tell Page Six that Boulton's been carrying on with his children's nanny, who's shacked up in Boulton's former bachelor pad. Boulton denies he's diddling the help, and points the fingers at his coworkers at HX magazine, whose corporate owner, Window Media hopes Boulton can help save from certain doom.

I do think I have annoyed gay folks, even though I have been riskily honest about all of my proclivities, including women… And I was recently hired as a consultant to re-launch HX, a small free bar magazine, which shares Genre offices. I made major changes there and believe I may have p-ed off some HX people because their spies saw me out with her.

Boulton goes on to again reiterate that he's been honest about his "very David Bowie life" and reassures readers that if he were fucking his nanny, we'd know all about it: "…I never had a relationship with her of any kind. If I had, I'd have bragged about it."

Ain't that the truth!

One of you clever readers started a rumor that Genre is closing its doors. Actually, the rumor is that those doors have already closed. Gawker talked to Neal Boulton, we spoke with publisher Bill Kapfer and both deny said rumors. Kapfer even boasted:

We just put to sleep our special double cover fashion and fitness issue.

The issue is rich with incredible editorial lifestyle coverage and is balanced with a great slate of advertisers — from Delta Air Lines to John Bartlett

The double cover is a first in our category- and truly shows off Neal Boulton's talent as a visionary.

With our latest ABC audit statement showing another 25% increase in audited subscriptions, things are going extremely well for Genre. I feel very fortunate to have moved into the enviable position of working with an editor that has both a creative and business approach to publishing.

Thank the gay gods!

Someone really wants to stick it to Genre editor Neal Boulton. An anonymous source sent out a little blurb yesterday and places Boulton at the Penthouse club sans his wife, with whom he recently reconciled: …Boulton was there with a blond women who is NOT his wife Claire. He kept the money and booze flowing well enough so that they had women all over them the entire time." Scandal!

We, too, received this message and asked Boulton for a reply. Here's what he had to say:

I can't help it if the Penthouse girls, no matter what you're into, are hot—and worth all the fists of bills I stuff into their g-strings. I have eyes for everything beautiful. Why live any other way? Plenty of cute boys swooning on tabletops over the years have profited from me in much the same way.

Boulton's an equal opportunity employer, apparently.

Genre editor Neal Boulton never fails to cause a sensation!

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HX Media continues to - um - evolve…

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The evidence continues to build against Genre and its editor, Neal Boulton.

This morning we told you about how the gay glossy used straight models to portray queer domestic bliss. Now former Genre editor Andy Towle informs us that publisher William Kapfer approached him for press last month and included this note from Boulton:

Everyone wants—someone. But when you get them, how do you keep it going. Genre's new service journalism and -how to- editorial direction made it easy for us to provide our readers with the **50 top ways to stay together forever.** This is not your typical list.

We delve into the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects that if addressed can actually enhance the way people relate to each other. We acknowledge that not every is monogamous, but some are—and we even address how to manage life in either scenario.

On the cover this month, Genre bravely put forth a reality couple, and not the typical models who hold perfection over our heads.

Yeah fucking right. We haven't heard such a pile of horse shit since Pat Buchanan called Keith Kerr a coward.

Gay glossy Genre finds itself immersed in scandal once again.

The New York-based monthly recently released an issue examining long-term relations. The cover, as you can see, shows two hunky men who are presented as a couple. An astute reader, however, informs us that one of the models, Julian Fantechi, once appeared in Playgirl and, in fact, likes ladies. Writes the reader:

Inside the magazine, they are stripped down, appear to be into each other, and are allegedly, discussing their physical relationship, emotional, sexual and spiritual relationship. This is not reality, here!!!!! The guy on the left is Playgirl's Man of the Year. The link is to his website and his Inside Hollywood interviews. He even puts Genre on his resume.

Fantechi also appeared on a recent episode of Ugly Betty.

We asked EIC Neal Boulton and publisher William Kapfer to explain their gay selves….

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We remember Neal Boulton excitedly exclaiming at an October Genre party,"I just put up my first blog post today!" Such a statement made us assume he intended on posting more musings on the gay glossy's website.

After weeks of semi-eager anticipation, Boulton finally slapped together another missive.

We know this because a "Soho House" source emailed it to us and tried to imply that Boulton's fooling around with his publisher, William Kapfer.

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Genre editor Neal Boulton again wormed into Page Six. This week's adventures involves Boulton allegedly being verbally assaulted for being too "straight". The editor explains:

Some pissed-off gay-activist types bombarded me over the weekend as I walked hand in hand with my children. One threatened to call Page Six to 'out me' as a straight fraud.

Boulton would have dropped to his knees for the publicity, but then he realized he could just make the call himself!

Butched up Boulton continues:

The other guy barked that I had no right editing a gay magazine because of all the women I slept with. I would have clocked them had my kids not been in tow. Yeah, I did spend the weekend at [my wife] Claire's, but I do that all the time. I try to get as much time in with the kids and Claire… she's the mother of my children.

And no amount of faggotry's gonna change that…

Tired of looking like a glammed up kd lang in his editorial head shot, Genre chief Neal Boulton decided to butch it up a bit with a new "post-gay" picture. Post-gay apparently resembles post-apocalyptic - but, quite frankly, we prefer the new shot. We have a sinking feeling, however, that it won't be ink-grabbing Boulton's last touch-up.