Showing posts with label The Advocate. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Advocate. Show all posts

Monday, November 11, 2013

#DayInLGBT: The Advocate’s Annual “Day in LGBT America"

For the last two years, gay people from every corner of America sent photos and shared their lives as part of The Advocate's annual special report, 'Day in LGBT America' and they are putting together a big LGBT photo album again for 2013.

So get your cameras charged and ready, because The Advocate wants to see what happens in your lives from dawn to late at night all over America on Monday, November 11 - every aspect of LGBT life, from the mundane to the insane, from the glamorous to the gritty, whether you’re on an adventure or experiencing a quiet moment of solace.

You don’t need to be a professional photographer. Just take a self-portrait, or have a friend photograph you or your family or friends doing anything that says something about who you are as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender person in the United States. The best photographs taken on that single day in the United States will be featured in a photo essay titled “A Day in LGBT America” on Advocate.com.

Please think of "A Day in LGBT America" as one way you can help The Advocate dispel what the religious right tries to sell America about LGBT people, and simultaneously your photos will inspire young people with the power of the project's hopeful message. And when you Facebook and tweet about it - which you will - use #DayInLGBT!

Monday, May 20, 2013

The Advocate’s Summer of Love Starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson

Each summer The Advocate celebrates the reasons to have Pride. For many, including the magazine’s June/July cover star, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, 2013 will be the “Summer of Love.” The Emmy-nominated Modern Family star recently sat down with The Advocate’s Jase Peeples to discuss setting a new standard for LGBT visibility on TV, growing up gay in New Mexico, and how a run-in with the law at a young age helped shape his role as Modern Family’s Mitchell.

“I feel like there are a lot of people who still aren’t comfortable with gay characters on television,” Ferguson tells The Advocate. But what I admire about our show is that it has a plethora of characters for people to attach to, and slowly those people are becoming attached to Mitchell and Cameron as well. It’s kind of like a Trojan horse. We sneak into a lot of people’s living rooms when they aren’t expecting it and maybe change some minds through the back door.”

Despite the progress that Modern Family has made in bringing gay families to the mainstream, Ferguson says he’s received complaints that the show’s gay couple isn’t a positive representation of LGBT people. “We’re always coming up against the criticism that our characters are stereotypical and don’t represent what it is to be gay,” Ferguson says. “But my argument has always been, I know so many people who are just like Mitchell and Cam, and so many people who are nothing like them. We’re representing a very specific couple in gay America and do not represent the entire gay community with those characters.”

Ferguson’s Modern Family character has become a positive pop culture icon for millions of young gay men to admire. Growing up in Albuquerque, however, Ferguson, now 37, thought any positive depictions of gays in pop culture seemed like fiction. By the time he entered high school he turned to the only representation of his sexuality he could find.

“I was caught stealing gay porn when I was 14,” Ferguson remembers with laughter in his voice. “I walked through the metal detector, the buzzers went off, and when they asked me if I had anything, I lifted up my shirt and there was [an issue of] Black Inches.” After a deep breath he strikes a more serious tone and says, “It was handled in a completely inappropriate way, with no tact from the store. They called up my parents and then showed them the nature of the material I’d stolen. I was horrified! I look back and think, How did I survive that humiliation?”

Today, however, that memory serves as a reminder that his work on Modern Family is about far more than entertainment. “[Mitchell] is a character that I play with dignity and one that I think has helped change the landscape of what it means to be gay in America right now,” he says. “Certainly, it’s provided a dialogue and a pop culture touchstone for a lot of people.”

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

After A Two Year Absence 'The Advocate' Returns to Newsstands

It was announced yesterday that The Advocate  print publication will be returning to newsstands in 2013. For more than 45 years, The Advocate has maintained a rich tradition of reporting cultural and political news, astute commentary, investigative journalism, and absorbing profiles of interest to the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities. The brand defines what it means to be gay today as the definitive LGBT news and information source. The brand challenges and broadens conceptions, provokes conversation, and propels issues both inside and outside the LGBT world.

“Due to both reader and advertiser demand, we are thrilled to bring The Advocate print edition back to newsstands in 2013,” said Advocate editor in chief Matthew Breen and executive vice president Publishing Joe Landry in a joint statement. “We remain committed to providing timely and in-depth reporting of issues important to the LGBT community and our community allies, as well as providing the best media outlet for businesses targeting the gay market.”

