''Bent'' is a free

magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...

that targets

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

men and is distributed to 400 gay bars, clubs and saunas around the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. Published monthly by All Points North UK in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, it largely focuses on

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

, celebrities, film, DVD and music as well as television, comedy and

scene Scene (from Greek ') may refer to: General * Scene (performing arts), a part of the story held in a single location * Scene (perception), a set of information that can flow from a physical environment into a perceptual system via sensory tran ...

news.

Description

''Bent''s editor is Gordon Hopps; his involvement with the magazine began in the late 1980s when its earliest incarnation, ''All Points North'', was launched. Since then, the magazine has undergone many changes. It was relaunched in the mid-1990s as ''North of Watford'' (NOW) but the logo was challenged by

IPC Media TI Media Ltd. (formerly International Publishing Company, IPC Magazines Ltd, IPC Media and Time Inc. UK) was a consumer magazine and digital publisher in the United Kingdom, with a portfolio selling over 350 million copies each year. Most of it ...

who also have a title called ''

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Na ...

''. After a number of years, and to prevent a costly court case, ''North Of Watford'' underwent another format change and became ''Bent''. Hopps has been involved in all areas of the magazine at different times being Editor in Chief at all the major changes. Regular columnists Adam Lowe and Simon Savidge provide the main body of features. Features editor Adam 'Beyonce' Lowe conducts celebrity interviews, writes the music reviews and the "Beauty & the Freaks" column. Simon Savidge is the London Editor whose interviewing technique has garnered a host of new fans to his work. He is also the author of

Simon Says Simon Says is a children's game for three or more players. One player takes the role of "Simon" and issues instructions (usually physical actions such as "jump in the air" or "stick out your tongue") to the other players, which should be foll ...

the problem page, with a witty edge.

Terry George Terence George (born 20 December 1952) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Much of his film work (e.g. '' The Boxer'', '' Some Mother's Son'', and '' In the Name of the Father'') involves "The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was nominated ...

, the magazine's

publisher Publishing is the activities of making information, literature, music, software, and other content, physical or digital, available to the public for sale or free of charge. Traditionally, the term publishing refers to the creation and distribu ...

, also writes a column in ''Bent''. At its peak the circulation reaches 60,000 copies (equal to that of ''

Gay Times ''Gay Times'' (stylized in all caps), also known as ''GAY TIMES Magazine'' and as ''GT'', is a UK-based LGBTQ+ magazine established in 1984. Originally a magazine for gay and bisexual men, the company began including content for the LGBTQ+ comm ...

'') and perhaps as high as 100,000 copies across the UK. This reflects a circulation of 1–1.7% of the entire UK population and up to 10–17% of the

LGBT LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, asexual, aromantic, agender, and other individuals. The gro ...

community. Estimated readership is said to be 150,000 in the magazine's online media pack. Big-name cover stars and non-traditional subject matter have seen Bent's popularity rise, particularly with its often striking covers that tend to feature minimal text and attention-grabbing images. The magazine acquired a slightly different and 'greener' look when it began to get its paper from a sustainable source. As a gay lifestyle magazine ''Bent'' also carries items on fitness, beauty, travel, health advice, gadgets and fashion but also includes features, interviews with up-and-coming porn stars and illustrated

erotic Eroticism () is a quality that causes sexual feelings, as well as a philosophical contemplation concerning the aesthetics of sexual desire, sensuality, and romantic love. That quality may be found in any form of artwork, including painting, sculp ...

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

. As a free sheet, advertising provides the revenue for the production and distribution of the magazine. It is also available on subscription for a charge and can be downloaded online for free.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bent (Magazine) 2004 establishments in the United Kingdom Free magazines Gay men's magazines published in the United Kingdom Magazines established in 2004 Mass media in Leeds Monthly magazines published in the United Kingdom