Out is an American LGBTQ news, fashion, entertainment, and lifestyle magazine, with the highest circulation of any LGBTQ monthly publication in the United States. It presents itself in an editorial manner similar to Details, Esquire, and GQ.[not verified in body] Out was owned by Robert Hardman of Boston, its original investor, until 2000. It then changed hands among LPI Media, PlanetOut Inc., Here Media, and Pride Media. In June 2022, Pride Media was acquired by Equal Entertainment LLC, taking on the name Equal Pride.

Out
Issue No. 1, Summer 1992
EditorDaniel Reynolds
CategoriesLGBTQ, news, entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle
FrequencyMonthly
Circulation203,000 (includes digital as well as print)
PublisherJoe Landry
Founded1992
CompanyPride Media
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Websiteout.com
ISSN1062-7928

Out is known for the Out100, its annual list of the most "impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people".[1]

History

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Out was founded by Michael Goff in 1992[2][3] as editor in chief and president. The executive editor was Sarah Pettit (since deceased). In 1996, owner Robert Hardman fired Goff and hired Henry E. (Hank) Scott, a former New York Times Co. executive, as president of Out Publishing Inc., with the charge to rescue the financially troubled magazine company. When Scott joined Out, the company had annual revenues of less than $4 million and expenses of $7 million. Scott changed Out's LGBT focus, arguing that gay men and lesbians had little in common other than political and legal issues. He fired Pettit and hired James Collard, editor of Attitude, a gay magazine published in the UK, to refocus Out on an affluent and style-conscious gay male audience. Audited circulation grew by 67 percent to over 130,000 and the household income of the average Out reader, as measured by MRI, grew from $70,000 a year to $90,000 a year. With the help of Lou Fabrizio, a senior advertising executive whom Scott hired from The New York Times, Out began attracting major fashion advertisers and brands such as Saturn, which previously had not advertised in gay publications. Three years after Scott took control of Out, it had tripled its revenue and become the largest-circulation gay magazine in US history. Those changes positioned the publication for a sale by Hardman to LPI Media in 2000.

In 2001 the circulation was 100,000. Judy Wieder, who was the first female editor in chief of The Advocate, became the first female editorial director of Out. By 2006, when the magazine was acquired by PlanetOut, Out's circulation had reached 130,000. Out attracted international attention when it published its debut Power Issue in May 2007, with a cover that featured two models wearing masks of journalist Anderson Cooper and actor Jodie Foster above the cover line, "The Glass Closet". Some lesbians have criticized Out for primarily focusing on gay men. A writer for the website AfterEllen noted that in 2008, no lesbians were featured on the magazine's cover, and that only 22% of the persons featured in the Out100 were lesbians.[4]

In 2008, Out, along with its sister publication The Advocate, was purchased by Here Media Inc. Here Media expanded the magazine's web presence, OUT.com, and added a mobile application.[citation needed] In April 2012, Out laid off the twelve members of its editorial staff with one month severance; editor-in-chief Aaron Hicklin said he intended to hire back most of them as contractors with his new company Grand Editorial.[5][needs update]

In 2017, Here Media sold its magazine operations to a group led by Oreva Capital, who renamed the parent company Pride Media.[6] In August 2018, Hicklin stepped down after 12 years as editor-in-chief[citation needed] and was replaced by Phillip Picardi.[7]

Despite editorial changes, Out and Pride still faced financial issues and frequent complaints from freelancers and contract employees.[8] In February 2019, Women's Wear Daily reported that more than forty contributors wrote an open letter to Pride Media and Oreva Capital, its operating entity, as well as its former editorial management partners Grand Editorial and McCarthy LLC, demanding payment for past work.[9][10][11] They filed a nonpayment grievance via the National Writers Union. "The National Writers Union is now representing 25 freelance contributors to Out magazine, who are owed more than $40,000 for work that was contracted, produced and published," the union said in a statement.[12] The New York Times detailed the nonpayment issues and that the total owed was in excess of $100,000.[13][14] The New York Post reported Pride Media owed more than $100,000 in unpaid ad commissions to PinkNews, a London-based digital publisher catering to the global LGBT audience.[15][needs update]

In December 2018, Raquel Willis was appointed as executive editor, becoming the first trans woman to take on a leadership position at the publication.[16] While at Out, Willis won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Magazine Article for "The Trans Obituaries Project".[17]

Picardi left Out in December 2019, announcing his abrupt departure via Twitter.[18] In September 2020, David Artavia was appointed as the magazine's new editor-in-chief.[19] In January 2020, Diane Anderson-Minshall was named CEO of Pride Media and later that year became the editorial director of Out.[citation needed] In June 2022, Equal Entertainment—the largest LGBTQ-owned media company in the United States—acquired Pride Media and took on the name Equal Pride.[20]

Out100

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Since its beginning, Out offered an annual list, the Out100, documenting a hundred "influential, inspirational" LGBTQ personalities and celebrities[21][22] and "founded to celebrate and honor some of the most influential LGBTQIA figures."[23] In conjunction with the listings is the annual Out100 Awards honoring a handful of that year's celebrities with: Ingenue of the Year, Reader's Choice, Artist of the Year, and Entertainer of the Year.[24] In 2019, editor Phillip Picardi said the Out100 was the magazine's "greatest and most well-known tradition".[25] Out introduced a Reader's Choice Award in 2013 in addition to its editorially curated list of the top 100 honorees.[26]

