Now, a magazine for gay corporates

Media watchers say such a magazine is a sign of an easier fit between gay and mainstream culture, as also evidenced by the popularity of TV make-over show Queer Eye for the Straight Guy and landmark gains such as the US Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning state sodomy laws.

From a corporate standpoint, IBM — once famous for its blue-suit, white-shirt dress code — helps sponsor an online gay business networking group and regularly advertises in gay publications. ‘‘The timing is perfect for us,’’ said Lamb. ‘‘Advertisers have been looking for traditional ways of reaching the market.’’

Echelon plans to debut its print edition in the second week of January, distributing 50,000 copies to the top 10 US markets including New York, San Francisco, Chicago and Detroit. The cover price will be $3.99.

Lamb, who heads a group of private investors financing the magazine, said Echelon would help tackle the hurdle of coming out of the closet in the workplace.

‘‘Your sexual orientation does come up at the company picnic or with the picture of the person on your desk,’’ said Lamb. ‘‘By showing people there are more professionals like themselves who are ‘out’ at work, it will only inspire them to do the same.’’

Modelled after business magazines focusing on women, African-Americans and Asian-Americans, Echelon will profile gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender professionals. It will offer tips on finance, job hunting and business development for entrepreneurs, and discuss the business environment for gays in various US cities.

A similar venture in the 1990s titled Victory! shut down in a short period of time, but media watchers say the market of subscribers and advertisers for a business magazine like Echelon, without personal ads in its back pages, has matured since then.

From the advertising side, companies are paying heed to the estimated $450 billion spending power of the gay and lesbian community after years of fearing a backlash from their general markets.(Reuters)