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In the Magazine: Static
Summer 2005

The World's Gayest Logos

When MTV Networks’ new gay channel LOGO debuts this month, it will join a kicky set of companies whose trademarks — intentionally or not — are a little light in their serifs.

GAY LOGOS - LOGO GAY LOGOS - NYC2012

LOGO   With a '70s bubble type suggestive of tumescent penises, this logo is clearly aroused. Yet it hides inside a pastel "halo." A buffer against hostile Republicans?

NYC2012   Technically this logo for New York's Olympics bid -- half brawny athlete, half Statue of Liberty -- is not a homosexual but a she-male. That said, note how it raises its transgendered arms so victoriously, to spell out YMCA.

GAY LOGOS - FTD GAY LOGOS - BT

FTD   This guy's not butch. Having squandered his clothing budget on matching accessories, he races down the street naked (note shaved chest), late for a date with his boyfriend and his boyfriend's whippet.

BT   Recently replaced by a more manly blob, British Telecom's irrepressible logo enjoys reading Michael Chabon novels, staring into a koi pond, and planning his discrimination lawsuit. Blow, Gabriel, blow!

GAY LOGOS - FOOT LOCKER GAY LOGOS - WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

FOOT LOCKER   This referee, hands on hips, looks as though he's about to throw a major hissy fit, or perhaps -- in his other capacity as a short, stout little teapot -- about to be tipped over and "poured" out.

WORLD WILDLIFE FUND   Known facts: Pandas are supercute vegetarians with only a passing interest in breeding. They signal aggression by staring and moaning. Lesser-known fact: They live for Marc Jacobs sample sales.

GAY LOGOS - NBC GAY LOGOS - FAG

NBC   The original 1956 peacock loved to show off its 11 realistic feathers and dainty claws. But after an overly confessional 1981 slogan ("NBC: Our pride is showing"), the never-married bird was brutally abstracted into its current closeted form.

FAG   FAG is a nice Czech company that makes ping-pong tables. This naive, seemingly drawn-by-a-14-year-old-boy logo is frequently confused when the Merrill Lynch bull attempts to mount it.

GAY LOGOS - YUM! GAY LOGOS - MERRILL LYNCH

YUM!   This is actually the logo of the $8 billion Fortune 500 company that owns KFC and Taco Bell. It only appears to be the logo of a cheesy greeting card business that specializes in nude Santas.

MERRILL LYNCH   Swishy tail. Coyly raised foreleg. When it's not symbolizing a global financial powerhouse, we suspect this muscle queen is busy haunting steam rooms and guzzling Amstel Light. Also: "Merrill"? How gay is that?

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