A landmark national gay magazine, "XY," is entering its seventh year of publication. In late 2000, "XY" celebrated its fifth anniversary and released a mammoth 170-page Anniversary Special Issue, featuring the best articles and photos from the magazine's history. It included an award-winning 1991 article by Linnea Due entitled "Young and Gay," and an expansive article about the Matthew Shepard story, "A Boy's Life." Considering that any magazine, especially one geared towards our sometimes fickle community, can survive, much less thrive, for a significant length of time is indeed a cause for celebration. Yet it's been a long, twisty, difficult road for the magazine. The saga of "XY" is a story that's very telling about how far we've come in the fight for acceptance... and how far, unfortunately, we still have to go. Even if you've never read "XY," chances are you've at least seen it. It is available at locations all throughout Manhattan as well as better local bookstores like Borders and Barnes & Nobles. The magazine's exquisite cover photographs feature young, impossibly good-looking male models. While sexy, the image given is one of unblemished innocence (Think of that "tingly" feeling you had as a teenager when you had a crush on a classmate) rather than the more salacious, in-your-face sexuality embodied by such gay mags as "Instinct." But looking at the ultra-glossy cover, you'd never guess that "XY" is still plagued by issues that threaten its very existence. "XY" magazine was founded in 1996 by 38-year old Peter Ian Cummings, who is also publisher and editor. From the beginning, "XY" was unique: it was the first national magazine targeted to young (think 12 to 21) gay men. Even today, the topic of gay teens is still a touchy issue, and one that provokes controversy even in our own community. According to the website, "XY" has over 200,000 readers and sells over 60,000 copies each issue. In addition to its target audience, the magazine is unique in another respect: out of all the national gay magazines I've seen, it is indeed the most personal and intimate. The magazine does use professional models, mostly in fashion sections, but the magazine also incorporates photos and profiles of many real life young gay men, including its readers. The articles deal with issues pertinent to teens, such as coming out, being openly gay in school, and first love. There also have been interviews with openly gay young celebrities such as actor Danny Pintauro ("Who's the Boss") and author Christopher Rice (son of Anne). And of course, there's the usual stuff like news, record and book reviews, personal ads, and comics. With articles entitled "My First Kiss","Hormone Overload," and "Confessions of a Jock Lover;" and poetry like "Why I Love Keanu Reeves," the mag definitely knows what its readership wants. No one can dispute the importance of the magazine to young gays. In past issues, there have been articles about safe sex and dealing with homophobia. There are no advertisements for cigarettes or alcohol. The magazine manages to balance serious issues (such as politics) with the lighter stuff (dating, shopping... you know, the important things!). Yet what seems to have become the biggest topic of discussion about "XY" (even among its readers, judging from the letters to the editor) is the photography. There are many photos of good-looking young men: often shirtless, occasionally naked, and very frequently showing unabashed affection with each other. Yet although extremely sexy, the photography is always artful and never exploitative. I've never seen any frontal nudity. A few sanctimonious members of our own community have been cynical about "XY," stating that the magazine has been utilized mainly by older men who drool over the sexy photos. But the biggest challenge to "XY," and no doubt the biggest source of headaches by its publisher, is the reluctance of advertisers to buy ads in the magazine. In a June 2000 article entitled "Scary Love," reprinted in the fifth anniversary issue, editor Peter Ian Cummings wrote about how the main challenge "XY" faces is shortage of advertising. There has never been one paid fashion ad in "XY" from any major brand. In the five-page article, which is written in a frustrated, "I need to get this off my chest" way, he reveals the subtle homophobia that "XY" has faced because of its content and its target audience. Interestingly, some of the brands Cummings mentioned--Gap, Calvin Klein, Abercrombie & Fitch-- do advertise in other gay mags ("Out", "Genre"), are very popular among gay consumers, and have run TV and/or print ads that could be deemed "racy" or "controversial." The article details Cummings' painstaking attempts to reach out to these and other advertisers. He mentions underwear company 2(x)ist, who stated that they don't target their products to teenagers, and therefore didn't want to advertise in "XY." A disappointing, but honest, response. Most of the companies, however, just gave Cummings the runaround, and ultimately, rejection. The article gets personal when Cummings revealed that financial problems with "XY" has caused a plethora of problems including back taxes, his car being repossessed twice, and "XY" not being published for half of 1998-- which resulted in many cancelled subscriptions and subsequent loss of more money. The editor links the advertisers' persistent reluctance to advertise in "XY'" to the larger problem of society's engrained homophobia. He likens the present-day corporations to the bullies who torment gay youth in school, and includes phone numbers and addresses for readers to contact the advertisers. Granted, there are two sides to every story. Yet given the past history of homophobia in the media (Remember that only very recently did the advertising world even ACKNOWLEDGE the gay market.), coupled with the fact that even many gays and fair-minded straights get nervous about gay teens, Cummings' observations seem very valid. The saga of "XY" does seem to be a reflection of America's wobbly acceptance of gays. Even with the explosion of gay visibility in the media today, a magazine that caters to gay BOYS and acknowledges their sexuality is considered by some to be "dangerous." Why is an ad depicting two gay teens showing affection "offensive," but a teenage boy and girl on the pages of "Seventeen" or "Teen People" doing the same is OK? In addition, there seems to have been an explosion of casual nudity, mostly female, in many "mainstream" magazines lately ("Maxim", "Cosmopolitan"), much of it used for titilation purposes or shock value. Yet the artful nudity of "XY" seems ultra-classy and innocent compared to the head-on raunch which we frequently face in the media today. In the fifth anniversary edition of "XY," Peter Ian Cummings reported that the magazine still faced financial trouble, and he encouraged readers to subscribe, advertise, or donate money. The request for donations, paired with the name-dropping of the previously mentioned advertisers, caused Cummings to take much heat. The popular web site PlanetOut.com pulled "Scary Love" from their site, reportedly for either (1) fear of a libel suit by the companies mentioned in the article, or (2) Cummings' asking for money from "XY" readers through the site. In December 2000, "XY" was sued by a pair of twin male models who claimed they were not informed that their photos would appear in a gay magazine. Despite setbacks, "XY" seems to be, at the very least, holding its own. The new issue, number 37, is out, and the models on the cover and on the pages inside look just as happy as ever! The continuing struggle of "XY" should motivate all gays and lesbians to be aware of several issues facing our community. When I was growing up, there was no Internet, no gay youth groups, and almost no positive openly gay role models on TV. Times have changed, but this hardly means that it's easier for gay teens or young adults today. Coming out or dealing with one's sexuality earlier in life only means confronting difficult issues sooner. Nevertheless, helping to lessen the angst of gay youth, even bit by bit, is a worthy goal. Only when we can show respect and support for the different groups within our community will we see the progress of gays and lesbians as a whole. At the very least, we need to take interest in and be aware of what's going on in gay news and politics. Or else, you may wake up one day and find out that you missed a major fund-raising event, your local pro-gay politician lost re- election, or your favorite gay magazine has folded. Check out "XY" magazine at your local bookstore, Tower Records or Virgin Megastore. It's published bimonthly. To learn more about "XY" magazine and/or to buy a back issue of the Fifth Anniversary issue which has the article "Scary Love", check out www.xy.com.