For the first time in over two years due to strong reader demand, The Advocate, which has been sold only by subscription since 2010, will again be available at major distributors nationwide starting February 2013. Additionally, The Advocate’s thriving online presence has achieved exponential growth and a devoted social media following and will continue its timely content and reporting. The Advocate will also continue to explore and implement new and impactful ways to leverage mobile and tablet devices to connect with readers whenever and wherever they are.
 
The Advocate returns to newsstands on January 15, 2013. The magazine can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Hastings, and other select retailers.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Call For Entries: The Advocate’s 3rd Annual “A Day in Gay America”

The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, once again wants to capture the numerous layers that make up the lives of LGBT Americans. The brand will be accepting photo submissions for the 3rd Annual “A Day in Gay America,” celebrating the fabric of the LGBT community. On Friday, November, 9, 2012, take a snapshot with your family or friends or on your own, at work or at play, having adventures or experiencing a quiet moment of solace—anything from the mundane to the insane, from the glamorous to the gritty. The best photographs taken on that single day in the United States, as determined by the editors of The Advocate, will be featured in a photo essay called “A Day in Gay America” on Advocate.com.
 
“This is one of our very favorite features to put together each year. Seeing how many people across the country participate, by being out and proud, is no small indication of how far our equality movement has come. So many of us are still isolated by geography or circumstance, sometimes even by our own notions of what it looks like to be LGBT. It’s important for us all to really see each other: young and old, men and women, all across the orientation and gender continuum, and of all races and ethnicities,” says Matthew Breen, Editor in Chief of The Advocate.
 
To participate in “A Day in Gay America,” you don’t need to be a professional photographer! Just make a note on your calendar, get your camera ready, and on Friday, November 9, 2012, between 12:00 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., snap a self-portrait or have a friend take a photograph of you, doing anything that says something about who you are as an LGBT in America.

After you’ve captured a snapshot into your life on November 9, go to
www.Advocate.com/DayInGayAmerica and upload your photo no later than Wednesday, November 21, 2012.  The Advocate will then post a selection of photos (at the editors’ discretion) during the week of December 10, 2012, on Advocate.com.

Monday, April 2, 2012

The Advocate 45th Celebration

The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, celebrated its 45th anniversary with a gala event featuring emcee Ross Mathews and special performances by Grammy® Award-winning artist Macy Gray and Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles on Thursday, March 29th at The Beverly Hilton Hotel’s world-renowned International Ballroom in Beverly Hills, CA.  The Advocate 45th Presented by Lexus, which benefited the Point Foundation, honored the heroes and champions who have made significant strides in the LGBT community over the past 45 years.

The event opened with a performance by Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, who sang a rendition of Katy Perry’s “Firework,” followed by remarks from Here Media CEO Paul Colichman, The Advocate Editor-in-Chief Matthew Breen, and emcee Ross Mathews, among others. Guests were then treated to short congratulatory videos from various notable supporters including Ellen DeGeneres, Ricky Martin, Kathy Griffin, Sean Hayes, Judith Light, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, Larry Kramer, Greg Louganis, Dustin Lance Black, Senator Dianne Feinstein and more, along with a performance by Grammy® Award-winning artist Macy Gray who sang a 3-song set including “Nothing Else Matters, a cover of Radiohead’s “Creep,” and “I Try. DJ Beau Dasher provided music throughout the evening.

