Gay magazine dispenses with "plain brown wrapper"

Changing times are indicated with the decision by the publishers of the U.S. national gay magazine Advocate to stop routinely disguising the identity of the magazine as it goes through the mail, according to a story in the New York Times. The magazine, published by PlanetOut, has until now been sent with a second cover inside a polybag, so the letter carrier and others won't know the subject matter. Its July 3 issue arrived with a standard address label in the lower left corner, just like any other mailed magazine.

The overcover will remain an option for anyone who requests it, but an April poll by the magazine found that the majority of its readers no longer wanted it.

“The majority no longer wanted the covering,” said publisher Michael Phelps, who was promoted to publisher of the magazine just a few weeks ago. “For some, they said they were environmentally conscious and wanted to cut down on waste. For others, it was more of an out-and-proud issue.”