Attitude (magazine)

attitude is an award winning British gay lifestyle magazine distributed worldwide. The first issue appeared in May 1994. As of April 2008, it is owned by Trojan Publishing.

The magazine's target audience is image-conscious gay men, typically in their 20s and 30s and with income aspirations considerably higher than the national average. In 2005, former editor Adam Mattera won Best Men's Magazine editor of the year at the BSME awards. It was the first time that a gay magazine editor won the prize. Mattera was shortlisted again for the prize in 2006. In April 2008, Attitude's Fashion Director was named in the Times as one of the UK's top 20 star-makers for his contribution to the music industry, alongside Simon Cowell. Attitude is currently edited by Matthew Todd, long term Associate Editor and former Deputy Editor.

None of the gay titles reveal ABC figures but according to the Press Gazette, attitude is the biggest selling in the sector.

History of ownership
attitude started life in 1994 as part of the Northern and Shell Group owned by Richard Desmond. In 2004 it was sold to Remnant Media. Since then the magazine has been briefly in the ownership of Giant Clipper and Attitude Publications Ltd before Trojan Publishing Ltd purchased the "intellectual property rights" for Attitude in 2008.

The magazine had difficulties with both publishing and distribution in 2007 and failed to appear on the newsstands in both January and July that year.

Content
Celebrities who have appeared on the cover include Mitch Hewer, Mark Feehily, Kevin McDaid, Kylie Minogue, Madonna, Marilyn Manson, Elton John, McFly, Robbie Williams, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, Philip Olivier, Lee Latchford-Evans (as part of their annual Naked Issue), Freddie Ljungberg, Heath Ledger, David Beckham, George Michael, Rufus Wainwright, Will Young, Christina Aguilera, Dermot O'Leary, John Barrowman, and the Scissor Sisters. Several of these covers have been world exclusives.

In addition to celebrity interviews the magazine also includes serious features on a range of subjects, which have included the plight of gay asylum seekers and the rise of the far right in Eastern Europe, the current US Presidential election campaign as well as 'real life' editorial such as male rape and body image issues. In May 2005, on the eve of the last UK general election, the magazine interviewed Tony Blair for the cover. In April 2008 Attitude took now Mayor of London Boris Johnson to task about his comments that "if gay marriage was ok - and I was uncertain of that issue - then I saw no reason why a union should not therefore be consecrated between three men, as well as two men; or indeed three men and a dog", a claim Johnson tried to justify as loose talk on Newsnight or Question Time, until reminded of a passage in his own book as a direct source.

attitude frequently acquires exclusive interviews within the gay market. These exclusives include Madonna's first worldwide press interview for her Confessions On A Dance Floor album, Elton John and David Furnish's only print interview in the world for their civil partnership in December 2005, Heath Ledger's only gay press interview, Take That's first print interview after re-forming, Kylie Minogue, who always gives Attitude her launch interviews and Robbie Williams's only cover story interview on the release of his Greatest Hits album. Will Young has only ever given gay press interviews to attitude, though his press interviews broadly speaking are too numerous to count. In 2006, The Scissor Sisters gave their first print interview in the world for their new album to the magazine with an exclusive five cover edition, each cover featuring a different member of the band.

The magazine is often themed, notably with a 'Celebrity Naked Issue' which featured amongst others Max Beesley, Philip Olivier and Will Mellor. In July 2005 the magazine launched fashion supplements as a spin off publication from the main magazine.

Contributors to the magazine have included Julie Burchill, David Furnish, Mark Simpson (the magazine's leading columnist in its early years), Tim Teeman, Simon Fanshawe, Will Self, Augusten Burroughs, Andrew M. Potts, Anthony Crank, Jackie Collins, Matt Lucas, Boy George, Russell T. Davies, Graham Norton, Preston from The Ordinary Boys, Bruce LaBruce and photographer Wolfgang Tillmans. Senior contributing editors include Johann Hari of The Independent, Paul Flynn and Patrick Strudwick

April 2008
Trojan Publishing Ltd, which also owns FRESH, Woman's Fitness and What Diesel?, announced ownership of the intellectual property rights for the Attitude brand in April 2008. However all of the magazine's debts dating prior to issue 165 remain the responsibility of the previous publisher- Attitude Publications Ltd.