Details Now 1% Less Gay

Mag Drops Back-Page Feature

Posted by Nat Ives on 11.13.07 @ 02:18 PM

Details magazine has wrapped up its four-year-old satirical and occasionally controversial back-page feature that asked of a given type each month: "Gay or... ?"

Among entries including "Gay or Cyclist," "Gay or Celebrity Baby Daddy," "Gay or the Bachelor," it was "Gay or Asian?" that really blew up back in 2004. "White T-shirt: V-neck nicely showcases sashimi-smooth chest," one entry on the page said. "What other men visit salons to get, the Asian gene pool provides for free." In another spot: "One orders take-out sushi, the other delivers it."

Daniel Peres, editor in chief, apologized in a statement saying, in part, "It has been made abundantly clear to me that this story, which was part of an ongoing series challenging male cultural stereotypes, was insensitive, hurtful and in poor taste -- an obvious point that I regret not recognizing prior to publication."

But it wasn't the occasional outcry that brought "Gay or..." to an end, Mr. Peres said this week. "Pissing people off is never really a problem for me," he said. "It had simply run its course. It was getting difficult coming up with good ideas."

The final installment, "Gay or Straight," remarked pretty clearly on the commonalities among all guys. "So get a grip on your manhood," it said, "because behind two great sexual orientations stands a great one-track mind."

The page still pissed some people off. Its reference to glory holes drew a rebuke on AfterElton.com, which issued a "news flash" to Details: "I've never cruised a glory hole and most gay men I know haven't either."