Do people need People when Salon finds gay men sexy?

It was disappointing yesterday to find that People's "Sexiest Man Alive" list doesn't include any gay men but here's a little bit of consolation: Salon isn't shy to include gay men in their list of sexy male celebs. (You'll have to be a Salon subscriber or view an ad to read the article.)

Salon debuted their "Sexiest Man Living" feature last year saying that People's choices for Sexiest Man Alive has "been about as imaginative as a Whitman's Sampler". Their first pick for Sexiest Man Living was Stephen Colbert, which is a big step towards winning my approval. Last year's list included Neil Patrick Harris who's then-recent coming out was specified as one of many traits making NPH so sexy.

This year, the Salon crew have picked Mad Men's Jon Hamm as 2007's hottest man, with out basketballer John Amaechi being the second man named. Amaechi is praised for being, "not only erudite, handsome and smart, but more than happy to cut himself down to size" and a perfect antidote "for those of us with distaste for the machismo and egocentrism that often accompany professional sports."

There are a few other aspects I enjoyed about Salon's feature. Since every entry about a sexy man credits the writer involved, the article is a space where men and women are describing what they find sexy about a man without any homophobic hangups. Salon's Sexiest Man Living feature also doesn't avoid discussing any gay roles from their picks' careers.

In discussing Jeffrey Wright's sexiness his award winning role in Angels in America is quickly brought up. Peter Sarsgaard's kiss with Liam Neeson in Kinsey is similarly discussed. Newsman Anderson Cooper's following amoung gay men and straight women is noted as proof of his sexiness.