Notable contributors

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Writers

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Photographers

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References

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  1. ^ Picardi, Phillip (November 2019). "Out100 2019". Out. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Sandra L. Caron (February 2008). "An investigation of content and media images in gay men's magazines". Journal of Homosexuality. 55 (3): 504–523. doi:10.1080/00918360802345297. PMID 19042283. S2CID 205468927. Retrieved August 13, 2015.
  3. ^ "Magazines in Alphabetical Order". Radcliffe Institute. Retrieved October 19, 2015.
  4. ^ Dorothy Snarker (November 13, 2008). "An open letter to Out magazine". AfterEllen.com. Logo Online. Archived from the original on April 21, 2010. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
  5. ^ "'Out' lays off its entire editorial staff, but editor Aaron Hicklin wants to hire 'most' back into his new startup". Archived from the original on April 17, 2016. Retrieved April 18, 2012.
  6. ^ "Publisher of High Times acquires LGBT publications". Reuters. September 7, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Phillip Picardi Leaves Condé Nast for 'Out'". Fashionista. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  8. ^ Hays, Kali. "Out Magazine, Pride Media Rife With Challenges for New Editor". Women's Wear Daily. Retrieved October 18, 2018.
  9. ^ Hays, Kali (February 8, 2019). "Unpaid Out Magazine Contributors Demanding Payment Amid Fresh Layoffs". Women's Wear Daily.
  10. ^ Weiner, Sophie (January 30, 2019). "Out Magazine Contributors Are Still Waiting to Be Paid". Splinter News.
  11. ^ "Pride Media says the check's in the mail". February 7, 2019.
  12. ^ "Out Magazine: Pay the Freelancers!". February 26, 2019.
  13. ^ Peiser, Jaclyn (February 25, 2019). "Out Magazine's Fresh Start Overshadowed by a Bitter Money Dispute". The New York Times.
  14. ^ "Out Magazine owes freelancers more than $100K". Freelancers Union Blog. February 26, 2019.
  15. ^ Kelly, Keith J. (March 6, 2019). "Out magazine owner owes more than $100K in unpaid ad commissions".
  16. ^ Christian, Tanya A. (December 10, 2018). "Transgender Activist Raquel Willis Appointed Executive Editor at Out Magazine". Essence. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  17. ^ "UPDATING: Award Recipients at the 31st Annual GLAAD Media Awards". GLAAD. July 30, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  18. ^ Levesque, Brody (December 11, 2019). "Advocate and Out Magazine Editors-In-Chief depart amid turmoil". Los Angeles Blade. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  19. ^ "Pride Media Taps David Artavia as New Editor in Chief of Out Magazine". www.out.com. September 28, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  20. ^ Herren, Parker (June 21, 2022). "Pride Media acquired by Equal Entertainment—making it the largest LGBTQ+-owned media company". Ad Age. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
  21. ^ "OUT100 List Adds '30 Rock's' Maulik Pancholy, 'Glee's' Jonathan Groff,' 'American Horror Story's' Denis O'Hare". TheWrap. November 12, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  22. ^ Hubbard, Amy (November 7, 2013). "Out magazine rolls out its 19th Out100 list of LGBT celebrities". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  23. ^ "This Year's Out100 List". www.lofficielusa.com. Retrieved May 16, 2019.
  24. ^ "The 2014 OUT100 Awards celebrate two decades of LGBT advocacy". AXS. Retrieved June 16, 2019.
  25. ^ Picardi, Phillip (November 18, 2019). "Welcome to the 2019 Out100". Out. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  26. ^ "Out Celebrates the 19th Annual Out100 Presented by Buick". Archived from the original on August 10, 2016. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
  27. ^ "Dale Peck". www.out.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "2010: 'It Gets Better' Founder Dan Savage Reflects on The Groundbreaking Youth Project". www.out.com. October 1, 2017. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  29. ^ "Syllabus: 1980". Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  30. ^ "Some other places with writing by T Cooper". Archived from the original on February 10, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  31. ^ Haskell, David (December 10, 2006). "Sporno". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  32. ^ "OUT Magazine talks PrEP and features AFC'S Jim Pickett". Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  33. ^ "Jesse Archer". Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  34. ^ "Bob Smith". Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  35. ^ "Dustin Lance Black: Pillars of Salt". www.out.com. May 24, 2010. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  36. ^ "Kimberly Drew". www.out.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  37. ^ "How Our Generation Is Changing the Definition of 'Femme'". www.out.com. February 13, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  38. ^ "We Need to Decolonize the Body Positive Movement". www.out.com. August 5, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  39. ^ "Chani Nicholas Gives You the Only Astrology Reading You Need for 2020". www.out.com. November 27, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  40. ^ "India's Gay Prince Says Repealing Sodomy Ban Isn't Enough". www.out.com. September 9, 2019. Retrieved December 28, 2020.
  41. ^ "Vampires in LA by Francois Rousseau//OUT". Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  42. ^ "Roger Erickson". Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  43. ^ "James Marsden for OUT Magazine by Photographer Matthias Vriens McGrath". Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  44. ^ "About PMc". PMc Magazine. Archived from the original on September 11, 2013. Retrieved July 28, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  45. ^ "Ave Joe Oppedisano!". Archived from the original on November 26, 2015. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  46. ^ "Chloe Sevigny by Terry Richardson for OUT Magazine". Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  47. ^ "Spanish actor Jan Cornet by Xevi Muntané for OUT Magazine". Archived from the original on January 6, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  48. ^ "Walter Pfeiffer". Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  49. ^ "Power Point". Retrieved January 6, 2012.
  50. ^ "Out Cover Star Mike Ruiz's 7 Portraits of LGBTQ+ Icons". www.out.com. April 17, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
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