In 1998, Mike Fleming was a 33-year-old columnist and publisher for the
company that now owns David. He hopes to remember 2008 with just as
much fondness when he picks up the magazine at age 53.
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MIKE FLEMING
| 10.1.2008
WHEN I TELL PEOPLE I’m the editor of David, people who don't read it regularly — shame on you! —automatically assume that the magazine is what it always was: drag queens, naked guys, hookup and escort ads, and maybe some overwrought advice and sex tips.
Yep, we’ve still got most of that with regularity — and now so much more arts, entertainment and nightlife. But many people still don't understand why it's important to keep an element of the dudes, divas, DJs and drag.
When the first issue of David hit Atlanta streets 10 years ago, it was 48 pages, 16 of them devoted to photo spreads and articles. Its glossy pages were a major step up for the city, and ads for the Armory and Backstreet let us know what the week held. Old-school images of bare butts and headless torsos reflected that there were very few places that gay sexuality could be affirmed.
The magazine is named after Michaelangelo's tribute to male perfection — not some former owner's boyfriend, as the rumor still often persists. Obviously, body image factored into, and in some cases weighed heavily on, gay men's lives as it does today.
In 1998, Atlanta was the circuit jewel of the South. David Seen@s were all shirtless white guys. Most of the gay guys who were out of the closet lived within a 5-mile radius of the corner of 10th Street and Piedmont. Just a few people were starting to use the internet. Bill Clinton was in the White house, publicly said the word "gay," and liked it. Hell, within months of this magazine's start in Atlanta, he personally endorsed fellatio from the Oval Office.
Baseball caps. Tank tops. Goatees. Good times.
Gay marriage wasn't even on the radar; we were still looking forward and fighting for what was just beginning to come true: basic recognition.
A decade later, we still love our street corner that's home to Blake's and Outwrite, but an increasing number of us drive into town to get there. Our worldview has expanded with increased acceptance, and David now hits the intown and suburban streets each week with an average 88 pages that allow us to reflect a broader range of interests and perspectives.
And in addition to the bars and clubs, an array of other businesses, gay and straight, reach you through David.
For this anniversary edition of the magazine, we asked former publisher Andy Jones to let us in on his mindset in 1998, and he says he wanted a gay magazine that was more than just soft-core porn, that showed our diversity. I believe we continue to expand on that vision and even better realize it. You can read Andy’s take on David's early days by clicking the headline to the left, "Looking Back."
THEY SAY A PICTURE IS WORTH a thousand words. If you need proof of that, take a look at my 10-year comparison photos above (and a good hard look and at Topher’s picture from 1998 under "Those Were the Gays" at left).
My, how we have changed.
Flowing across the pages throughout the magazine (and online by clicking at left, "10 Years of David Atlanta Covers!"), you’ll see a decade of our favorite covers. Then under "10 Years of SEEN@!", we flash back with a few snapshot memories from each and every year in our history. There is no more popular feature through the years than the "Seen@s", and no better visual representation of who we are and where we've been.
At first glance, it may seem like a bunch of party pics, but when you look at those photos of men dancing, embracing, and being themselves, remember we are not that far removed from an era when bringing a camera into a gay bar would send men running for the door.
The sex tips offered in “Need Wood” open a dialogue about informed sexual choices.
In 2008, President Bush supports medical-only models for HIV treatment while ignoring peer support programs (causing the recent demise of AIDS Survival Project). Unlike Clinton who said "gay" and liked it in the '90s, Bush says "abstinence only" and likes it. The support provided in our sex advice column isn’t just helpful, it’s absolutely necessary.
Every ad with a hot guy represents a gay-owned or gay-friendly business that’s managing to make it in a struggling economy. Rather than taking a conventional, safe route to stay afloat, they continue to support us, and unabashedly celebrate our sexuality in the process.
Topher and Ryan’s columns make you laugh (and sometimes cry), but they also ask real questions about everyday negotiation of family, dating, identity and finding our place in the larger world. And they do it very well. In their time writing for this magazine, Ryan has become a national award-winning journalist, and Topher’s gone from serving coffee at Outwrite to holding his first book signing there.
And when you read Bitch Session, it offers evidence that our community is certainly not one to suffer in silence.
WHAT'S FOUND IN THESE PAGES on any given week is not all that defines us, but it’s very much a part of gay Atlanta. It’s a fun part, devoted to a celebration of who we are. And that is as necessary today as it was 10 years ago.
David was at its inception, and remains, your best buddy: The one who knows where all the best events are, and which musicians, TV shows, movies and books should grab your attention.
In covering the Atlanta scene for a decade, we’ve also covered the remarkable growth and expansion of our community, and tried to spotlight people on the local and national level of whom we could all be proud.
Like former publisher Andy says in his retrospective on 1998, staff is key to putting out the magazine. Culling through some 520 issues, the 10th Anniversary edition couldn't have happened without input from Deputy Editor Ryan, the invaluable collaboration of Art Director Bo Shell and a rallied effort by Intern Janice Rice. A special thank you to them, our advertising staff, writers, photographers and layout artists over the last 10 years.
When I look back and realize how far gay Atlanta and David have come in the last decade, it makes me proud of the past but also excited about what the next 10 years will bring. And we’ll be right here covering it every week, shirtless boys and all, and very proud of it.
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