“Person of the Year” Invokes 1938 Cover

It was in 1938 that Time magazine shocked the world by naming Adolph Hitler as its “Man of the Year,” explaining that their intent was not to single out the “best” person of the year, but rather to identify the one who’d had the biggest impact “for better or worse.” And their choice was the dictator who was about to launch the Second World War.

In that spirit, The Advocate has named Vladimir Putin as its “Person of the Year” for 2014, justifying the choice with reference to Time’s controversial pick and pointing out that Putin’s systematic persecution of gay Russians places him in some pretty nasty company. In any case, it’s the cover illustration that’s priceless, and no explanation is necessary. (But in case you can’t make out the mustache, it reads “PERSON OF THE YEAR.”)

Finally, one can’t help noticing that the issue is dated December 2014/January 2015. Since when did the great and venerable Advocate, which was for so many years a biweekly newsmagazine, go bimonthly? … Not that there’s anything wrong with that!*

* The Gay & Lesbian Review is a bimonthly magazine.