You may have seen The Guide, a monthly magazine about “gay travel, culture, and politics,” in any number of bars, shops, or businesses throughout North America. It is a very useful and well-researched publication that is distributed for free. Published by the for-profit Pink Triangle Press, which also produces the very good Xtra GLBT newspapers in Toronto, Vancouver, and Ottawa, The Guide also publishes its content online.
The magazine underwent a major redesign at the end of 2008: the thin paper with ink that used to stick easily to the fingers disappeared, replaced by better quality semi-gloss paper and better ink. The format is also more elegant than before. Inside you’ll find various features that address different aspects of gay culture, from book reviews to current affairs.
However, most of the more than 120 pages of the magazine are devoted to articles on gay travel, with an emphasis on bars, discos, sex clubs, bathhouses and saunas, in major cities around the world, with emphasis on the United States and Canada. . Guides to major cities are included in each issue (with maps highlighting businesses covered), followed by several articles with narrative descriptions of gay scenes in different locations; These change with each topic, and you can view previous articles by logging into the website.
A particularly commendable feature of The Guide is its direct and straightforward approach to covering and discussing sexually explicit travel and business with an obvious focus on sex, from strip clubs to saunas to sex clubs. The magazine has always done a good job writing about these establishments without sounding seedy or sensational and certainly without any judgment.
If you’re planning a trip, it’s worth checking the website for a recent article on the cities you visit (I always do). Even if you’re not necessarily planning to party a lot or party, it’s good to know what kind of gay scene you can expect in a city.
