ABOVE: Legend.

BELOW: Keep reading for the gay valedictorian who used his hair to make a point, Gervais joining the anti-trans brigade, Dorothy's dress and more ...

ABOVE: We can't stop winning!

Buy it here. Read about it here. (Image via Henry Holt)

BELOW: Keep reading for the shocking NYC subway shooting, a gay kiss for Disney and more...

ABOVE: I'll take both!

BELOW: Keep reading for Billy Eichner, John Fetterman and straight girls on poppers ...

ABOVE: Karine's debut.

BELOW: Keep reading for the first out soccer star in the U.K. since 1990, Take Me Out talkback, the death of Urvashi Vaid and more ...

ABOVE: Just the truth at the NYC #BansOffOurBodies march. Also, for good measure, note that in Missouri a pregnant woman can not legally divorce her husband. Or abort the child.

Bonus image — Dan Forrester was turning 27, but died at 31. (Image via Boy's Life)

BELOW: Keep reading for Clarence Thomas's hissy-fit, Madonna's NFT windfall for charity and more ...

ABOVE: Yeah.

BELOW: Keep reading for how Ed Koch sold out himself and the world, Dave Rubin sliming Karine Jean-Pierre, news about that NYFD fleece-wearing anti-choice bro and more ...

Leather zaddy (Images by Matthew Rettenmund)

Spent Thursday evening at the NYC premiere screening of Firebird, a Soviet-era gay romantic drama based on the true story of a young soldier's passionate affair with a fighter pilot in an oppressive culture, and an oppressive time in history.

I'd read some critics felt the film to be heavyhanded or a story we've seen before, but I disagree. Fair enough, it is a straightforward forbidden-love story, but as for originality, isn't the point that love is love? And does a reminder of that need to come with bells and whistles?

His head-to-toe look while awaiting going on

The performances of Prior as Sergey (who first presented his story in book form, and who died in 2017) and Oleg Zagorodnii (in real life a Ukrainian who was absent from the screening because he is defending his country) as Roman are a pleasing study in contrasts — Zagorodnii oozes movie-star charm, allowing the audience to fall for him as Sergey does, while Prior brings a naturally emo quality that makes him sympathetic, a stand-in for any gay man who's ever come of age.

The original vest was sold for charity in 2008, but he sported a similar one in 2019. (Images by Matthew Rettenmund)

I was honored to meet photographer Marcus Leatherdale in 2019 at his Out of the Shadows show at Throckmorton. I'm saddened to hear that he died yesterday, April 22, at 69.

Trey Speegle has an excellent obituary up at World of Wonder, in which he writes about Leatherdale's early years as Robert Mapplethorpe's boyfriend and his indispensable “Hidden Identities” series in Details.

Along with Madonna — who he shot at the suggestion of her BFF Martin Burgoyne, who was his intended subject — he shot everyone from Andy Warhol to Keith Haring, Dianne Brill, Divine and more.