Boy Culture Links: Bathhouses Returning to NYC?, My 'Adam Sank Show' Appearance, Talarico Topping Paxton + MORE
AUGUST 6, 2026
KENNETH IN THE (212): This week’s round-up of LGBTQ+ and -adjacent mags includes the above cover story on how NYC may be warming to the idea of bathhouses again.
THE ADAM SANK SHOW: At midnight, you can tune in to The Adam Sank Show, on which I was asked to talk about Madonna’s Confessions II album. I’m sure the rest of the show is great, too — Adam is top-notch. If you’re on an iPhone, you’ll probably listen here, and if you have an Android, probably here.
BOY CULTURE: Don’t miss my take on the 1990 neo-noir thriller After Dark, My Sweet.
PEOPLE: Miss North Carolina USA was dethroned by Miss USA after what they called a pattern of racism, homophobia and transphobia. Brittany Boltinhouse is the young woman of 23 who lost her title, and the org urges people not to pile on because she’s still a human being.
PINK NEWS: Róisín Murphy continues to be a right-wing douchebag on trans issues, summoning the temerity to attack Madonna for being a trans ally. Murphy, like many of her ilk, uses the disingenuous argument that every time a person IDs as trans, it’s anti-gay, because if they simply denied being trans … they’d have to be gay. Dumb as a box of rocks.
EW.COM: Try to suppress your tears, but Perez Hilton’s podcast is on hiatus.
AXIOS: James Talarico is leading in a new poll in Texas in his battle against corrupt Ken Paxton, but it’s Texas and Paxton has an (R) by his name so the numbers are ridiculously close. Today, Talarico’s campaign recirculated Paxton’s mugshot, writing:
“He was indicted on 3 felony counts for securities investment fraud.
“He was reported to the FBI by his own staff for bribery.
“He was impeached by his own party for corruption.”
Will that be enough? Come on, Texas.
Interestingly, after a heated primary in which Talarico defeated Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Black voters appear poised to back him fully. And Paxton is underperforming Trump with Independents by 40%. (If we can believe polls. They were way off in Michigan, but Michigan is acknowledged as a tough state to poll, for whatever reason.)
POLITICO: A Dem is proposing new taxes on data centers.