XY (magazine)
Encyclopedia
XY was a gay
male youth-oriented magazine
published in the United States of America
from 1996 to 2007. Its name was a reference to the XY chromosome
pair found in males. XY magazine ceased publication in 2007, and its web site XY.com went offline in 2009. Much of the original staff went on to publish B Magazine.
in 2001, West Hollywood, California
in 2004, and New York City
in 2007. It published roughly four editions a year, with a sometimes erratic publishing schedule.
The magazine contained political and cultural articles, pictures, and submissions by readers. Featured comic series included as Tough Love by Abby Denson
and Joe Boy by Joe Phillips
.
From its inception in 1996 through 2007, 49 issues were published. In XY49 (the winter 2008 issue), founding editor Peter Ian Cummings announced that he would be leaving the magazine for personal reasons, and that he and his investors were looking for a new team to take it over.
When an exhaustive search produced no suitable buyers, the magazine remained in limbo until 2010, when Cummings filed for bankruptcy. During the bankruptcy proceedings, the Privacy Division of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a Federal Regulatory Agency, ordered subscriber and xy.com profile data to be destroyed to protect users' privacy (more below).
"for young gay men".
Another controversy involved XYs longtime Managing Editor, Michael Glatze
, who left the magazine in 2001, co-edited the XY Survival Guide in 2003, and in 2007 announced that he no longer identified as a homosexual, and denounced homosexuality. He is now a conservative Christian who opposes gay rights.
In July 2010, the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission
denied a request by XY's investors to obtain the customer database for the old XY magazine and profile files on the xy.com web site, which list about 100,000 and 1 million subscribers, respectively. Conforming with Cummings's and his staff's privacy policy of the magazine and site, which stated that they would "never sell its list to anybody", was found to take precedence over the desire of these investors to obtain the data for unspecified use. Many of those customers would still be underage and would not be out to their families yet, thus making their privacy of particular concern. As a result of this FTC warning, the names, addresses, and online profiles were ordered destroyed.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
male youth-oriented magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
published in the United States of America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1996 to 2007. Its name was a reference to the XY chromosome
XY sex-determination system
The XY sex-determination system is the sex-determination system found in humans, most other mammals, some insects and some plants . In this system, females have two of the same kind of sex chromosome , and are called the homogametic sex. Males have two distinct sex chromosomes , and are called...
pair found in males. XY magazine ceased publication in 2007, and its web site XY.com went offline in 2009. Much of the original staff went on to publish B Magazine.
Background
XY was founded by Peter Ian Cummings in San Francisco in 1996, and moved its operations to San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
in 2001, West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, California
West Hollywood, a city of Los Angeles County, California, was incorporated on November 29, 1984, with a population of 34,399 at the 2010 census. 41% of the city's population is made up of gay men according to a 2002 demographic analysis by Sara Kocher Consulting for the City of West Hollywood...
in 2004, and New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 2007. It published roughly four editions a year, with a sometimes erratic publishing schedule.
The magazine contained political and cultural articles, pictures, and submissions by readers. Featured comic series included as Tough Love by Abby Denson
Abby Denson
-Personal life:Abby Denson was born in Illinois, and grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut. She currently lives in New York, and runs City Sweet Tooth, an exploration of the city's best sweets and treats in unique comic book form.-Comics:...
and Joe Boy by Joe Phillips
Joe Phillips
Joe Phillips is an American artist, known for his mainstream comic book art and for his work depicting his views of gay life. He currently lives in San Diego, California.-Early Years and Comic Work:...
.
From its inception in 1996 through 2007, 49 issues were published. In XY49 (the winter 2008 issue), founding editor Peter Ian Cummings announced that he would be leaving the magazine for personal reasons, and that he and his investors were looking for a new team to take it over.
When an exhaustive search produced no suitable buyers, the magazine remained in limbo until 2010, when Cummings filed for bankruptcy. During the bankruptcy proceedings, the Privacy Division of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), a Federal Regulatory Agency, ordered subscriber and xy.com profile data to be destroyed to protect users' privacy (more below).
Special editions and other publications
As well as its regular issues, the magazine has published a series of specials:- Two editions of the "Survival Guide" were produced. They were more serious than usual editions with articles on everything from coming out to age of consentAge of consentWhile the phrase age of consent typically does not appear in legal statutes, when used in relation to sexual activity, the age of consent is the minimum age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to sexual acts. The European Union calls it the legal age for sexual...
laws to suicide. The cover was illustrated by Abby DensonAbby Denson-Personal life:Abby Denson was born in Illinois, and grew up in West Hartford, Connecticut. She currently lives in New York, and runs City Sweet Tooth, an exploration of the city's best sweets and treats in unique comic book form.-Comics:...
. - "The Best of XY" contained the best of the magazine's articles, as selected by editors, contributors, and readers.
- "XY: The Photos" contained the best photos from the magazine.
- "XY: The Photos 1996+2007" contained additional photos
XYFoto
A bimonthly companion magazine XYFoto was launched in 2003 containing only photographs. This magazine was printed on matte paper and contains erotic but non-pornographic images of young men. Most issues are centered on a different city or state. Eight issues were published, each by a different photographer, including Sean Bentz, Adam Raphael, Steven Underhill, Christopher Makos, James Patrick Dawson and Peter Ian Cummings.Website
XY operated the websites xy.com and xymag.com, which featured magazine content as well as an online dating serviceOnline dating service
Online dating or Internet dating is a dating system which allows individuals, couples and groups to make contact and communicate with each other over the Internet, usually with the objective of developing a personal, romantic, or sexual relationship...
"for young gay men".
Reader demographic
When XY launched in 1996, according to the publisher, the average age of its readers was 22. This declined to 18 in 2001, a demographic shift largely attributable to an increase in under-18 readers, "because people were coming out at younger ages."Controversy
As a publication for young gay and bisexual men, XY has sometimes had a difficult time attracting advertisers, and often ran editorials on the topic.Another controversy involved XYs longtime Managing Editor, Michael Glatze
Michael Glatze
Michael Glatze was co-founder of Young Gay America and a former advocate for gay rights. Glatze received media coverage for publicly announcing he no longer identified as a homosexual and denouncing homosexuality.-Biography:...
, who left the magazine in 2001, co-edited the XY Survival Guide in 2003, and in 2007 announced that he no longer identified as a homosexual, and denounced homosexuality. He is now a conservative Christian who opposes gay rights.
In July 2010, the Bureau of Consumer Protection of the Federal Trade Commission
Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Trade Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1914 by the Federal Trade Commission Act...
denied a request by XY's investors to obtain the customer database for the old XY magazine and profile files on the xy.com web site, which list about 100,000 and 1 million subscribers, respectively. Conforming with Cummings's and his staff's privacy policy of the magazine and site, which stated that they would "never sell its list to anybody", was found to take precedence over the desire of these investors to obtain the data for unspecified use. Many of those customers would still be underage and would not be out to their families yet, thus making their privacy of particular concern. As a result of this FTC warning, the names, addresses, and online profiles were ordered destroyed.
See also
- YGAYGA (magazine)YGA was a bimonthly magazine for LGBT youth launched in December 2004. It was established by Benjie Nycum and Michael Glatze and published in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada as Benjie Nycum, YGAs co-founder actually grew up there although he was an American. Benjie and Michael had met while both were...