| Editor | Matthew Todd |
|---|---|
| Categories | Gay, Men's lifestyle |
| Frequency | Monthly |
| First issue | May 1994 |
| Company | Vitality Publishing |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Website | http://www.attitude.co.uk |
Attitude is a British gay lifestyle magazine owned by Vitality Publishing. It is sold worldwide as a physical magazine and a digital download for the iPad and iPhone via the App Store. The first issue appeared in May 1994.
In 2005, former editor Adam Mattera won Best Men's Magazine editor of the year at the BSME awards.[1] It was the first time that a gay magazine editor won the prize. Mattera was short-listed again for the prize in 2006. In April 2008, attitude's fashion director was named in the Times as one of the UK's top 20 star-makers for his contribution to the music industry, alongside Simon Cowell. attitude is currently edited by Matthew Todd, a longtime associate editor and former deputy editor and writer of the play Blowing Whistles. Mr Todd was nominated as Best Men's Magazine Editor of the Year at the BSME awards 2009 and was nominated again in 2010, the only gay magazine to have been nominated. In The Independent Pink List 2008, Mr Todd was named as the 90th most influential gay person in the UK. In 2009 he rose to number 85. In 2010 he jumped 30 places to number 55. In 2010 attitude was nominated by Stonewall in their annual awards as Publication of the Year.
None of the gay titles reveal ABC figures (although Bent used to, placing its readership at around 60,000) but Press Gazette has named attitude as the biggest-selling in the sector.[2]
Contents |
attitude started life in 1994 as part of the Northern and Shell Group owned by Richard Desmond. In 2004 it was sold to Remnant Media. Since then the magazine has been briefly in the ownership of Giant Clipper and Attitude Publications Ltd before Trojan Publishing Ltd (which also owns Fresh, Woman's Fitness and What Diesel?) purchased the "intellectual property rights" for attitude in April 2008. However all of the magazine's debts dating prior to issue 165 remain the responsibility of the previous publisher - Attitude Publications Ltd. The magazine had difficulties with both publishing and distribution in 2007 and failed to appear on the news-stands in both January and July that year.
After financial trouble, owners created Vitality Publishing to own Attitude, and sold the company to private investors. The current owner is listed as Attitude Media Ltd, although this appears to be linked to Vitality Publishing as the attitude website links to Vitality's terms and conditions.
Celebrities who have appeared on the cover include Rupert Grint, Tony Blair, Daniel Radcliffe, Madonna, Heath Ledger, Sacha Baron Cohen as Brüno, David Cameron, Clive Owen, David Beckham, Take That, James Franco, Dominic Cooper, Mitch Hewer, Mark Feehily, Kevin McDaid, Kylie Minogue, Marilyn Manson, Elton John, McFly, Robbie Williams, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, Philip Olivier, Freddie Ljungberg, George Michael, Rufus Wainwright, Will Young, Christina Aguilera, Dermot O'Leary, John Barrowman, Gary Lucy, Beth Ditto and the Scissor Sisters. Many of these covers have been world exclusives.
Tony Blair gave the first interview a serving Prime Minister has ever given a gay publication in May 2005. He gave his second ever gay press interview to mark attitude's 15th birthday in May 2009.
In February 2010 Conservative party leader David Cameron appeared on the cover of attitude giving his first interview to a gay publication.
For the August 2009 issue, Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe gave his first interview to a gay publication in which he announced his support for British political party the Liberal Democrats. He said, "I just loathe homophobia. It's just disgusting and animal and stupid and it's just thick people who can't get their heads around it and are just scared. I grew up around gay people entirely. I was the only child in my class who had any experience of homosexuality or anything like that."
In addition to celebrity interviews the magazine also includes serious features on a range of subjects, which have included the plight of gay asylum seekers and the rise of the far Right in Eastern Europe, the US Presidential election campaign as well as real life editorial such as male rape and body image issues. In May 2005, on the eve of the UK general election, the magazine interviewed Tony Blair for the cover. In April 2008 attitude took now Mayor of London Boris Johnson to task about his comments that "if gay marriage was okay – and I was uncertain of that issue – then I saw no reason why a union should not therefore be consecrated between three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog", a claim Johnson tried to justify as loose talk on Newsnight or Question Time, until reminded of a passage in his own book as a direct source.
attitude frequently acquires exclusive interviews within the gay market. These exclusives include Daniel Radcliffe's only gay press interview, Madonna's first worldwide press interview for her Confessions On A Dance Floor album, Elton John and David Furnish's only print interview for their civil partnership in December 2005, Heath Ledger's only gay press interview, Take That's first print interview after re-forming, Kylie Minogue, who always gives attitude her launch interviews and Robbie Williams's only cover story interview on the release of his Greatest Hits album. Will Young has only ever given gay press interviews to attitude. In 2006, The Scissor Sisters gave their first print interview for their new album to the magazine with an exclusive five cover edition, each cover featuring a different member of the band. Take That also gave their first magazine interview to attitude after reforming and also posed for a four cover special in early 2009.
The magazine is often themed, notably with a celebrity naked issue which featured amongst others Max Beesley, Philip Olivier and Will Mellor. In July 2005 the magazine launched fashion supplements as a spin off publication. The March 2010 issue was themed as the titles first older issue with Eastenders star John Partridge on the cover.
Contributors to the magazine have included Julie Burchill, David Furnish, Mark Simpson (the magazine's leading columnist in its early years), Tim Teeman, Simon Fanshawe, Will Self, Augusten Burroughs, Andrew M. Potts, Anthony Crank, Jackie Collins, Matt Lucas, Boy George, Russell T Davies, Graham Norton, Preston from The Ordinary Boys, Bruce LaBruce and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. Senior contributing editors include Johann Hari of The Independent, former Boyz editor Simon Gage and author Will Davis. Former senior contributing editors include Paul Flynn and Patrick Strudwick whose popular dating column Patrick's Manhunt now appears in Gay Times.
In a 2009 interview, Blair questioned the pope's attitude towards homosexuality, arguing that religious leaders must start "rethinking" the issue.[3]
In summer 2008 Attitude launched an online store, "Attitude Direct". It sells over 2,000 lifestyle products.