The event also featured a captivating digital gallery display of the complete Heroes Hall of Fame, a list of individuals composed of a person or group of people chosen each year by The Advocate who have been responsible for great advances in the cause of LGBT equality. The honorees include: Jerry Joachim (1967), Pat Rocco (1968), Willie Brown, Jr. (1969), Dr. Franklin Kameny (1970), Jack Baker (1971), Madeline Davis (1972), Lance Loud (1973), Elaine Noble of Mass. (1974), Oliver William “Bill” Sipple (1975), Dave Kopay (1976), Harvey Milk (1977), Dianne Feinstein (1978), Robin Tyler, Lucia Valeska, Rev. Troy Perry and Phyllis Frye (1979), Gov. Jerry Brown (1980), Billie Jean King (1981), Rep. Henry Waxman (1982), Sheryl Lee Ralph (1983), Robert Gallo (1984), David Goodstein (1985), Donna Deitch (1986), ACT UP/Larry Kramer (1987), Sir Ian McKellen (1988), Edward Albee (1989), Bill T. Jones (1990), Patricia Ireland (1991), k.d. lang (1992), Roberta Achtenberg (1993), Pedro Zamora (1994), Roseanne (1995), Judith Light (1996), Ellen DeGeneres (1997), Matthew Shepard (1998), Rep. Tammy Baldwin (1999), Rudy Galindo (2000), Mark Bingham and Mychal Judge (2001), Rosie O’Donnell (2002), Bishop V. Gene Robinson (2003), Cynthia Nixon (2004), Melissa Etheridge (2005), Health Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal (2006), Hillary Clinton (2007), Dustin Lance Black (2008), Adam Lambert (2009), Chaz Bono (2010), Dan Choi (2011), and Rep. Barney Frank (2012).

Additional celebrity guests in attendance included Jesse Tyler Ferguson, David Burtka, Dustin Lance Black, Camille Grammer, George Kotsiopoulos, Mark Deklin, Perez Hilton, Rex Lee, Marisol Nichols, Renee Olstead, Reza Farahan, Willam Belli, Michelle Clunie, Tracey Heggins, Serinda Swan, Drew Droege, Bruce Vilanch, Billy Bean, Gloria Allred, Betty DeGeneres, David Millbern, Miss Coco Peru, and many more.

In 1967 The Advocate was launched in an effort to educate and unite the LGBT community about unlawful arrests and bar raids. It soon became an indispensable and necessary resource for LGBT current events, culture, and activism within the community. Today as The Advocate celebrates its 45th anniversary it remains ahead of the curve — covering events and themes that often spur a cultural revolution.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Oh, Ricky you're so fine

Pop superstar Ricky Martin, having settled down in New York with his partner and two children, has now found a constancy in life that seemed to be missing when he first became a superstar more than a dozen year ago. Despite a hectic life on a rigid schedule, the singer is in many ways liberated, certainly from the closet in which he hid his sexual orientation. Martin is now, as he described himself when accepting an award from GLAAD, free. In his first Advocate interview, the superstar opens up to the brand’s Arts & Entertainment editor, Jeremy Kinser, about his boyfriend, fatherhood, and the role he was born to play.

Martin wasn’t looking for a relationship when a mutual friend introduced him to Carlos Gonzalez Abella, a financial analyst-stockbroker in 2008. “It was just one of those things that just happened,” he recalls. “I was like, ‘You’re not supposed to be here right now. Would you please allow me to just go on my journey?’” Hesitant to talk about press-shy Abella in the past, Martin opens up a little bit further. “I think he’s so sexy. He’s very smart. That is such a turn-on. He laves the house every day in a suit and tie and that is so sexy. It’s two different worlds—his and mine. I know as much about his world as he knows about my world, which makes it really cool.”

Martin and Abella are also equally dedicated to providing stability for Martin’s twin sons, Matteo and Valentino. “There is a lot of love and a lot of communication. He’s guided by the approach I take with the kids, he imitates it perfectly,” Martin says. “Every decision I make and everything I do is based on their needs,” he continues. “I don’t want to sound cliché, but they teach me new things every day.”

Even with his chaotic schedule, Martin decided to return to acting. Martin had not acted in years before his appearance this season on Glee, in a role the show’s creator, Ryan Murphy, had written specifically for Martin. “He has such star power,” Murphy says. “Even the straight boys in the cast were just gob-smacked by his confidence and said if they ever turned, it would be for Ricky Martin.”

It took his Glee stint to realize how much he had missed acting. And now Martin will bring that passion to Broadway starring as Che, the rebellious voice of the people and antagonist to Argentinean first lady Even Peron, in the revival of Evita. Che is someone Martin feels he’s been preparing to play his entire life, and he relates to the character’s conflicting emotions. “I can go from anger to love to uncertainty within 30 minutes of the show,” Martin says. “That’s amazing because that’s what my life has been about for the last three years—feeling. Not sabotaging any kind of emotions. Letting everything just come through me a verbalize it. It’s a very spiritual exercise that I’ll do every night.”

