NYC Pride this Sunday was, as usual, a memorable coming-together of disparate forces under the auspices of having fun, protesting, expressing our true selves and supporting each other.

I hate when LGBTQ+ people are down on Pride. I’m not exactly Mr. Rainbows & Sunshine myself, but I always find the day to be irrepressibly uplifting.

I arrived in the morning to catch the presser, which included speeches by all five grand marshals — Bowen Yang, Peppermint, Dominique Jackson of Pose, Bernie Wagenblast (voice of the NYC MTA) and the group Gays Against Guns — as well as Pride officials and Christen Clifford, a mom of two trans kids who objected to the inclusion of hospitals in the March. After all, some of NYC’s biggest medical institutions have been capitulating to Trump on trans issues.

On the plus side, I got to chat with Bowen (who is a sweetheart) and Bernie (whose ability to turn on her famous subway voice is astounding).

Though Dominique played imperious so well on TV, she is very gracious and warm in real life, and spent lots of time posing with starstruck fans.

I was so caught up with the grand marshals I missed Mayor Mamdani and Governor Hochul, but I did stick to Meg Stalter like glue. She was in full Mary Todd Lincoln drag ahead of her imminent Broadway debut in Oh, Mary! and being her usual offbeat self, droning, “I love gay. Gay all the way up and down.”

As usual, I marched along with the first chunk of participants before doubling back, doing this over and over until I gave up around 3.

Sadly, I just missed the Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody boys, dammit. But I did get Ariana DeBose, Wilson Cruz and some others, plus lots of nonfamous participants.

Enjoy the photos and videos. Happy Pride!

Cruise Control

Drag Face

Faces of Pride

Grand Marshals on Parade

See you next year! ⚡️

OUT.COM: Cruz (21) and David (51) Beckham have a Speedo-off.

DAILY BEAST: Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) yelled at a Fox News reporter about gay porn.

VARIETY: Vanilla Ice’s Freedom 250 Concert in D.C. was yanked due to inclement weather — but the weather was fine.

NEW YORK TIMES: California State Sen. Scott Wiener was harangued and chased out of the annual Trans March by protesters saying his stance on Gaza was pro-genocide.

THE GUARDIAN: Biden calls Trump “a loser.”

NEW YORK TIMES: There is, one could argue, a new gay-lit boom.

INSTAGRAM: Michael Cimino didn’t just experience twink death, it was twink murder!

LGBTQ NATION: “A Gay Man’s Quest to Live as Openly as His Younger Self.”

JOE.MY.GOD: The first post-Viktor Orban Pride in Budapest attracted about 200,000 people.

EXTRATV: Luke Evans, a Tony nominee as Frank N. Furter in Broadway’s The Rocky Horror Show, lit up the Empire State Building in rainbow colors to celebrate Pride! He’s using the moment and is spotlighting the Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative, which certifies Safe Spaces all over the world, and the Trevor Project, which operates a 24/7 LGBTQ+ teen suicide prevention hotline. Looking good!

HUFFINGTON POST: Some so-called centrist Dems seem intent on being just as alarmist about Democrat Socialism as a MAGAt … but the blue wave continues to build in spite of the old-school Dems wanting to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

PEOPLE: Gay male sheep who refused to mate with females get a reprieve.

KENNETH IN THE (212): Hot tennis meat.

THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Philly’s queen of gay bingo calls it a day.

THE GUARDIAN: A li’l slice of gay heaven.

TWITTER: Sen. Jon Ossoff calls Mike Collins what he is — a bigot and anti-Semite.

GR8ERDAYS: A review of Human League, Alison Moyet and Marc Almond at Radio City Music Hall — in 2026!

IFC CENTER: A brand-new 4K restoration of the late Lino Brocka’s sexy Macho Dancer (1988) is coming to theaters July 10!

Watch the sterling trailer above.

PETE BUTTIGIEG’S SUBSTACK: Pete Buttigieg was targeted by an anonymous tipster who sought to create the impression he had molested children and was potentially molesting his own kids. That an anonymous tip like that can be taken so seriously that kids are removed from their home for 24 hours to be observed is chilling:

“I am a reasonable man. I try to keep as calm and low-key as possible. But I cannot describe the mix of rage and sadness that I feel at the idea that someone brought our children into this. They are four years old. Four. They do not know or care what a Democrat or a Republican is. They don’t know how politics works. They don’t know about hate. They should be worrying about what kind of ice cream they’re getting this afternoon, not why they are being brought into a meeting with a grownup asking strange questions or why their Papa is suddenly unavailable to read them a bedtime story. For God’s sake, they are just kids.”

HRC’s Kelley Robinson says:

“I know how I would feel if someone tried to come between me and my kids. This is truly bottom-of-the-barrel stuff. It takes an awful, hateful person to question someone’s fitness as a parent just because of who they are, who they love, or in Sec. Buttigieg’s case, perhaps even who he speaks out against politically. We’re thinking of Pete, Chasten, and their whole family in this moment — and we aren’t resting until all LGBTQ+ families have the kind of safety and justice every one of us deserves.”

DATALOUNGE: After 31 bitch-ass years, DataLounge, the gay gossip board for anonymous trolls and their haters, is coming to a close.

HUFFINGTON POST: A new book suggests Trump had a co-president for the first four months of his second (and last) term: Elon Musk. Shudder.

WORLD OF WONDER: Meet the 11 ladies joining the new Drag Race México: Latina Royale.

GRAHAM NORTON SHOW: Madonna granted a wide-ranging interview to U.K. host Graham Norton Friday night, a talk that pulled in her co-producer/co-writer Stuart Price … and even Kylie Minogue! Swoon:

Fabulous job, Graham! My only criticism is that the subtitles make it look like it was edited in iMovie.

The Kylie part is tantalizing — she absolutely was not on this album before, but has Madonna pulled her in for a “Love Sensation” remix?!

KENNETH IN THE (212): A weekly roundup of LGBTQ+ reading material.

EW.COM: RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 1 star Jade Sotomayor was hospitalized in critical condition following a catastrophic car crash. Her friend Monica Beverly Hillz is vowing to help her pull through.

GR8ERDAYS: RIP Ann Blyth, 98. The unforgettable star of Mildred Pierce (1945).

HUFFINGTON POST: The Supreme Court continues to reveal itself to be in the tank for Trump, this time shitting on immigrants.

NEW YORK TIMES: Rent freeze for NYC, courtesy of Mayor Mamdani.

POLITICO: District that went +20 for Trump is in play for Dems.

