YNOT – Newly launched magazine Syzygy offers a new perspective on homoerotic images and stories: The material is designed and presented to appeal to women who enjoy reading about or viewing male-male interaction.

The brainchild of publisher-photographer Susan Beaver and editor [email=brad@syzygymag.com]Brad Hanon[/email], Syzygy illustrates erotic fiction with original, evocative, softcore photographs of gorgeous young men, producing a visual and literary combination specifically crafted for women, by women.

Inspirations for the material include slash fiction, male-male romance novels and yaoi manga, with its uniquely female gaze.

“I spent years studying the porn women create for each other before I began to truly understand the difference and the similarities between it and ‘mainstream’ porn,” Hanon explained. “Call it erotica. Call it porn. As long as the story’s good, the characters are interesting and the sex is hot…. I’ve done my job.”

Drawing female writers from throughout the U.S. and male models exclusively from Portland, Ore., the magazine is based in the City of Roses, a bastion of Pacific Northwest pansexuality. Its name implies a unique form of unity: in astrology, “the alignment of any three celestial bodies”; also, “an archetypal pairing of contrasexual opposites.”

The first issue, currently available, is expected to appeal primarily to female readers, but likely also will be of interest to gay and bisexual men. A second issue is in production, with a biannual publication schedule anticipated. Syzygy is available in digital and print formats, and sample stories and photographs are available at the magazine’s website, SyzygyMag.com.

According to Beaver, the publication already has won fans on three continents.

“I want this magazine to be something that adult women can buy for their own enjoyment, without shame or even that weird feeling that they’re not the intended audience,” she said.