As SVP/Publisher of PlanetOut Inc.'s LPI Media, Joe Landry oversees the sales and marketing efforts of the national magazines and websites of LPI Media. LPI describes itself as "the world's leading publisher targeting the gay and lesbian market" since it distributes more than eight million copies of its magazines each year. Initially called Liberation Publications Inc., LPI owns The Advocate, Out, The Out Traveler and HIVPlus. Landry, who joined The Advocate in 1994, established the magazine's New York office and he now works out of both New York and Los Angeles. LPI, founded in 1967, acquired Out in early 2000. The Out Traveler spin-off launched in 2003.

Q. The TV Guide website's "Watercooler" section reports that Superman Returns director Bryan Singer took issue with The Advocate's recent "How Gay Is Superman?" cover story. Did he read too much into your story?
A. When the L.A. Times ran a blown-out story based on The Advocate's Superman cover, I knew Tinseltown would be nervous. Superman's success requires mass appeal and even the hint that Superman may be gay has the possibility to turn off the young male audience. Our culture has placed such a stigma on homosexuality that even the openly gay director would jump into the fray to assure the media that Superman is "probably the most heterosexual character in any movie I've ever made." But The Advocate cover story was not alleging that Superman is gay, but that queer people identify with a hero who must maintain his secret identity for fear of public retribution.

Q. Maxim recently announced a casino project. Do you see any similar ideas for your own publications in the leisure time realm, perhaps in the travel field where you already have the Out Traveler magazine and website?
A. Our parent company, PlanetOut, owns RSVP cruises, which is the longest-running travel company dedicated exclusively to the LGBT [lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender] market. In fact, we just announced the charter of the Queen Mary 2 in the summer of 2007. I'm sure there will be opportunities to co-brand travel product with RSVP and The Out Traveler.

Q. What ad categories have been the quickest to pursue the gay market? Fashion? Music? Have any categories dramatically stepped up their spending toward gays just in the past year or two?
A. Spirits advertisers were among the first to utilize this market. Since there are self-identified gay bars, advertisers could track their marketing success directly back to sales at these bars. Leading-edge fashion brands also signed on in the early '90s. Calvin Klein, Benetton and Banana Republic were some of the first fashion brands to target Out's trend-setting readership. Automotive broke for us in a very big way several years ago. We've seen most of the world's luxury auto brands in our publications over the past few years. Packaged goods and consumer electronics have yet to break wide, but we're making significant strides in those categories. In fact, we just landed a campaign for Frito Lay's new Lay Sensations line.

Q. Bird flu has become the media's disease of the moment, but AIDS has again been in the media spotlight with anniversary stories-such as Newsweek's recent "AIDS at 25" cover story, which reported that 20 million have died of AIDS in Africa alone in that span and that 40 million people worldwide now have HIV. What should your magazines and the media in general be doing in their AIDS coverage that's not already being done?
A. We also publish a magazine titled HIVPlus, which focuses on research, treatment, life and culture for all those affected by and/or infected with AIDS. This publication is distributed free of charge at AIDS Service Organizations nationwide. In addition, we have regular HIV coverage for the gay audience in The Advocate and Out. Our audience is a very informed group. The "AIDS at 25" cover story in Newsweek was impressive. I'm pleased that they took AIDS on at a time when it's no longer the "disease of the moment." The statistics are staggering and the world needs to know.