YOUTUBE: Madonna releases FIFA version of the new song “Read My Lips,” featuring Feid:

MR. MAN: Nick Robinson is growing up nicely! Via Mr. Man:

“Nick Robinson was 23 years old when he portrayed a questioning high schooler in the seminal 2018 gay coming-of-age story Love, Simon. Now that he’s a 31-year-old man, Robinson is ready to go further on camera than ever before. And by further, we of course mean relieving himself in Netflix’s latest weepy romantic drama, Voicemails for Isabelle. Be careful. You’re in the splash zone now.

“Voicemails for Isabelle is about a young San Franciscan, Jill, who leaves voicemails on her deceased sister’s phone as a way to cope with her loss. They entail her love life, professional life, and how much she misses her sis. The catch? The number was reassigned to a sexy Texan played by Nick Robinson! He falls in love with Jill by listening to her voicemails, and flies to San Francisco to stage a meetup without her knowing. Blink twice if you’re in danger Jill!

“These types of movies deliver something for rabid female fans, and while Nick doesn’t show us the full monty, we do get a surprisingly good look at his side ass as his cock is obscured by glass while pissing! He proclaims, “We need to talk about boundaries,” when a chick walks in. No. We need to talk about rea, full-frontal nudity, Nick.

“In 2020, Robinson made a splash playing a high schooler seduced by his teacher in Hulu’s A Teacher. There’s some steamy sex here, but the series stops short of nudity.

“True Nick Robinson fans know that two years before Love, Simon, he showed his juicy ass during a strip search scene in Being Charlie. It feels like all of this is leading to something great. Hopefully sooner than later. Until then, this is what it looks like when Nick takes a piss!”

→ See all of Nick Robinson’s nude scenes here ←

STREET ROOTS: “If You’re Reading This You’re Probably Gay.”

6ABC: A piece on Arleen Olshan, a still-working octogenarian artist who was a major queer activist in the ‘70s. Her holdings are now an important archive.

ABC7: Dr. Nasser Mohamed of Qatar advocated for queer rights by donning a rainbow-trimmed robe at the World Cup in San Francisco.

THE CONVERSATION: A piece about why gay activists came out as gay on TV at a time when being gay was a crime.

MODUS VIVENDI: If you’re looking for a hot swimsuit, Modus Vivendi’s (checks notes) Gelato Line will help, but it may also send you a subliminal message to eat, eat.

SOHO PROJECT SPACE: Don’t miss A Culture of Queer at SoHo Project Space if you’re in NYC. The pitch:

“For centuries, art has played a role in provoking thought and change, both overtly and subliminally, with queer artists at the vanguard, inherently advancing culture and society at large. This exhibition is a celebration of queerart and the role it plays in enriching civilization. This can take shape in many forms, often not directly addressing sexuality or identity, but provoking thought in countless ways.”

Almost over!

GLAAD: Political influencer Keith Edwards will host a live YouTube special with GLAAD for NYC Pride Live from 12 p.m.-2 p.m. EST on Sunday that will include New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, Dominique Jackson, Kathy Griffin, Jonathan Griffin and more.

NEW YORK: Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s three candidates of choice all won yesterday, with Brad Lander unseating highly regarded New York Rep. Dan Goldman. I went to the University of Chicago with Brad — he’s a mensch.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS: A federal judge has blocked the Trump DOJ from seizing trans youth’s medical records from NYC hospitals — for now.

TICKETS: C’mon Everybody in Brooklyn has an aggressive slate of Pride events from which to choose.

BOY CULTURE: Don’t miss my piece on the late, great Alex Escarano. He was quite a guy.

OUT.COM: I didn’t even realize my new obsession, Jimin Moon, danced with Nicole Scherzinger in last year’s Broadway Bares. In his new Out interview, he reflects on his success in Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical.

NEW YORK TIMES: The modern GOP is a cesspool — support is building to prosecute women who get abortions.

BBC: How a tortured saint became a gay icon.

PEOPLE: A student suspended for coming out will receive a payday from her school.

TICKETS: Nadya Ginsburg is a comic genius, and she is bringing her Feral Fatale to NYC, the Berkshires and L.A., which means Madonna and Cher FOREVAH. (Truly, she nails her celebrity impressions to an alarming degree. I go see her every time she is around.)

NYC tix here. Tix for the Berkshires here. L.A. tix here.

RADIO ANDY: Rosie O’Donnell tells a funny story about Madonna and aging and how women in the public eye are treated.

LAINEY GOSSIP: Lainey asks, “How did we expect Madonna to age?” as the enduring Queen of Pop, looking phenomenal, takes Europe by storm.

Several times in my life, after I have moved past a place where I was consistently interacting with a cherished friend, I’ve had this disturbing experience where I decide to Google them — only to discover they died many years before.

Playing catch-up, both factually and emotionally, is a vertigo-like experience that stays with me each time.

Alex Escarano was a guy I never met, but with whom I nonetheless bonded as a fellow Madonna fanatic. I became aware of the Cuban-born, Miami-based artist when his Tamara de Lempicka-inspired tributes to Madonna appeared in her fanzine Icon. Either I wrote to him or he wrote to me when I announced I was working on Encyclopedia Madonnica, a book on Madonna I first published in 1995 (and have updated ever since).

Alex was handsome and polite, but our correspondence was not flirty so much as it was an introduction to working with adults in the entertainment industry. I was licensing his creations to use in my book, and he would have been among the first few gay grown-ups with whom I did that.

I sent him the book when it came out, and I know he was thrilled to see his paintings in it, although I wish he had lived to see them beautifully reproduced in color someday — they are spectacular.

I discovered a few years ago that a fan in the NYC area owns a painting he made of Madonna as a mermaid, and I’m hopeful his family and others preserved as much of his output as possible.

But while Alex has been a sweet memory for me from time to time, I’m certain that Louise Palanker has thought of him far more often than I, and far more deeply. The founding co-host of Media Path, an indispensable podcast devoted to pop cultural reflections, she was Alex’s best friend in L.A. when both worked for Channel 11 at Metromedia Square (later Fox Television Center). They were young, ambitious writers who began to envision writing sitcoms together.

In the meantime, Alex was successfully writing and producing, including inventing the concept of the TV marathon. As much as he adored Madonna, he loved Lucy, and as such was overjoyed to write and direct the first I Love Lucy “Happy Birthday Lucy Marathons” beginning in 1983:

Still in his 20s, he must have been fanning out when he was invited to work directly with Lucille Ball in her home, as Louise describes in our recent chat about Alex — please listen to our conversation:

Not out at work, his progress was thwarted when he found out he was HIV positive, leading him to do some soul-searching and to return home to Miami.