Martin recognizes and identifies with Che’s struggle for human rights. And with his Ricky Martin Foundation, an organization committed to ending human trafficking and the exploitation of children, Martin too has been working for human rights. “And since I’ve come out, I’ve been verbal about the importance of equality and what needs to be said. That’s what Che is about too. That is going to be my inspiration, my motivation every night.”

Read the full Ricky Martin interview now at:
http://www.advocate.com/Print_Issue/Cover_Stories/The_Interview_Oh_Ricky/

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Advocate names new Washington Correspondent

The Advocate yesterday named Andrew Harmon its new Washington Correspondent/News Director. Harmon will be based in Washington, D.C., reporting on the White House, Congress, and policy issues important to LGBT Americans.

“Andrew has done excellent political reporting from the West Coast, especially his work on the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ lawsuit, and the antigay Proposition 8 in California and its attendant legal proceedings,” said Matthew Breen, The Advocate’s incoming Editor in Chief. “As senior news editor, he worked closely with former Washington correspondent Kerry Eleveld, and there is no question that Andrew is the ideal choice to continue The Advocate’s political and news reporting on the White House and Capitol Hill.”

As Washington Correspondent/News Director, Harmon will attend the daily White House press briefings, actively gauging the administration’s progress on LGBT issues. Harmon will do additional reporting on hot-button issues from within the Beltway, providing in-depth features and news updates for the Advocate brand.

Monday, March 14, 2011

Matthew Breen Named Editor in Chief of The Advocate

The Advocate, the world’s leading gay news source, today named Matthew Breen editor in chief of the iconic Advocate news brand. Breen succeeds The Advocate’s current editor in chief, Jon Barrett, who has been named Los Angeles bureau chief for Entertainment Weekly.

“Matt’s instincts as a journalist and his passion for issues of importance to gay and lesbian readers have been key to The Advocate’s success for years,” said Barrett. “Similarly, his drive as editor in chief will ensure this 43-year-old, multiplatform media brand continues to thrive.”

“We are thrilled to have Matthew take the reins of The Advocate and continue the journalistic excellence Jon Barrett brought to the brand. Matthew will bring his proven leadership to The Advocate’s exceptional staff of reporters and editors, who consistently provide the most thought-provoking coverage of issues important to the gay and lesbian community. Matthew’s dedication and creativity will expand The Advocate’s long-standing tradition of superior news reporting,” said Here Media.

As editor in chief, Breen will lead all aspects of Advocate-branded editorial content. Breen will oversee The Advocate’s print edition, which for over 40 years has been the publication of record for the LGBT community; Advocate.com, the community’s definitive, daily online news source; and the Advocate brand’s growing video content, including the oversight of NBC News on The Advocate and The Advocate On-Air, the newsmagazine dedicated to examining current news, politics, lifestyle, and cultural trends.

Breen was most recently The Advocate’s executive editor. Prior to joining The Advocate, Breen served as executive editor of The Advocate’s sister publication, Out magazine. Breen joined Out as an associate editor covering music and literature. From there he was promoted to senior editor, overseeing the front section of the book, which includes the arts & entertainment, grooming, style, health, and travel sections. As Out’s executive editor, Breen assigned stories to columnists and edited various features, and spearheaded the publication’s Special Issues, including the annual “Power 50,” “Hot List,” and “Out 100” editions. Prior to joining Out, Breen was a freelance film critic, a programmer at the Austin Film Festival and Los Angeles Film Festival, and a film publicist at Rogers & Cowan and mPRm Public Relations.

“I’m incredibly excited to be a part of the continuing legacy of The Advocate, the unparalleled leader in LGBT news, politics, and opinion. I take great pride in being associated with a publication that has worked for 43 years to advance civil rights, tell the stories of our triumphs and our tragedies, and serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas,” said Breen. “Though our society has made some extraordinary strides in civil rights and equality in the past several years, our work—as a publication and as a part of a global gay community—is far from finished. I congratulate Jon Barrett on his incredible work transforming The Advocate and advancing the brand in video and on mobile platforms including the iPad and smart phones. I will endeavor to fill the sizable footprints he leaves behind.”


