The Advocate is a prominent American publication for sex and gender minorities. It is consistently neutral to positive in its coverage of trans topics.
Background
The Los Angeles Advocate was founded in 1967 following police raids on gay bars. One of the founders bought the others out, and In 1969 the newspaper was renamed The Advocate and distributed nationally in gay bars and bookstores. In 1974, investment banker David B. Goodstein bought the publication and transformed it into a bi-weekly national news magazine. In 1985 it twitched from a tabloid format to a magazine format.
In the 1970s, The Advocate expanded into coverage of politics, culture, and national activism. In the 1980s, it played a critical role in reporting on the AIDS crisis. In the 1990s, they began covering celebrity culture more, presenting notable LGBTQ people and allies on the cover.
In the 21st century, The Advocate changed owners through several mergers and acquisitions, including Planet Out, Here Media, and Pride Media. While Here Media acquired the publication in 2010, the website and print publication were split into separate entities, with Grand Editorial contracted to print Out magazine and The Advocate. During this time it featured coverage of the fights for LGBTQ military service and marriage equality.
The Man Who Would Be Queen (2003)
In 2003, The Advocate ran ads for anti-trans book The Man Who Would Be Queen by J. Michael Bailey.
The Man Who Would Be Queen
The Science of Gender-Bending and Transsexualism
J. Michael Bailey“…fascinating revelations…a scientific yet superbly compassionate exposition.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Recommended reading for anyone interested in the study of gender identity and sexual orientation…. It is written, however, in a style that makes it easily easily accessible to any reader.” — Out Magazine [review by Duncan Osborne]
256pp., 6″ x 8.5″
hardback
ISBN 0-309-08418-0
$24.95
To order: Call toll-free 1-888-624-7651 or
Browse before you buy – preview a full-text, searchable version or buy a downloadable, PDF online at www.nap.eduJoseph Henry Press an imprint of The National Academies Press www.jhpress.org • 888-624-7651
Calpernia Addams and I called up the editor that day and got a perspective piece printed in the next available edition. After reading the book, the editor assured us the ad would not run again.
There’s work to do. For example: J. Michael Bailey, a professor who claims to be a friend of our community, has just put out a very defamatory book. In The Man Who Would Be Queen, he links transsexual women to The Silence of the Lambs and notes that we work as “strippers and prostitutes, as well as in many other occupations.” Because we believe in fighting unjust media depictions wherever we find them, we took time from our other projects to address and counter this insidious book.
Criticisms
Trans activists criticized the publication’s coverage of trans topice from the 1970s through the 1990s. Others criticized its overfocus on white gay men and gay conservatives. The Advocate also came under fire for not being consistent in editorial policies around outing, especially for closeted anti-gay public figures.
Clickbait and call-out culture (2014)
As the publication moved to digital-first, the website advocate.com came under criticism for moving away from deeply reported journalism to click-bait focused stories that centered on celebrities and outrage.
In 2014, editor Lucas Grindley hired transgender “call-out culture” ringleader Parker Molloy to cover trans issues for the website. Molloy quickly began promoting friends and disparaging trans and drag entertainers whose views differed from Molloy’s, including Laverne Cox, Candis Cayne, Our Lady J, Jen Richards, Calpernia Addams, and RuPaul. Molloy was eventually suspended and left the website in late 2014 after calling out colleagues publicly. Grindley left The Advocate in 2018.
LGBTQ&A podcast (2016–)
In August 2016, Jeffrey Masters began hosting the LGBTQ&A podcast, produced by The Advocate. Trans and gender divser guests have included Miss Major, Zeke Smith, Laverne Cox, Alok Vaid-Menon, Gigi Gorgeous, Kate Bornstein, Danica Roem, and Mariana Marroquín.
References
White, Abbey (June 21, 2022). Out Magazine, The Advocate Sold to New Owners in Pride Media Acquisition. Hollywood Reporter https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/equal-entertainment-acquires-pride-media-rebrands-equal-pride-1235168538/
Mark Berryhill; Kelley, Michael (September 1, 2022). Out Magazine Is Now Part of an LGBTQ+ Company; Meet the Owners. Out https://www.out.com/print/2022/9/01/out-magazine-now-part-lgbtq-company-meet-owners
Editors (February 28, 2020). Pride Media Announces New Leadership for The Advocate, Out”. The Advocate https://www.advocate.com/media/2020/2/28/pride-media-announces-new-leadership-advocate-out
Bendix, Trish (January 25, 2019). Does LGBT media have a future? BuzzFeed News https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/trishbendix/future-of-lgbt-media-out-advocate-autostraddle-into-grindr
Wieder, Judy (December 6, 2016). The not-so-sudden death of The Advocate. Huffpost https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-not-so-sudden-death-o_b_342725
Heching, Dan (June 28, 2016). It was “The New York Times of homosexuality.” Out https://www.out.com/news-opinion/2016/6/28/watch-history-advocate-americas-oldest-lgbt-magazine
Gadd, Christianne A. (2012). “The Advocate” and the Making of a Gay Model Minority 1967–2007. Lehigh University Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1340 https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/228641708.pdf [archive]
Bell, Lauren (August 26, 2008). The Advocate, under new ownership, cuts frequency. Direct Marketing News http://www.dmnews.com/the-advocate-under-new-ownership-cuts-frequency/article/115916/ [archive]
Saucier, J. A., & Caron, S. L. (2008). An Investigation of Content and Media Images in Gay Men’s Magazines. Journal of Homosexuality, 55(3), 504–523. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918360802345297
Moses, Lucia (December 19, 2008). The Advocate to Go Monthly. Adweek http://www.adweek.com/news/press/advocate-go-monthly-110784
Highleyman, Liz September 28, 2007). What Is the History of The Advocate? Past Out. Letters From CAMP Rehoboth http://www.camprehoboth.com/issue09_14_07/past_out.htm [archive]
Joseph Henry Press (June 10, 2003). [ad for The Man Who Would Be Queen]. The Advocate
Addams C, James A (July 22, 2003). Transformations. The Advocate. http://www.advocate.com/html/stories/894/894_transformations.asp [archive]
Haninia, Joseph (October 29, 1995). Closeted no longer: Magazines: Increasing ad revenues, mainstream media interest and attractive demographics have made an increasingly diverse gay press a vibrant market. Los Angeles Times https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-29-ls-62323-story.html
Streitmatter, Rodger (1995). Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press in America. Faber and Faber, ISBN 978-0571198733
Books
Wieder, Judy [editor] (2001). Celebrity: The Advocate Interviews. Advocate Books. ISBN 978-1555837228
Thompson, Mark [editor] (1994). Long Road to Freedom: The Advocate History of the Gay and Lesbian Movement. St. Martin’s Press, ISBN 978-0312095369
Resources
The Advocate (advocate.com)
- Transgender
- advocate.com/transgender
Here Media (heremedia.com)
Equal Entertainment (equalpride.com)
- Our brands
- equalpride.com/our-brands
- The Advocate
- Advocate Originals
- The Advocates with Sonia Baghdady
LGBTQ&A podcast (lgbtqpodcast.com)
Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org)
Facebook (facebook.com)
X/Twitter (x.com)
Instagram (instagram.com)
Threads (threads.com)
disclosure: the author of this profile has published work in The Advocate.