There are aspects of his life I haven’t been able to nail down, but I know he remained gregarious and kind and had many friends — among them Pedro Zamora, who he met in 1993 at an AIDS support group. Alex was Pedro’s mentor, and even though he was unable to be forthcoming with all of his own friends about his HIV status, he recognized in Pedro a messenger with the potential to help millions by putting a human face on the virus.

It was Alex who filled out the paperwork pitching Pedro as a housemate on The Real World, and it was Alex who shot Pedro’s audition reel for MTV. Their special bond was reflected in part on the series, and was dramatized in the 2008 film Pedro, written by Dustin Lance Black and Paris Barclay, in which Alex was played by actor Roy Sanchez.

Who can forget the valuable conversations inspired by that season of the show, on which dreadful Puck called Pedro “AIDS boy” and glibly wore a swastika, and Rachel Campos (now the dreadful right-wing wife of Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy) initially distanced herself from Pedro, only to wind up bringing him home to meet her family?

The country’s youth watched Pedro assert himself as a person with a right to exist on that show, watched him grow sicker unexpectedly and found out on the night the last episode aired that Pedro had died at just 22.

That was 1994. Alex died less that three years later at 40.

Before he died, Alex devoted himself to his art and to making a positive impact on the world, including dressing up as Don Diego del Mar, a character he created who spent time urging Miami children to take conservationism seriously, including the clean-up of Biscayne Bay.

Through that and his direct and inspirational work with AIDS, Alex made the most of his short time, and is still remembered fondly today — by myself, by Louise and undoubtedly by others who I hope will find this post and leave their thoughts in the comments.

This Pride, I just wanted to take this beat to remember a wonderful guy whose good works and whose good spirit live on in the memories of so many.

If you remember Alex, please chime in.⚡️

The title of this post is an homage to Joe Jervis’s classic post “Ricky Loved Madonna.” I encourage you to read that one.

One-night-only burlesque show Broadway Bares returned to the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC Sunday, marking the 34th year Jerry Mitchell’s creation has raised cash for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, this time with a spy-themed License to Strip installment.

I’ve been going (almost) every year since 2008, stuffing money into G-strings at show’s end via its ribald “Rotation” feature, so I like to think I’ve had a hand (both of them) in helping the event top its fundraising record year over year — in fact, it raised a staggering $2,534,428 in a single night this year, some of it via moist dollar bills.

(I’ve also interviewed Jerry twice — please check out my latest Q&A with him above. And if anyone in the show sees this, feel free to ask if I have more images of you — and feel free to use these images on your social media, tagging them @boyculturedotcom on IG or crediting them to Matthew Rettenmund!)

I get there so early to be sure I’m close enough to the stage I could use a raincoat for all the flying sweat, and this year was no exception; I was tenth in line and a front-row bitch.

The night’s only bummer was discovering the dramatically smaller stage this year. When I first began attending, the show had three runways. In recent years, it has had one. This year, the stage extended out about half as far as usual. I guess it allowed for more paying customers (it’s a well-worth-it $150 a pop).

The show opened with “Top Secret” (choreography: Kellen Stancil), focusing on the fictional Mission MI69. Hadestown hottie J. Harrison Ghee, ravishing in red, laid down a challenge for a trio of wannabe spies: work their (bare) asses off and compete for the title of Top Provocateur.

The spies included one of the hottest people in NYC, Heated Rivalry: The Unauthorized Musical Parody’s Jimin Moon, whose moon was full and mesmerizing; DeMarius Copes (to whom I wouldn’t say nope); and Kinky Boots kinkster Joey Taranto.

“Sher-Locked” (choreography: Miles Keeney) was a winner, and it was no mystery why, with stunning BB veteran Mikey Graceffa was a kilted Sherlock Holmes.

He always radiates star power. Watson was a missing person, but I guess it has been less than 48 hours so no one was looking for him, not with all the lithe bods flying around the stage.

My friend predicted a Pink Panther number, and his instinct proved correct: “The Pink Diamond” (choreography: Nick Kenkel) found two stacked security studs guarding a gem while a slinky female — Moulin Rouge!’s Keely Beirne— all but flashed pink, preserving just enough mystery to keep it classy.

“Dom-in-the-Matrix” (choreography: Reed Luplau) was a sleek Matrix pastiche headed up by a high-kicking Jessica White, though I was green-pilled by one male dancer whose abs looked capable of bending a spoon — even a nonexistent one.

Next, Frankie James Grande (who’s killing it in Titanique) sashayed out and — I know he can be polarizing — killed his appearance. Literally, because he looks impeccable! He did am impressive dance down the stage and delivered lines with flawless timing. His co-star Layton Williams did some serious backflips as a follow-up. Their one-two punch was a great calling card for Titanique, if you haven’t seen it.

I never expected Carmen Sandiego to be remembered! “Lady in Red” (choreography: John Alix), starring Alice Reis, had me seeing double, as there was more than one globe-trotting Carmen in the mix.

The show was showing off with a deep cut in making sure to include a tribute to Mata Hari! “Mata Hari’s Palace” (choreography: Mike Baerga). The story of the sexy super spy starred Nika Lindsay and Ricardo A. Zayas and included some of that famous Broadway Bares aerial stunts (by Alyssa Gray).

One of the most spirited numbers had to be “Go-Go Gadget” (choreography: Sarah Meahl), maybe because it’s a millennial fave so the younger folks in the audience were extra-geeked. (Sigh. Millennials are in their 40s and are “younger.”) It helped that Gadget was embody-ody-odied by sexy John Juan Mercado, and that Madonna’s “Hanky Panky” was playing.

At this point, we were treated to a jubilant victory lap as Ghee and MacKillop brought out Tony winners Shoshana Bean and Qween Jean for a queer pep talk that managed to trash AI at the same time.

Bean did some impressive belting (and looked good in a see-through trench) and Jean promised they would stick up for every member of the queer community, all while advancing the show’s plot by noting that a famous Broadway star was secretly a Trojan horse set to destroy Broadway.

With “Invisible Ink” (choreography: Ilia Jessica Castro), the great Josephine Baker — who, yes, was a spy — was lovingly resurrected, beautifully portrayed by Cajai Kennedy of Wicked. Eye-popping costumes by Lindsey Eifert and Amanda Roberge).

