Mar 14th, 2007
Wrapped Up
My issues of Advocate and Out arrived in my mailbox today. As always, they arrived in that distinct looks-like-porn opaque plastic wrap.
I would prefer they were mailed to me just like my issues of Newsweek and Economist — wrap-free, with my name unapologetically printed on the cover.
But for subscribers living in one of the 34 states where your housing or employment could be taken away from you if a homophobic landlord or boss thinks you’re gay, that wrap is an absolute necessity. (And believe me, reading gay magazines does lead most people to draw conclusions about the subscriber’s sexual orientation.)
I heard Anne Stockwell speak on a panel in which she said The Advocate regularly gets complaints from anti-wrap subscribers who insist that each individual should be able to indicate their preference for wrapped or unwrapped delivery. Stockwell explained that it’s simply not cost effective to customize their print run. It has to be an all-or-nothing deal. And in the interest of making it possible for the most vulnerable subscribers to feel safe enough to actually subscribe at all, it’s wraps all around.
I remember that this was also a complaint the now-defunct Alternative Family Magazine had to deal with when I was a contributing columnist (1999-2000). Totally-out mommies and daddies resented that the magazines arrived in unmarked envelopes, annoyed by the implication that they would be ashamed of their families. The editor would point out that not all LGBT parents have the luxury of being out in their communities, and that for some subscribers in some parts of our country, an unwrapped delivery seen by the wrong eyes could spark a custody battle.
So: rather than getting grumpy each time I receive a queer publication covered by a wrapping that I don’t “need,” I accept it as a reminder of those who do need it, and look forward to a future when such discretion is necessary for no one.