XY did a tremendous service for young gay kids, showing them that what they were feeling was beautiful rather than shameful, showing them that they were not alone, and showing them, by virtue of the photos in a magazine in a mainstream bookstore, that there was some level of public acceptance. And if their parents approve, there is nothing wrong with expressing that in a magazine (short of porn, of course). But teens are sexual and romantic, and there is nothing wrong with them expressing that. And no, I’m certainly not talking about adults preying on kids. We’ve developed a puritanism about age that I don’t think is healthy, especially since any age demarcations are essentially arbitrary. Nothing wrong from the model’s end, and nothing wrong from the magazine’s end. If a teen is comfortable showing skin and intimacy, and a parent signs the release (implying a solid family situation), there is nothing wrong with appearing in XY. XY was anything but skeevy since the photos, while erotic, were also not overly explicit. I was 19 when I fully recognized my true nature, but many or most gay people discover their identities in the mid teens or earlier. At that time an openly gay themed photo-centric magazine was not a common thing to see. I discovered XY Magazine in the bookstores in the 90s. Donston, I strongly disagree with your first paragraph, but I agree with the remainder of your post.