As a Madonna fanatic, I had eagle-eyed the yellow Dick Tracy coat worn by a dancer in the promo images for the show, but that wasn’t a guarantee that the Queen of Pop would be explicitly referenced. She was! “The Dick Tracy Show” (choreography: Julius Anthony Rubio) was absolutely dazzling, indistinguishable from watching an actual Broadway musical.

Khasan Brailsford played the detective with whom Warren Beatty remains obsessed and Chance Hoover was anything but a drag as a drag Breathless Mahoney. “Now I’m Following You: Part II” made an appearance, as did — Dick, that’s an interesting name — Khasan’s dick. Almost! The show’s only major wardrobe malfunction arrived when his tearaway costume tore away everything but a modesty pouch. That said, he never went full Monty and was able to elegantly shield the mishap with his huge, huge hand and to distract with a smile.

Another highlight, and possibly my fave number, arrived via “Oh, Behave!” (choreography: Billy Griffin). While an Austin Powers-themed number was easy to suss out before the show began, it was unpredictably delightful and inventive.

Matt Wiercinski of The Great Gatsby (and the great body) was a perfect Austin, looking pretend-nerdy even though I knew I was going to be saddled with a spank-bank image of Austin Powers with a killer ass even before his spy outfit was torn away. (I was right!)

What made the number rock was his interplay with the army of fembots, especially MiMi Scardulla (Wicked) — they were so hilarious playing off of each other. Effortlessly effervescent and impish.

The secret identity of the Broadway star programmed to destroy the theater district was revealed to be … a very ripped Taurean Everett of Death Becomes Her. Our intrepid wannabe spies were on-point in unmasking — and undressing — this threat.

“Ángeles de Plata” (choreography: Jenny Oehlwein and Shani Talmor) served as the show’s inevitable Charlie’s Angels number, with Milena J. Comeau (The Outsiders), Emma Sofia (Cats: The Jellicle Ball) and Jenny Mollet (Ragtime) as the ladies. Each were assigned very hazardous duties, and each strove to take us away from all that.

I loooved Ragtime and I loooved Jenny in this number! She was so perfect it was a crime.

Finally, the James Bond take came, signaling that we were close to the end. “License to Restrain” (choreography: Kellen Stancil) was an absolutely breathtaking way to end the main show, starring Preston Taylor as Bond in bondage and Aydin Eyikan — one of the most beautiful boys in NYC, painted in gold — as a randy Goldfinger.

It was actually hard to know where to look (I did figure it out), because along with all that, there was a caged aerial show (choreography: David Isaac Gray) happening. You haven’t lived until you’ve stood under a bunch of naked men spinning overhead.

What served as the show’s encore was the rapturous “Golden” (choreography: Tanner Lane), during which we learned that our three competing spies had all been declared Top Provocateurs, which — I’m sure all tops would agree — they earned.

The show after the show is always a blast, with Jerry Mitchell honoring all the top fundraisers (Mark MacKillop raised about 10% of all the money raised for the year!) with the help of Sydney James Harcourt (Cats: The Jellicle Ball) in a pube-tastic harness. Why Sydney was not a part of the main show is a head-scratcher, but his participation in “Rotation” reminded me of when Matthew Morrison did it the very first time I attended — a total gift!

Actually, here is as good a place as any to ask … where was Luke Evans? Wouldn’t he have been perfect for this, considering he’s gay, on Broadway and showing plenty of skin in The Rocky Horror Show? Weird as hell that there was no major representation from that very queer show. People get busy and have limits, but there are a lot, lot, lot of big names currently on Broadway who fans would have to have seen make an appearance for this very good cause: Mariska Hargitay doing a Jayne Mansfield tribute, comic relief from Rachel Dratch or Laurie Metcalf, some skin from the Clock Twink or the son of Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa … the possibilities are endless.

No matter — the perfect show filled with so many perfect ends came to a perfect end with a flesh-soaked “Rotation.”

Afterward, I bumped into Matt Skrincosky, a Broadway Bares legend, which was such a trip! I first saw him in a Broadway Bares in 2010.

I also was able to compliment Harvey Guillén and to grab some footage of surprise attendee Abby Lee Miller; the Dance Moms villainess was given a heroine’s welcome by a bunch of dancers outside.

After that, it was time to stagger home at 2 a.m. and get ready for next year.⚡️

→ Please donate to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS here. ←

CARTER KALE: Um, the legs, though.

QUEERTY: Meet the stars of Forty Love, a gay tennis romance.

OUTSPORTS: Eddie Penev, a onetime Team USA gymnast now repping Bulgaria (his birth country) has come out as gay.

NEWS CHANNEL 9: Gay grad student sues Christian prep school, wins $10K.

AMAZON: Coming July 1 is War Boys: A Father and Son Memoir (Trio House Press). The pitch:

“It’s a beautifully written, powerful memoir. Jason’s father was a 10-year-old enjoying summer camp in the countryside of Belarus when the Nazis invaded in 1941. Planes flew overhead, shooting at the campers, and life as Volodya knew it ended. He spent two weeks walking back home to Minsk with other campers and counselors hoping to find family, only to discover a bombed-out city and apartment. He never saw his mother or sister again. Survival became his only goal. What follows is a sobering journey, fighting for each day. Eventually he is adopted by a Nazi family and immigrates to America where he meets Jason’s mother and has 13 children, desperately trying to replace the family he lost. He carried the trauma of his youth into adulthood and became an abusive, alcoholic father.”

OLDIES OFFICIAL: Sorry, but Cover Girls do still sound exactly like they used to — and this is a rare live vocal. Go, Angel!

RANDY REPORT: Dave Audé remix of Ty Herndon, Michael Passons and Melissa Green’s “Testify to Love.”

LGBTQ NATION: The “messy” history of various Pride flags.

YOUTUBE: Sydney James Harcourt is 50 and faaabulous, as seen stripping in this year’s Broadway Bares. I’ll offer a longer post on this soon.

USA TODAY: A rare pro-LGBTQ+ op-ed from conserva-USA Today.

G&LR: Phil Tarley writes about Rachel Mason’s new doc My Brother’s Killer, a project that turned into a literal whodunit when her work uncovered the person responsible for the brutal murder of gay-porn actor Billy London. London’s beheading in 1990 had been a notorious cold case — but no more.

Choice quote from Phil’s Q&A with the director, who also gave us Circus of Books:

“To understand the context of Billy London’s death, we really had to situate it in the culture and history of the time. A gay man in 1990 being murdered is what we were dealing with in this film. I wanted to make sure we understood what the gay community was doing in that period. The Queer Nation footage showed the community fighting back … and I think that’s an empowering message for today. You see a marginalized community not willing to roll over when things aren’t going well.”

