«SEX IS MORE EXCITING ON THE SCREEN AND BETWEEN THE PAGES THAN BETWEEN THE SHEETS»

Do you think you have to advertise the magazine differently for straight women and gay men?

DN: I was handed a great gift with Playgirl, because it appeals to both straight women and gay men. So straight men feel more comfortable with it—it’s not like I’m driving up in a van for Honcho or Inches magazine. If I did that, I’d get things thrown at me. I consider Playgirl to be the classic American brand. It comes out of a feminist background from the 1970’s, and so there’s a lot of goodwill toward it. So I’m just really trying to find the most interesting, attractive guys for the magazine and promote it that way. When I came onto the magazine, Playgirl wasn’t really acknowledging its male readership. I succeeded in getting rid of the “Entertainment For Women” byline—it was doing a disservice to the gay readers. Now, we’re the most open to both. Playgirl was the first magazine to be doing this male erotica in the mainstream, and now, we’re embracing our gay guys, straight women, and smattering of straight guys that buy the magazine—believe me, there are a few of those. And we’re very proud of the fact we really put a dent in Sarah Palin’s reputation. We’re very, very proud of that.

-Washington City Paper