New York magazine struggles to find cover subjects for gay issue

The New York Post’s Page Six column reports that dozens of influential gays and lesbians turned down an invitation from New York magazine to appear on the cover of its upcoming gay-themed issue. The original idea was to have the cover featuring gays in positions of power and accomplishment in a variety of fields, including finance, arts, sports, and fashion. Getting those power players to pose for the cover, however, has been a challenge—among those who turned down New York are Sandra Bernhard, Jann Wenner, and Lily Tomlin, not to mention, per the column, “longtime gay rights champion Rosie O’Donnell and Sean Hayes, who plays a gay character on Will & Grace.” Those who said yes include Nathan Lane, Edward Albee, Interview editor Ingrid Sischy, and designers Marc Jacobs and Michael Kors, but since the group of participants wasn’t diverse enough, the magazine now plans a “surprise” alternative concept.