The Advocate will begin recruiting for a new senior editor to fill the open staff position immediately.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Ted Haggard on the cover of the new Advocate

When speaking to reporters about the establishment of his new church, St. James, an embattled Ted Haggard noted that congregants “gay, straight, bit, tall, short, where you’re an addict, a recovering addict, or you have an addict in your family” have a home there. The Advocate’s Andrew Harmon now visits Haggard and the St. James Church, examining the evolution of a man and ministry.

Haggard’s a fall from grace came in 2006 when, as head of the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., he denied any involvement with Mike Jones, then a gay escort in Denver, who now works as a nursing assistant. Reinvention after a public sex scandal is a tough road, and Haggard has already begun making his way. His church now consists of a few hundred people, including some who are openly gay.

And, like President Obama’s, his view of marriage equality seems to be “evolving.” Back in 2006, Haggard supported Colorado’s Proposition 43, which banned gay marriage under the state constitution, although he supported a failed proposition that would have granted domestic-partnership rights to gays and lesbians.

Now Haggard wants to be clear: He supports civil marriage rights for gay couples. “The word marriage is a big deal to people of faith,” he tells The Advocate. “We’ve made it sacred. That’s why I believe that churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples should have total freedom to have whatever types of unions they believe as godly.”

Haggard also renounces the evangelical powers that be, those who he always thought were out to get him. “They’ll always think I’m a closet homosexual. And they hate homosexuals, that crew,” he says. “The number 1 way they can raise funds is not to encourage people to be more loving, not to encourage people to be less greedy, or to encourage people to be more kind. It’s to say there’s a homosexual agenda to siege America, and fund us so we can battle this agenda, to save the family.”

Jones, the man who brought Haggard down, still has plenty to say as well. When he tried to tell his story on Oprah, the show’s producers told him he was irrelevant. “When my world was collapsing, when the media was knocking at my door, I really felt abandoned by the gay community,” Jones says, adding that he’s not looking for any pity. “I have fought for gay rights all my adult life. People said I did this for the money. What money? I’ve been dirt-poor since this happened. I regret I ever said anything. It has simply not been worth it.”

Monday, January 10, 2011

Hillary Clinton on the cover of The Advocate

In spite of a wave of controversy washing over the U.S. State Department with the release of classified documents, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton granted The Advocate’s Washington correspondent, Kerry Eleveld, an interview just two days before the February issue went to press. Arguably the Obama administration’s most progressive and productive agency on LGBT equality, the State Department, under Clinton’s leadership, overhauled discriminatory personnel policies while championing gay rights internationally. 

Soon after declaring that “human rights are gay rights, and gay rights are human rights, once and for all” at the State Department’s pride celebration, Clinton began clarifying the department’s LGBT human rights policy to U.S. embassies around the globe. “There is this rising global tide of violence against the LGBT community around the world,” Clinton says, “and we are taking the lead in confronting the dangers of the lives and the livelihood of LGBT people as they go about their daily lives.”

Still, Secretary Clinton remains unchanged on the issue of full marriage equality. Clinton, recently caught off guard during a recent inquiry on the topic during a visit to Australia, supports civil unions but not full marriage equality. Despite her husband’s recent announcement that he supports full marriage equality, having many committed gay couples among his friends, Clinton says, “Well, I share his experience because we obviously share a lot of the same friends, but I have not changed my position.”

Nevertheless, Clinton aims to stomp out inequities in her own federal agency and worldwide. “I just really have a strong negative reaction to prejudice, discrimination, hatred, violence–anything that tried to delegitimize or marginalize any of our fellow citizens,” she notes. “So it fits into my long-term and personally felt commitment to expanding the circle of human rights for everyone.”

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Obama/Don't Ask, Don't Tell - The exclusive Advocate interview

A repeal of the “don’t ask don’t tell” law has been signed. President Obama tells The Advocate’s Kerry Eleveld that the Pentagon is "prepared to implement" repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell” and it will take months not years. He also says he's “wrestling” with the issue of marriage equality.

The wide-ranging interview took place late Tuesday afternoon and was the first one-on-one interview of his presidency with an LGBT news outlet.