NEW YORK TIMES: Stupidity is contagious — across Latin America, voters are narrowly going far-right, with Abelardo De La Espriella — a guy with zero experience who promises to be Trump’s lackey — seeming to have narrowly defeated Colombia’s incumbent president. Protests have broken out over a lack of faith in the veracity of the result. The results are being challenged; a challenge has never resulted in an overturning of initial results there.

WASHINGTON POST: The Washington Post has documented “unmistakable” links between Tulsi Gabbard and a Hare Krishna cult:

“Dozens of attached memos appeared to document directives and advice for Gabbard from her time in Congress. Some contained instructions on what legislation she should propose, which policies she should embrace and how she should conduct herself on television. They had an air of authority. A memo about a proposal to partition war-torn Iraq into three states quoted an unnamed person as saying it was ‘time for TG to come up with this idea.’

“Some of the language was harshly critical. One memo I found, from January 2015, contained a derisive assessment of a statement Gabbard was to give in response to President Barack Obama’s annual address to Congress.

“‘In the first place, nobody gives a shit what you think about his State of the Union speech, unless you’re going to say something of interest,’ the memo quoted someone as saying. ‘You’re not even trying. You’ve become really intellectually lazy.’”

POLITICO: Big win for Tim Walz as Trump’s DOJ continues its harassment campaign of him.

AMERICAN RESEARCH GROUP: Trump’s approval is down to 30%. November, get in here!

INTERVIEW: Madonna is quite a character! Specifically, she’s in character as “Dee Dee” for a wild new Interview cover shoot. For the Q&A with its EIC Mel Ottenberg, she spills quite a bit of interesting new info. Permit me to take you on a journey:

EXTRAV: Music icon Clive Davis died Monday in his NYC apartment at 94. He’s survived by his children, grandchildren and his partner, Greg Schriefer, 65.

NEW YORK TIMES: Odious Alan Greenspan has also died. He made it to 100.

KENNETH IN THE (212): A bunch of tennis hotties.

EW.COM: Sounds like authorities investigating Nancy Guthrie’s kidnapping fucked up. They reportedly had credible ransom demands but let the deadline pass (why?). Shortly thereafter, another credible demand basically confirmed Nancy had been accidentally killed — and offered to return her remains for $4M. Time and again, we put faith in authorities to know what’s best, and yet even in high-profile cases in which you think there would be total oversight and competence — neither is provided.

INSTAGRAM: Carly Rae Jepsen announces double album for September: Day and Night.

PBA GALLERIES: There is some really interesting ephemera up for grabs at PBA Thursday! Art, photography, magazines, posters, letters — a ton of queeriana.

JOE.MY.GOD.: Joe runs this every year, but I can’t find the 2026 version. Still, this essay is such a great rebuttal to the sticks in the mud who feel Pride is a “parade of defectives” who bring us down in the eyes of … people who will always hate us.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Casey LaLonde, a grandson of Joan Crawford’s, died suddenly at 54 last Monday. LaLonde was a controversial figure in the understandably sensitive Joan Crawford community, with some prominent sites pointing out he licensed the Crawford name without a legal right to do so, etc. I do not wish to wade into all that, but it’s shocking he died so young, just about six years after his mom, one of the twins Crawford adopted with Alfred Steele.

COLUMBIA CHRONICLE: Here comes Chicago Pride!

BRAVO: RuPaul accepts Artist of the Millennium at Las Culturistas 2026.

MS NOW: I really think Jason Page might be wrong here; this out gay sportswriter argues that players who refuse to honor Pride Night shouldn’t be punished, saying that at least we know where they stand. Where he veers into self-described Boomer territory is in writing that young people take acceptance for granted. This isn’t a great argument, because … what if a team that has had Pride Night for years announces it is doing away with it in favor of a Christian Pride Night (which shouldn’t be diametrically opposed to Pride Night, but you get where I’m going). If that happened … we shouldn’t protest? We shouldn’t, what, do anything? React? I appreciate his comments, but I think we need not give up on persuading people that gay is okay, even if it’s not who they are personally. Honoring Pride Night, performing a same-sex wedding or baking a cake for one, these are not acts that should conflict with any reasonable religious view.

BUZZFEED: I personally think that if these are gay icons, we’re reaching.

AOL: Noah Michelson writes of how not saying “gay” almost did him in.

YOUTUBE: My podcast interview with former Falcon star Dean Johnson has quickly become my most popular one so far:

VARIETY: The story of how gay horror Leviticus was inspired by the regression of LGBTQ+ rights in the U.S.

LOS ANGELES TIMES: Can Grindr really become a gay cultural hub?

KWTX: Christian witch of a judge wins $640K for being penalized after she refused to perform same-sex marriages.

LUIGI THE MUSICAL: Luigi: The Musical, a parody ostensibly about accused CEO-killing Luigi Mangione, has been a sensation since it debuted in San Francisco. In the New York production — staged at the Green Room 42 — the show is revealed to suffer from some lethal weaknesses, chief among them a weird overreliance on supporting characters Sam Bankman-Fried (Andre Margatini) and Diddy (Chine Ikoro) but also including an awkwardly written and reluctantly delivered sense of humor. What the show has going for it is beautiful, angel-voiced Mike Cefalo as Luigi. Perfectly cast, he left the audience wanting more of his Luigi and less of the more broadly performed supporting characters. Hash browns are sung about twice, there is a “my best shot” joke and there is not, even with Diddy there, a baby oil reference. Also distracting is how much Cefalo resembles Luigi while the other two actors seem to have been subversively cast. The show could have been a lot more shocking, but Nova Bradford’s script is too cautious to elicit gasps. Still, at least some of the young, progressive crowd I saw it with snickered along, and you really can’t go wrong paying to see something this of-the-moment if you want to seem worldly at your next dinner party. I sincerely wish I’d liked it more.

EW.COM: Elliot Page opens up about his doc Second Nature, about homosexuality in the animal kingdom.

HUFFINGTON POST: A state judge has struck down a slate of abortion restrictions in Missouri.

INSTAGRAM: Sam Salter images from crack in the day.

KENNETH IN THE (212): The New York Philharmonic celebrates Pride.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: David Sheiner, one of the poker players in the classic The Odd Couple movie, has died at 98.

VULTURE: Griffin Dunne’s spirited essay about his inherited love of obituaries was the most relatable thing I’ve read in forever.

KENNETH IN THE (212): LGBTQ+ mags of the week!

