Straight talking… why sportsmen are happy to pose for gay magazines
Straight sportsmen can’t seem to stop getting their kit off for the pink press, says Benjamin Cohen.
When I bought my first copy of Gay Times magazine as a teenager 15 years ago, the best one could hope for with celebrity representation might have been an interview with the openly gay Boy George — or maybe a straight “gay icon” such as Sinitta. You wouldn’t have expected to open up and read an interview with a straight sports star, never mind find them posing starkers for the titillation of thousands of gay boys.
Clearly, time has moved on. This Wednesday’s GT features a bevy of celebrities in the buff, and includes, most significantly, three of the attractive new faces to have appeared during the 2012 Olympics: diver Chris Mears, judo martial artist Ashley McKenzie and Luke Campbell, the gold medal-winning boxer.
For Chris Mears, who is straight, his reason for stripping off for a gay mag was simple: to take on team-mate Tom Daley. “I’m trying to steal his gay fan base by doing this shoot for GT!” he jokes. “I have no issues being around gay people. I know people through Tom who are gay and I’m good friends with them.”
Read more : standard.co.uk
Photo by : Facsimile Gay Times Magazine UK