Read Eleveld’s complete interview here:

www.advocate.com/News/News_Features/Exclusive_Interview_President_Barack_Obama_DADT/

Friday, October 8, 2010

Advocate's Money Minute wins GLAAD Media Award in Advertising

Here Media and Wells Fargo are the proud recipients of the GLAAD Media Award in Advertising – Outstanding Interactive Campaign for the companies’ collaboration on “The Advocate Money Minute.” Here Media and Well Fargo received the award during the 2nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising ceremony last night at New York’s Grand Hyatt Hotel.

“We created ‘The Advocate Money Minute’ presented by Wells Fargo to educate gay and lesbian consumers about issues that uniquely affect our lives,” said Here Media Senior Vice President of Integrated Marketing and Publicity Josh Rosenzweig. “We are thrilled that GLAAD recognized Wells Fargo’s true commitment to diversity.”

“The Advocate Money Minute” features expert Advocate magazine correspondents along with Wells Fargo bankers and financial advisors offering insightful perspectives on various financial topics. The segments address many topics, including today’s volatile economic climate, money management, and planning for retirement. Additionally, Wells Fargo presented “The Advocate Money Minute: Bonus.” These ancillary videos spotlight specific Wells Fargo financial initiatives benefiting its LGBT customers.

Now in their second year, the GLAAD Media Awards in Advertising “elevate and promote individuals and projects in the advertising and marketing industries for their fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives.”

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Here Media Earns Three ASME Cover Award Nominations

Here Media recently received three prestigious 2010 Best Cover Contest nominations from the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME). ASME named two Advocate covers and one Out cover as finalists.

The Advocate’s
September 2009 cover, featuring President Obama in tribute to the famed Shepard Fairey image with the tagline “Nope?” is a finalist in the “Most Controversial” category. Additionally, The Advocate’s February 2010 cover, depicting a donkey sticking its tongue out with the tagline “Gays to the DNC: Kiss My Ass,” is a finalist in the “News & Business” category. Out was named a finalist in the “Fashion & Beauty” category for its February 2010 cover, the magazine’s Annual Swimsuit Issue.

The finalist covers are now posted on Amazon.com for voting by the public. Amazon visitors will have 30 days to choose the Best Cover from six finalists in each of 12 categories as determined by the ASME judges. After each category winner is determined, visitors will have the opportunity to choose the Best Cover of Year from the category winners.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

The Advocate live streams from CA's Federal Prop. 8 closing arguments

On this historic day, The Advocate, the world’s leading gay new source, is providing the most comprehensive, up-to-the-minute coverage of the closing arguments for the federal trial challenging California’s Proposition 8. Advocate.com is hosting real-time news updates, Advocate Sr. Editor Andrew Harmon Tweeting from the courthouse, and a live stream of the post-trial news conference with lead plaintiffs' attorneys Ted Olson and David Boies, as well as attorneys defending the ballot measure.

Olson, who co-leads the legal team representing two Calif. gay couples who sued after they were denied marriage licenses, will have 30 minutes to make his case before U.S. district judge Vaughn R. Walker starting at 10 a.m. Pacific time.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Advocate wants you for A Day in Gay America

The Advocate is seeking photos of LGBT Americans for its first “A Day in Gay America.” Photographs must be taken this Friday, May 21, and feature gay Americans living their everyday lives. Everything will be accepted, including images from work, play, or enjoying a quiet moment. The best photos, as selected by The Advocate’s staff, will be featured in the “A Day in Gay America” photo essay to be included in The Advocate’s August 2010 issue as well as on Advocate.com.

“One of our most important mandates at The Advocate is to convey the wide diversity of LGBT people. When we do it well, we not only empower our readers, we also have the opportunity to educate people who might not ordinarily pick up our magazine,” said The Advocate’s Editor in Chief, Jon Barrett. “This project, ‘A Day in Gay America,’ has the potential to reflect that diversity like never before—through reader-submitted snapshots from around the country, capturing the everyday and not-so-everyday activities from gay people everywhere.”

On May 21, between 12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m., snap self-portraits or take pictures of friends and family doing anything that says something about life as an LGBT American. From the glamorous to the gritty, from the insane to the mundane, all photographs are welcome and will be considered for the “A Day in Gay America” photo essay.