NEW YORK TIMES: Trump bragged that Italy’s right-wing leader Giorgia Meloni had “begged” for a photo with him. She retorted, “Italy doesn’t beg.” He can’t get along with anyone, even people naturally inclined to get along with him.

BRAVO: Matt Rogers & Bowen Yang performed “All the Things She Said” on the Las Culturistas Culture Awards. I don’t understand what this show is!!! I swear it happens weekly. But good number.

FINDING FIRE ISLAND: Billy Porter is opening up about his sexual habits on Fire Island on Season 2, Episode 3 of Finding Fire Island:

“Oh, I’ve been to the Meat Rack — yes, I have. I’ve spent some time in the Meat Rack. I ain’t gonna tell you all my business. You know, I’m a gay man of a certain age.”

He also talks being a top and calling escorts. Oh, my.

ABC7: My good friend Zafar Mawani and his husband Guillermo, who had been missing in Mexico since May 20, have been confirmed dead by Guillermo’s family. Authorities are still doing DNA testing, but there is little room to doubt the tragic discovery. From what I can glean from Spanish-language reports, they were murdered over money and three suspects were arrested. The details are wildly different in various reports. I’ll write more about this in the near future, but for now, I’m just so heartbroken.

THE RANDY REPORT: The Netherlands bans conversion therapy.

TICKETS: Lambda Legal returns for its 48th annual Fire Island Pines Fundraiser.

BBC: Gay dads speak out about shocking abuse they receive just for having a child.

VOX: There are universities who think Plato is too gay.

MASHABLE: A lot of women watch gay-male porn. A lot.

QUEERTY: Check out Terrell J.A. Winder’s Shameless: The Making of Black Gay Identities in L.A., excerpted here.

LGBTQ NATION: Why is acceptance of LGBTQ+ people stagnating in the 2020s?

OUTSPORTS: Brooke Mayo is the first-ever gay woman to ref a male FIFA event.

INSTAGRAM: Tonight, Boy George is spinning at the Stonewall Inn starting at 11 p.m.

TWITTER: I loathe litterbugs, and yet — as a collector — I have to stan the people stealing these.

JOE.MY.GOD.: Trump is creaming over his free Qatari plane. That belongs to the U.S. not him — right?

YOUTUBE: Chaka Khan is teaming up with Snoop Dogg on the single “Boogie’s in My Soul” from her Chakzilla album:

GR8ERDAYS: RIP James Burrows, 85. He directed Mary Tyler Moore, Mid-Century Modern — and nearly everything in-between, more than 1,000 episodes of TV. Most recently, the co-creator of Cheers was a warm-hearted riot on The Comeback.

Oh, and:

If you know anyone dying for one of those Madonna Absolut Vodka ads, torn from a wall in NYC, my friend has one for $150. It’s got paper loss and is used, but it’s still an artifact and cool — matthewrettenmund@gmail.com and I can help figure out payment and postage.

As I documented in my list of the greatest gay-porn stars of all time, I think gay guys spend a lot of time thinking about these fantasy figures who taught us about sex via show, not tell, and who often became (you should pardon the expression) deep-rooted parts of our sexual imaginations before vanishing.

Things are so different now! If we develop a crush on an OnlyFans figure, it’s quite easy to learn a lot more about him, from his real name to his propensity for having panic attacks, thanks to social media and the age of the overshare.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, that was not the case. Even the most famous stars retained a mystique once they pulled their pants up. Some of those actors, in spite of making a slate of porn films, are like human silent movies — lost to history. We don’t know their names or what happened to them when they chose to move on. Of course, many have died — drugs, accidents, AIDS, age, murder — but a surprising number are still all around us … we just have to look.

My friend Bobby at Gloss was kind enough to introduce me to Mark Miller, who for a dozen years was one of the industry’s most prolific bottoms (andalso a reliable top when called upon) under the name Dean Johnson. Mercilessly fit, he worked with Alec Powers, Chad Knight, Eric York, Ruben Omar, Todd Mitchell, Tim Barnett, Scott Ryder, Mac Reynolds and many others — including his former boyfriend Cliff Parker and Jeff Stryker himself.

I knew zero about Mark since Dean Johnson retired in 2002, so this Q&A was particularly fascinating. He really opened up about an incredible journey as a dancer, a porn star and a gay man in recovery.

Watch our chat above (especially if you want to see me in hysterics), or keep reading for a lightly edited, heavily illustrated Q&A:

Read more

KENNETH IN THE (212): And he plays tennis, too!

HUFFINGTON POST: When it comes to Trump and Iran, he lost on all fronts. We lost on all fronts.

ACLU WISCONSIN: “How Queer Nightlife Helped Build the LGBTQ+ Rights Movement.”

FORWARD: Here’s a story I never heard about involving a lesbian who was arrested in NYC on trumped-up charges over being queer — leading to her deportation to Poland, where she was murdered at Auschwitz 16 years later. Eve Adams ran a dyke bar, which put her in the NYPD’s crosshairs. Her arrest — for disorderly conduct and obscenity (for authoring the book Lesbian Love) — is now a historical wrong Mayor Mamdani is considering righting.

Note: Only 150 copies were printed of Lesbian Love. As reported by The New York Times in 2021, the only surviving copy was left in the lobby of an NYC building, where a student picked it up, saving it from oblivion and allowing for it to be reprinted.

PEOPLE: People Magazine is introducing us to Fraser Olender, the boyfriend of Matt Rogers.

INSTAGRAM: Hedda Lettuce walks us through doing drag on MTV in 1999. The full performance:

GLAAD.ORG: GLAAD has issued its inaugural report on LGBTQ+ responsibility in the field of AI.

GOTHAMIST: Luigi Mangione will pursue a defense rooted in the state of his mental health.

