“IT'S CALLED GOSSIP AND OF COURSE IT'S AN OBSESSION OF MINE” -ANDY WARHOL

Did a gay man ruin porn for straight women? In 1995 Dirk Shafer made a documentary film, Man of the Year, about being chosen Playgirl magazine's sexual icon to straight women even though he was — gasp! — a gay man. Not only were many Playgirl models gay, he revealed, but a surprising chunk of the magazine's fan base was too.Once that closet door was open Playgirl became a little more obvious about catering to its gay fans but perhaps too obvious, suggests former editor Colleen Kane. In a piece for Radar magazine she explains that "the unfortunate '90s trends of Day-Glo spandex, long hair, manscaping and inverted triangle-shaped muscle-bound bodies" pulled Playgirl away from its '70s feminist roots, not to mention the growing lack of shyness about depicting the erect penis in all its glory. "Women often need a little more context to fantasize — a story, a person, a mood. Without the right factors in place, seeing a picture of a giant dong can feel like getting flashed," says Kane.

-Xtra magazine
August 19 2008