''fab'' was a Canadian

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 1 ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

that published biweekly issues in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario from 1994 to 2013. It published alternate weeks to the city's other biweekly gay publication, ''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former ...

'' The publication's official spelling uses a lower-case F: ''fab''.

History

''fab'' was established in June 1994 by No Fear Publishing,"RIP Fab Magazine (1994-2013)"
''

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 * Now ...

'', March 12, 2013. originally as a publication focusing primarily on the city's gay party and club scene. In 1996, ''fab'' also launched a national edition, known as ''FAB National'' to distinguish itself from the local Toronto publication. The national magazine struggled to build an audience, and was sold in 1998; its new owners ceased publication of the magazine within a few months. In 2006, under editor-in-chief, Steven Bereznai, ''FabStyle'' — a special issue devoted to fashion and design — was launched as a quarterly publication. However, only two issues were ever produced. In February 2008,

Pink Triangle Press Pink Triangle Press is a Canadian organization which specializes in LGBT media including publishing, online interactive media, and television. PTP's main asset is the LGBT news website ''Daily Xtra'', a continuation of the company's former print t ...

publishers of ''

'', ''

Xtra! West ''Xtra Vancouver'' (), formerly ''Xtra! West'', was a gay bi-weekly newspaper, published by Pink Triangle Press in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Printed on newsprint in tabloid format from its establishment in 1993, Pink Triangle Press ...

'' and ''

Capital Xtra! ''Xtra Ottawa'' (formerly ''Capital Xtra'') was a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community newspaper published in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was launched in 1993. Unlike its biweekly sister publications ''Xtra'' in Toronto and '' Xtra Van ...

''purchased the assets of ''fab''. The magazine began publishing under the PTP banner in March 2008. Due to downsizing efforts, Pink Triangle Press announced the magazine's discontinuation on March 12, 2013; the magazine's April 24, 2013, issue was its last."Fab magazine to close, gays across GTA dress in black"
''fab'', March 12, 2013. Its past web content and many of its contributors were expected to be integrated into DailyXtra.com, an expansion of ''Xtra!s online presence which debuted later in the year.

Content

Described as a "gay scene magazine", ''fab'' covered popular Toronto gay culture, including music and clubbing. Feature articles are usually news-related and deal with literature, AIDS, real estate, music, and other current-affairs topics. Photo spreads were common, and ''fab'' covers typically feature sexy and provocative male models. Covers also occasionally featured a public figure, when a major feature interview with that person appeared in the magazine — David Miller appeared on the cover in a leather jacket,

Jack Layton John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...

and

Olivia Chow Olivia Chow (; born March 24, 1957) is a Canadian retired politician who was a federal New Democratic Party (NDP) member of Parliament (MP) representing Trinity—Spadina from 2006 to 2014. Chow ran in the 2014 Toronto mayoral election, placin ...

appeared together flanked by a

Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; french: Gendarmerie royale du Canada; french: GRC, label=none), commonly known in English as the Mounties (and colloquially in French as ) is the federal police, federal and national police service of ...

officer in dress leathers, and

Julian Fantino Julian Fantino, , ( it, Giuliano Fantino; born August 13, 1942) is a Canadian retired police official and former politician. He was the Conservative Party of Canada Member of the Parliament of Canada for the riding of Vaughan following a Nov ...

posed in his police uniform with a row of otherwise anonymous models dressed as

The Village People ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

.Issue 252
Exclusive celebrity covers have also included musicians

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta ( ; born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She is known for her image reinventions and musical versatility. Gaga began performing as a teenag ...

Blake McGrath Blake James McGrath (born November 21, 1983) is a Canadian professional dancer, pop singer, actor, model, and choreographer. He was known for being on the first season of ''So You Think You Can Dance'' in 2005, and on the MTV reality dance sh ...

Joel Gibb Joel Gibb (born 28 January 1977) is a Berlin-based Canadian artist and singer-songwriter who leads the "gay church folk" group The Hidden Cameras. He was born in Kincardine, Ontario. Career His first involvement with the music scene was as ed ...

Neko Case Neko Richelle Case (; born September 8, 1970) is an American singer-songwriter and member of the Canadian indie rock group the New Pornographers. Case has a powerful, untrained contralto voice, which has been described by contemporaries and cri ...

and

Hawksley Workman Hawksley Workman (Born Ryan Corrigan, March 4, 1975) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full-length albums throughout his career. A mul ...

, actors Kate Moennig, Scott Thompson,

Cheyenne Jackson Cheyenne David Jackson (born July 12, 1975) is an American actor and singer. His credits include leading roles in Broadway musicals and other stage roles, as well as film and television roles, concert singing, and music recordings. After beginni ...

and

Adamo Ruggiero Adamo Angelo Ruggiero (born June 9, 1986) is a Canadian actor best known for his role as Marco Del Rossi in '' Degrassi: The Next Generation''. Career Ruggiero has been acting since the age of seven or eight. He has starred in many plays includ ...

, and local activists George Hislop and Brent Hawkes.

Editors

The magazine had several editors prior to 1998, then John Kennedy took over. Over the next four years, he increased readership and advertising revenues. After 100 issues, Kennedy was replaced by Mitchel Raphael in 2002; Raphael left the magazine in January 2006 and was replaced by Steven Bereznai. In April 2007, Bereznai stepped down and was replaced by Paul Gallant. With the purchase of ''fab'' by Pink Triangle Press in February 2008, Gallant was replaced by Matt Thomas and Drew Rowsome. The magazine's final editor, Phil Villeneuve, started in 2012.

Contributors

At different times during its run, ''fab'''s regular columnists included Rolyn Chambers, Drasko Bogdanovic, Daniel Paquette,

Paul Bellini Paul Bellini (born September 12, 1959) is a Canadian comedy writer and television actor best known for his work on the comedy series '' The Kids in the Hall'' and '' This Hour Has 22 Minutes''. He has worked on several projects with Josh Levy and ...

, Max MacDonald, Heroine Marks,

Todd Klinck Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

Nina Arsenault Nina Arsenault (born January 20, 1974) is a Canadian performance artist, freelance writer, and former sex worker who works in theatre, dance, video, photography and visual art. Early life Arsenault grew up in a trailer park in Beamsville, Ont ...

Richard Burnett Richard Burnett, also known as Bugs Burnett, is a Canadian writer, editor, journalist, and columnist. He is known as an often controversial fixture of the Montreal media, with his writing sometimes attracting attention internationally. His colu ...

and

Brad Fraser Brad Fraser (born June 28, 1959 in Edmonton, Alberta) is a Canadian playwright, screenwriter and cultural commentator.Gaetan Charlebois and Anne Nothof"Fraser, Brad" ''Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia'', June 2, 2019. He is one of the most widely pr ...

Distribution

The magazine was distributed as a free publication in Toronto,

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, and was available in some other Canadian cities for a cover price of $4.50 per issue.

References

External links

''fab''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fab (Magazine) 1990s LGBT literature 2000s LGBT literature 1994 establishments in Ontario 2013 establishments in Ontario Biweekly magazines published in Canada LGBT-related magazines published in Canada Defunct magazines published in Canada Gay men's magazines LGBT culture in Toronto Magazines established in 1994 Magazines disestablished in 2013 Magazines published in Toronto LGBT literature in Canada