Letter: Tide of hedonism swamps gays too

Sir: Your leading article (15 August) lamenting the narcissistic obsessions of the men's magazine market is spot-on. This trend is also reflected in the gay male press, where, since the demise of Capital Gay, political debate is practically a no-go area.

What we now have on offer is Attitude, which, with its penchant for designer gear lifestyles and washboard chests, is little more than a paean to some mythical Apollonian ideal. Even the former champion of gay political causes, Gay Times, seems to have moved downmarket, in a bid to capture the "post- politics" metropolitan, hedonistic consumer. And the freebies, such as Boyz, are little better than comics aimed at "post-political" boy-babes and their older, richer admirers.

The common denominator between FHM and the above magazines is that they are aimed at single and well-heeled young men, both gay and straight. Meanwhile, debates over the age of consent, workplace discrimination, the relationship between poverty and gay prostitution, and the prevalence of queerbashing, continue to be swept under the gay press carpet.

Dr ALAN BULLION

Tunbridge Wells, Kent