DORIAN AWARDS: And finally, the full list of Dorian TV Award nominees for 2026 has arrived — with winners announced Saturday, August 15:

BEST TV DRAMA

Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Industry (HBO Max)

The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

The Pitt (HBO Max)

BEST TV COMEDY

Abbott Elementary (ABC)

The Comeback (HBO Max)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Shrinking (Apple TV)

Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)

BEST LGBTQ TV SHOW

The Comeback (HBO Max)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Half Man (HBO Max)

Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

BEST TV MOVIE OR LIMITED SERIES

All Her Fault (Peacock)

Beef (Netflix)

DTF St. Louis (HBO Max)

Half Man (HBO Max)

Love Story (FX/Hulu)

BEST NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

Blossoms of Shanghai (Criterion Channel)

Dan Da Dan (Netflix)

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End (Crunchyroll)

Mussolini: Son of the Century (Mubi)

Squid Game (Netflix)

The Summer Hikaru Died (Netflix)

BEST LGBTQ NON-ENGLISH LANGUAGE TV SHOW

The Boyfriend (Netflix)

Chosen Home (Netflix)

Go for It, Nakamura-kun! (Crunchyroll)

The Summer Hikaru Died (Netflix)

Tremembé (Amazon MGM)

BEST WRITTEN TV SHOW

The Comeback (HBO Max)

Hacks (HBO Max)

Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

The Pitt (HBO Max)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE — DRAMA

Marisa Abela, Industry (HBO Max)

Jamie Bell, Half Man (HBO Max)

Carrie Coon, The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

Myha’la Herrold, Industry (HBO Max)

Mark Ruffalo, Task (HBO Max)

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus (Apple TV)

Connor Storrie, Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Hudson Williams, Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Noah Wyle, The Pitt (HBO Max)

Zendaya, Euphoria (HBO Max)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE — DRAMA

François Arnaud, Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Patrick Ball, The Pitt (HBO Max)

Isa Briones, The Pitt (HBO Max)

Richard Gadd, Half Man (HBO Max)

Katherine LaNasa, The Pitt (HBO Max)

Ken Leung, Industry (HBO Max)

Charles Melton, Beef (Netflix)

Sepideh Moafi, The Pitt (HBO Max)

Colman Domingo, Euphoria (HBO Max)

Karolina Wydra, Pluribus (Apple TV)

BEST TV PERFORMANCE — COMEDY

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Wonder Man (Disney+)

Quinta Brunson, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear (FX/Hulu)

Elle Fanning, Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)

Ethan Hawke, The Lowdown (FX/Hulu)

Lisa Kudrow, The Comeback (HBO Max)

Dan Levy, Big Mistakes (Netflix)

Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)

Tim Robinson, The Chair Company (HBO Max)

Jean Smart, Hacks (HBO Max)

BEST SUPPORTING TV PERFORMANCE — COMEDY

Leslie Bibb, Hacks (HBO Max)

Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons (Netflix)

Paul W. Downs, Hacks (HBO Max)

Hannah Einbinder, Hacks (HBO Max)

Harrison Ford, Shrinking (Apple TV)

Janelle James, Abbott Elementary (ABC)

Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)

Ashley Padilla, Saturday Night Live (NBC)

Michelle Pfeiffer, Margo’s Got Money Troubles (Apple TV)

Meg Stalter, Hacks (HBO Max)

BEST TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE

Audra McDonald, “Rose’s Turn,” The 78th Tony Awards

Bad Bunny, The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show

Miles Caton, Raphael Saadiq, Misty Copeland, Eric Gales, Buddy Guy, Brittany Howard, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Jayme Lawson, Li Jun Li, Bobby Rush, Shaboozey and Alice Smith, “I Lied to You,” The 98th Academy Awards

Sabrina Carpenter and The Muppets, “Manchild,” The Muppet Show

Sabrina Carpenter, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy, “Islands in the Stream,” The Muppet Show

BEST UNSUNG TV SHOW

Boots (Netflix)

English Teacher (FX/Hulu)

The Four Seasons (Netflix)

From (MGM+)

Murderbot (Apple TV)

BEST CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW

The Daily Show (Comedy Central)

Hot Ones (YouTube)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO Max)

Late Night with Seth Meyers (NBC)

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (CBS)

BEST TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Kylie (Netflix)

Mr. Scorsese (Apple TV)

Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television (HBO Max)

Selena y Los Dinos (Netflix)

The Yogurt Shop Murders (HBO Max)

BEST LGBTQ TV DOCUMENTARY OR DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Club Cumming (WOW Presents Plus)

Enigma (HBO Max)

It’s Dorothy! (Peacock)

Lilith Fair: Building a Mystery (Hulu)

Murder in Glitterball City (HBO Max)

BEST GENRE TV SHOW

Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu)

The Boys (Amazon Prime Video)

IT: Welcome to Derry (Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

Widow’s Bay (Apple TV)

BEST REALITY SHOW

The Boyfriend (Netflix)

Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

RuPaul’s Drag Race (MTV/Paramount+)

Top Chef (Bravo)

The Traitors (Peacock)

BEST ANIMATED SHOW

Bob’s Burgers (Fox)

Invincible (Amazon Prime Video)

Hazbin Hotel (Amazon Prime Video)

Long Story Short (Netflix)

South Park (Paramount+)

MOST VISUALLY STRIKING TV SHOW

Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu)

Euphoria (HBO Max)

The Gilded Age (HBO Max)

Heated Rivalry (HBO Max)

Pluribus (Apple TV)

CAMPIEST TV SHOW

All’s Fair (Hulu)

The Comeback (HBO Max)

The Hunting Wives (Netflix)

Palm Royale (Apple TV)

The Traitors (Peacock)

EBAY: Later today, GLAAD is kicking off an auction to raise money for its mission. The items include celeb-donated pieces, like tickets to Brandi Carlile, Kacey Musgraves, Hilary Duff, Jessie Ware or Evanescence gigs; a signed Sam Smith vinyl collection; tickets to see Titanique on Broadway with a Frankie Grande meet-and-greet; and yes, Rob Rausch’s signed, worn Traitors overalls.

WIRED: Daddy Patrick is among the adult content creators who has recently had to deal with a crypto scam that resulted in a cash demand and a flood of MAGA propaganda all over his social media.

PRIDE GALA: Lifelong’s first-ever Pride Gala live auction raised $142,050 on behalf of health, housing and food access across Washington state. The event honored Laverne Cox with the Lifelong Pride in Action Award for her work regarding LGBTQ+ visibility, while Chris Olsen was named LGBTQ+ Changemaker of the Year.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Speaking of Laverne, she is candidly admitting she’s lost 90% of her income due to Trump’s aggressive rollbacks of DEI programs.

DAILY BEAST: Comic Nate Bargatze was spotted at that pathetic Trump birthday bash/UFC fight in spite of claiming he is apolitical.

GAGAOOLALA: Global streamer GagaOOLala is celebrating Thailand’s marriage-equality triumph with a series of Sawasdee PRIDE-themed films: Ticket to Heaven is a drama about faith with popstars GeminiFourth; PorschArm the Wedding is a doc about Thailand’s first legally married same-sex couples; Flower Boy is a tribal fantasy romance; and Yes or No is the pioneeering lesbian romance of Southeast Asian cinema.

