Instinct Magazine Honors Bay Area Student as One of Twenty-five "Leading Men of the Year"

Berkeley, CA – Each November, national gay newsmagazine Instinct profiles twenty-five influential men making a difference within the gay community -- whether it be through charity work, in the government, their local community, film, TV, music or the online community. This year, Justin R. Cannon, a student at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, CA, was honored as one of Instinct’s 2007 “Leading Men of the Year” for his activism in the gay community.

Instinct is a monthly American magazine geared towards gay men, and reaches a subscription audience of approximately 100,000 readers in the United States alone, and roughly 300,000 worldwide. Past leading men who have been featured include GLAAD's Neil Giuliano, HRC president Joe Solmonese, Tim Gunn (of "Project Runway"), Michael Stipe (R.E.M.), Trent Vanegas (Pink Is The New Blog), Rufus Wainwright, Carson Kressley, Graham Norton, Alan Cumming and Darren Hayes, to just name a few.

Justin R. Cannon, 23 years old, is a second-year student at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley. He is openly gay, runs an online outreach to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans- Christians (http://www.InclusiveOrthodoxy.org), and feels a strong call to the ordained ministry. On his website, he has published his Bible study titled “The Bible, Christianity, & Homosexuality” described in the Los Angeles Times as "...an illuminating...analysis that argues the Bible doesn't condemn faithful gay relationships." (Michael McGough, July 18, 2005).

Additionally, he is the founder of a lgbt Christian dating site, http://www.RainbowChristians.com, and is working on editing the world’s first lgbt Christian poetry anthology, Sanctified (http://www.SanctifiedAnthology.com). He is currently pursuing priesthood in the Episcopal Church and is a member of All Souls Episcopal Church in Berkeley.

The November issue of Instinct magazine is available at participating stores.