FROM THE EDITOR
And this was one of them!
One of the highlights of the DNA year is the final photo shoot with the guys who take part in the Make Me Hot Challenge. It’s always a feelgood moment when they see the results of all their hard work. Most of the guys don’t feel they are “camera ready” at the start of the challenge but by the end they’re happy to be shot and share the images with the other readers of DNA. I’m so proud of the guys this year. They all worked really hard and I think you’ll agree that their results are outstanding. They are officially hot! Story starts page 84.
We also had the opportunity to speak with one of the leading gay creatives in television, Mark Gatiss. You may not know his name but you’ll recognise him from his work on Sherlock, Dr Who and possibly The League Of Gentlemen – one of the darkest comedy series ever made, and a personal favourite. Mark spoke at length to John Richards about coming out as a gay scifi geek, and the not-so-subtle gay undercurrents of his famous TV shows. Go to page 40.
For some of us it was also Mardi Gras time in Sydney and that means DNA’s Belvedere Vodka party, watching the famous Parade go by. There was plenty of action inside the party and some of it is actually publishable – see page 76. Our coverage of the Mardi Gras Parade, Party and Harbour Party begins on page 98.
Hot boys in skimpy costumes? Yes, that’s Mardi Gras and if you’d like to see even more, including extra photos and videos, look for DNA’s Mardi Gras Souvenir Edition on our app. If you haven’t already downloaded our app for free, find it in the iTunes App Store. It’s also available for Android and from Kindle.
DNA has documented the on-going persecution of gays and lesbians in Uganda from a distance but one person who’s been on the ground, experiencing it firsthand is photographer Bénédicte Desrus. For two years, this awardwinning photojournalist captured images of those responsible for bringing about the odious antigay legislation that Uganda’s president signed into law at the beginning of the year. We bring you a selection of those images, some quite chilling, this issue, page 46.
On a lighter note, we also feature musician, broadcaster, savant and the benefactor of “guncles” (gay uncles), Brendan Maclean. Jesse Archer meets the artist for a revealing chat about all things queerly creative starting on page 64. And check out Mr Singapore, Jason Chee on page 70. For laugh-outloud fun, my favourite story this month is our Cher Vs Twitter feature. It’s short, but hilarious. Go to page 28 for a chuckle. I hope you enjoy this issue of DNA as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. Until next month…