FANDANGO: Girls Like Girls (opening in theaters Friday) enjoyed a special AMC Universal Citywalk screening on June 15, with all talent in attendance. I noted a large number of former kid stars — creator Haley Kiyoko, her co-writer Stefanie Scott and guest Madison Pettis.

INSTAGRAM: Tony winner Jerry Mitchell recalls directing a barefoot Eartha Kitt.

HUFFINGTON POST: Bud Light sponsored the stage from which UFC fighter Josh Hokit slurred Michelle Obama — just a few years after the company was boycotted over its sponsorship of a single Dylan Mulvaney post. They certainly responded to that outrage … but they’re silent on defending First Lady Michelle Obama.

PETER TATCHELL FOUNDATION: Peter Tatchell is urging FIFA to ban participation by countries that outright ban homosexuality: Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Ghana, Senegal, Qatar, Tunisia, Morocco, Iraq, Uzbekistan and Algeria.

Patrick Boyd

KTVB7: A gay couple in Idaho is recovering after an attack by multiple men who yelled slurs at them.

SPOTIFY: The new LADSCLUB album is out now! Play Together is their second full set, and is propelled by the single “Love on Top of Love”:

CNN: Andy Lewis, an extreme sportsman who appeared alongside Madonna during her 2012 Super Bowl performance, died this weekend in a BASE jumping accident along with another man.

SALON: “Blue Film Is the Gay Indie That Won’t Let You Look Away.”

It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Broadway Bares, the annual charity show that consists of original musical numbers, celebrity surprises and very few clothes. But the truth is, this show was my introduction to “Take it off!” Though I worked three blocks from it in the years before it closed, I never even set foot in the notorious Gaiety. No, it wasn’t until my acquaintance Matthew Morrison signed up to bare (almost) all in 2008 that I was lured into its web of flesh and fun — and I’ve never looked back.

Created by Tony winner Jerry Mitchell back in 1992, when he was not yet Tony winner Jerry Mitchell, the concept of Broadway Bares has always been to unite hard-working Broadway professionals with two things: (1) a way to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS to fight HIV/AIDS and (2) an opportunity to be stars of a diverse and ribald show that recognizes their individual star power.

From its humble beginnings at Splash (remember Splash?!) to its current incarnation at the Hammerstein Ballroom — don’t miss the latest installment on June 21! — the show never fails to spread joy and make money for a good cause.

EMAIL ME A PIC OF/WITH YOUR TICKET TO THIS YEAR’S BROADWAY BARES (JUNE 21, 2026) AND IF YOU’RE A SUBSCRIBER, I’LL EXTEND YOU A MONTH FREE. IF YOU DO NOT CURRENTLY HAVE A PAID SUB, I’LL GIVE YOU A MONTH FREE: matthewrettenmund@gmail.com

It’s absolutely live and the show only happens twice in one night, so they have to roll with the punches, just like any other Broadway production. During my chat with Jerry, a siren interrupted us, prompting this priceless story from him:

“Bill Haber, my producer of Boop, told me this hilarious story about Mike Nichols when they were doing Spamalot. Mike Nichols was directing and Bill was producing, and sirens were heard outside on the street. He turned to Bill, absolutely stone-faced, and said, ‘You’re gonna have to take care of that. We can’t have any police or sirens on the street at all during the run of this show. He was absolutely serious!”

If only we had no need for them, or the power to ask them to whisper.

I spoke with Jerry about how his urge to give back became a New York institution, all his favorite Broadway Bares memories and how he handled criticisms about staging a burlesque show to fight HIV/AIDS.

Read the following lightly edited version of our conversation, or listen to the full podcast, directly above:

Read more

BOY CULTURE WITH MATTHEW RETTENMUND: Listen to my fun — and at times touching — chat with Tony winner and Broadway Bares creator Jerry Mitchell here.

JOE.MY.GOD.: Trump, late to the party, is mad at Netanyahu.

YOUTUBE: Madonna has released her long-awaited music video for “Bring Your Love,” her duet with Sabrina Carpenter, and it’s a winner. Glam photography and a fabulous Elizabeth Taylor (from Cleopatra) reference:

VARIETY: My hatred for Trump and every goddamn one of his voters intensifies daily, even as we cruise toward routing the GOP in November: that hideous cage fight on the White House lawn was worsened when fighter Josh Hokit shrieked that “Moh-chelle Obama is a man — amiright America???”

Joe Rogan grinned right along with him.

The entire affair — supposedly a celebration of America’s 50th and held on the lawn of the People’s House … was only available to watch on the pay service Paramount+. Please cancel that shit if you have it. Fuck Elsbeth.

VARIETY: A new gay dating show — Heyy Gay! — is premiering on YouTube and Instagram. Creator Darren Kennedy sez:

“In a world of swiping and algorithms, it felt like the right time to create something that leans into real life connection, spontaneity and the fun of seeing what happens when two strangers meet face-to-face. I’ve always had a knack for matchmaking in my personal life — maybe it’s an Irish thing — so Heyy Gay! felt like the perfect opportunity to bring that instinct into my professional world.”

EXTRATV: Rosie O’Donnell visited her wayward daughter Chelsea in prison. Meanwhile, you can get tickets to Rosie’s one-woman show for Ojai or NYC starting today, Tuesday.

AV CLUB: When gay porn went mainstream.

GR8ERDAYS: RIP Anne Schedeen, 77. She was ALF’s mom! The show ALF was long ago, of course, but doesn’t feel long enough ago for so many of the main cast to be dead — mom and dad (Max Wright), son (Benji Gregory) and also Micho Miszaros (who donned an ALF suit for long shots).

INSTAGRAM: WeHo Pride could literally have chosen Max Parker as its grand marshal.

NEW YORKER: NYC is having a moment! (As is Jalen Brunson.)

BLOOMBERG: Mayor Mamdani will preside over the first-ever ticker-tape parade for the Knicks.

NEW YORK TIMES: I feel like a lot of the same people bitching that public servants are too old voted for a dude who has been around for roughly 1/3 of America’s 250 years.

USA TODAY: I pray for lightning.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: Eccentric music artist Oliver Tree has died in a helicopter crash in Brazil. He was just 32. His most ironic, biggest hit: “Life Goes On.”

THEM: A list of seven LGBTQ+ shows arriving in 2026 — and where/how to watch.

INSTAGRAM: Madonna has previewed yet another (hot) new track from Confessions II, this one a collab with DJ Martin Garrix called “Bizarre.” He premiered it last night at his show and confirmed it’s a Madonna song at his after-party.