Analyzing The Advocate Essays -- Magazine Gay Lesbian Essays

Analyzing The Advocate The Advocate is a magazine designed to attract and arouse gay men, lesbian women and to a lesser extent bisexual and transgender people. The September 12, 2000 issue of The Advocate uses advertisements, news topics, popularly recognized celebrities as well as political and philosophical viewpoints that fit its target audience. The target audience for The Advocate is shown on its cover page as "The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine." Also notable is the fact that the majority of persons featured in the publication are not heterosexually oriented, which would be favorable to a non-heterosexual audience. Many articles have some reference to a lesbian or gay political, television, or musical celebrity. Some examples from the table of contents are, " Mary Cheney, Rhona Cameron, Jack Larson, Chris Isherwood and Stephen Gately" (The Advocate 3). This appeals to the large number of people who are attracted to anything that might reveal some delectable tidbit about a public figure. In this sense, The Advocate can appeal to straight, or heterosexual, people as well as the usual audience of gay and lesbian persons. T he main theme of The Advocate seems to be a mixture of news and political issues from around the world, especially those with importance to gay and lesbian people. For example, the main cover story is titled " The Dilemma of Mary Cheney" and is followed by, "Will the lesbian daughter of the GOP vice presidential candidate Dick Cheney be forced to choose between being true to her family and true to herself? " There is the question of whether Mr. Cheney would accept something that would discriminate against his daughter and what Mary Cheney would do in turn. This story has much current releva... ...with a cartoon bubble with the word "fag" written twelve times with the word "bitch" stuck in second to last, for contrast (notes from a blonde. 39). This unusual use of slang and profanity appeals to gay men that have been offended by Eminem as well as those who are attracted to his popularity. An advertisement that also makes use of non-heterosexual notoriety is for the "Rainbow Card" which features pictures of Martina Naratilova in front of a Gay Pride parade (Rainbow Card 31). Martina is somewhat of a gay icon because she publicly embraced her sexuality. These advertisements and articles are targeted specifically for the gay and lesbian audience. The political philosophy of The Advocate covers the wide spectrum of people who identify themselves as not heterosexual. Works Cited The Advocate: The national gay and lesbian newsmagazine. September 12, 2000.