All photos should be e-mailed to The Advocate at ADayInGayAmerican@advocate.com by Friday, May 28. In the subject line of the e-mail, include an e-mail address, first and last name, phone number, age, time and location of the photo, and a brief description of the photo. Send images as a 4-by-6-inch 300dpi JPEG file no larger than 10MB. TIFF and EPS files can not be accepted. By submitting photos, users agree to the terms and conditions located at www.advocate.com/terms.

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Out, damned politician!

Local anti-gay politicians who are secretly gay should be outed using social media and blogs if local media refuse to report on them, writes Michelangelo Signorile in Advocate.

"Every gay person who knows the truth about closeted antigay [politicians] has a responsibility to speak up ... This is no longer an issue that is debatable," Signorile writes.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

The Advocate partners with NBC

Here Media and The Advocate announced yesterday their new affiliate deal with NBC News Channel, an NBC News unit that provides content services to NBC television affiliates and other selected news outlets around the world. It’s the first partnership of its kind between NBC News Channel and an LGBT news outlet. The award-winning Advocate.com will now utilize NBC News Channel’s worldwide resources to create daily news segments that will air online and on air.

“Media continues to evolve, and The Advocate continues to grow and deliver news and entertainment across all platforms,” said Paul Colichman, CEO of Here Media. “The Advocate’s partnership with NBC News Channel allows our brand a unique opportunity to focus an LGBT lens on issues important to gay and lesbian Americans and their families. Our editors and expert journalists look forward to breaking new ground in a diverse media landscape.”

“The NBC News Channel prides itself on supporting the client’s mission,” said Bob Horner, President of the NBC News Channel. “We respect the commitment Here Media has to its community and we look forward to assisting The Advocate in its coverage of the issues important to the LGBT community.”

Monday, March 22, 2010

Here Media names Mark Smelzer Vice President and Publisher of Advocate and Gay.com

Here Media has promoted Mark Smelzer to Vice President and Publisher for the Advocate and Gay.com brands. Smelzer will continue creating and implementing innovative multiplatform initiatives for clients targeting the gay and lesbian niche. Smelzer is based in Here Media’s Los Angeles office.

“Mark’s vast experience makes him an asset in today’s evolving media space,” said Joe Landry, Here Media’s Senior Vice President and Group Publisher. “As we continue to develop and execute creative multiplatform campaigns for a growing roster of advertising clients, we look forward to having Mark, with his ingenuity and creativity, leading our talented Advocate and Gay.com sales teams.”

In his new capacity, Smelzer continues to be responsible for the sales and advertising campaigns across the multiple iterations of the Advocate brand, including its iconic print publication, its award-winning website, and the newly launched video newsmagazine The Advocate On-Air. As publisher of Gay.com, Smelzer now oversees the expansion of the site’s original content and collaborates with advertisers on developing effective advertising campaigns targeting the highly desirable 21- to 34-year-old male demographic.

Smelzer most recently served as Publisher for The Advocate and Advocate.com. Prior to joining Here Media, he spent five years as publisher of the JCK Publishing Group, the nation’s leading jewelry trade publications and websites. He has also been an associate publisher of the entertainment trade Variety, where he was part of the launch team of Vlife, a lifestyle consumer publication for the Variety audience.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Advocate named Outstanding Magazine at GLAAD Media Awards

The Advocate has been awarded the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage. GLAAD honored the iconic magazine at the 21st annual GLAAD Media Awards ceremony, held this past Saturday, March 13, in New York City. The Advocate competed in the Outstanding Magazine category with Entertainment Weekly, The Nation, Newsweek, and People.

“We at The Advocate are very honored to be singled out by GLAAD for this award—especially considering the incredibly high journalistic standards of the other nominees,” said The Advocate’s Editor in Chief, Jon Barrett. “This past year has been rich with what might be considered ‘gay news’—whether it be entertainment, politics, or culture. And we at The Advocate will continue to report and provide context to that news in a way that not only represents gay people fairly and accurately, but also challenges and expands our notions of what it means to be gay in today’s world.”

Monday, January 18, 2010

The Gayest Cities in America


San Francisco's status as a locus for gay communities is well known, but cities such as Springfield, Mass., Madison, Wis., and Albuquerque, N.M. - but not Denver, or any other Colorado cities - are among the ones listed in Mike Albo's list of the "gayest cities in America."