While Dr. Wang Newton is already one of the most successful and well known drag kings in the biz, hes about to strut his stuff for a brand new audience on a new, massive stage as one of the permanent judges on the upcoming and highly anticipated competition series King of Drag. It's a moment thats been a long time coming for the drag community and one that has Wang asking the same question we are: Why did it take this long for kings to take center stage? he poses to PRIDE. After 16 years of RuPauls Drag Race, 20+ global spinoffs, and nine years of Dragula, the real question is: why not yesterday?It's a hypothetical question but one thats worthy of being answered even if doing so requires taking a hard look at the queer community and who we choose to uplift. Thankfully, King of Drag looks to be equal parts entertaining and restorative representation. When Wang says it's been a long time coming, he means a long time. I joke that kings go way back from the Tang Dynasty to the Wang Dynasty because theatrical male impersonation has existed for over 1,300 years. Weve always been here. Literally, facts.While the inequity between representation of kings and queens is unquestionable, Wang sees this moment as a change for the kings to be seen on their own terms. No pick me, no victim energy were no longer chasing approval from spaces that were never interested in including us, he says. The truth is, [The Boulet Brothers] Dragula led the way with real inclusivity, and now King of Drag follows suit. And man oh man, do we have some snazzy suits!In the same way that queens generally explore heightened versions of femininity, kings play with the ideas and tropes of masculinity. Politically and culturally, this has the potential to become a hot-button topic, particularly in a time when discussions around masculinity have become so fraught, specifically in right-wing spaces that also tend to look for excuses to turn drag into a wedge issue. Wang, however, hopes audiences see kinging generally and King of Drag specifically as an exploration of masculinity that makes much more space for its expression and celebration. Masculinity isnt a monolith its a mood board, he explains. Drag kings came with the remix and the beat drop. If traditional masculinity boxed us in, an all-king show is the jailbreak. Flipping the script to liberated masculinity is kinda hot.Wang has high hopes for the series, and the impact it will have on kings moving forward. I hope it cuts the velvet rope and leaves the door swinging open, he says. After 20 years in the game, I want to see something new. No more comparing apples to oranges with drag queens. I want a surge of facial hair absurdity, feral kings, and quiet masterful kings emerging from the woodwork. We couldnt agree more. But that's not all: like his fellow King of Drag judge Tenderoni, Wang wants to see a positive economic impact for kings as well. Just for fun, maybe some actual social impact like closing the gender wage gap, while performing gender with our gap, he says with a wink. Ive been blessed on this journey but I cant keep all this Wang Privilege to myself! View this post on Instagram A post shared by . () (@drwangnewton)Speaking of Wang himself, he shares that despite his decades in the biz, this experience caused his personal drag to evolve, too. This was my Wang 3.0 glow-up the Outer Wang got some new polished lewks, but the Inner Wang glow turned up a notch, too.But most of all, Wang is thrilled the world is going to get to see kings on the kind of platform they deserve. As for what to expect this season, he says to hold on to your mustache! Fans may think theyve seen it all: Death drops, reveals, rinse, repeat. But kings do their own thing. Expect bold choices, big charm, and a whole new spectrum of sexy!King of Drag premieres June 22 on Revry. Stay tuned for more updates about the series on PRIDE as they roll out, and watch the teaser trailer below.

Queer joy is a radical act, so join us each week for more stories that uplift, resist, and shine. For more stories on Queer Joy, click here.After dressing some of Hollywoods biggest stars, setting trends on the runway, and starring in his own Netflix show, fashion designer Thi Nguyn is now busy breaking down barriers with his adorable childrens book.Not only is Nguyns book Mais o Di about a little girl who has two dads learning to love wearing a traditional Vietnamese outfit for Lunar New Year, but its also a celebration of two important parts of his identity and because of this has become a hit among children and their parents looking for the kind of representation Nguyn wished he had growing up.Nguyn is both gay and a Vietnamese American, and while he has had a wildly successful career, he wasnt always accepted for being an immigrant or for his sexuality. Being an immigrant left him open to hate and ridicule from society, but he also experienced judgment from his family, who considered being gay to be a sickness, or like a phase, or a trend, which is why he feels like his childrens book is so important. Its really about exposure. Its not just about race, but its all about identity in general, and queerness as well. We need that exposure, Nguyn tells PRIDE. And for my parents, because theyre very traditional, and Im the only child, so that responsibility as an Asian son in an immigrant family, that responsibility that I have to get married to a woman and have kids and carry on the name.Luckily, Nguyns parents have since come around and now accept his partner, whom he has been with for 18 years, with open arms.Nguyn co-wrote Mais o Di, alongside Monique Truong and illustrator Dung Ho, because he wanted to create a childrens book that celebrated the unique parts of his identity in a way he was never able to experience when he was growing up.The book is for the kids, but you don't even know, the Vietnamese mom, Vietnamese dad, they will come up to me and they were like I wish I had this book growing up because for a very long time we had to hide ourselves. There was no exposure whether on media or in literature, so this was not just only for the kids, but also for the adults, he explains. The idea for Mais o Di came after Nguyn made history on the red carpet with Star Wars actress Kelly Marie Tran. Tran was the first woman of color to play a lead in the popular franchise when she took on the role of Rose Tico in 2017. After a flurry of racist, misogynistic comments and death threats from the Star Wars fandom that drove her out of the public eye and into therapy, she decided to celebrate her cultural heritage in a very public way.Nguyn designed an o di a traditional Vietnamese garment that includes a long tunic and pants for Tran to wear on the red carpet, and the impact it had on the community served as the inspiration for his childrens book. We made that ensemble in 16 hours, and then it became this iconic moment for the whole community, he said.In Mais o Di, the main characters Vietnamese cultural identity is front and center, but Nguyn intentionally made the LGBTQ+ theme more subtle. There is no mention of the little girl at the heart of the story having gay dads, but in the illustration of Mai arriving at the Lunar New Year party, she walks in with her two dads by her side.The book was released in January and while on a book tour Nguyn said that everyone he comes across appreciates seeing their own identities reflected in the book.They appreciate that there is a book like that out there for the kids to see themselves. And also, you know the queer parents who see this it's like it's like a very nice surprise when they read the book, he said.The response to Mais o Di has been overwhelmingly positive, and the one homophobic review Nguyn got on Amazon, only fueled sales of his book.When my co-author sent me that and I saw that, I was like, You know what, this one-star review like push so much sales because so many people were like, Oh my god, what world is he living in? Nguyn said that when you are Vietnamese, youre parents expect you to settle down with a wife and kids and become a doctor, lawyer, or engineer, so him turning out to be a gay fashion designer was a hard pill to swallow, but his parents and the community at large have embraced him.I have always been that disappointment, you know, a gay guy doing fashion, its like a double whammy, he shared. Here I am Im truly happy that Im a queer American fashion designer and I have a home. I have a business and I get to celebrate with so many people.

Dyke Marches are a dying breed in this country, but WeHo Prides Dyke March is still doing it right every year!And if youre a big fan of Dykes on Bikes, youre in luck because this year they were front and center in West Hollywoods iconic march.On March 31, dyke-identifying members of the cis, trans, and nonbinary community and their allies gathered together for the Womens Freedom Festival, put on by The L-Project, a lesbian nonprofit that promotes and supports LGBTQ+ BIPOC women and nonbinary creatives.The festival featured musicians, comedians, and poets performing for the thousands gathered together to celebrate Pride in a very sapphic way.The WeHo Dyke March is an annual rally with a motorcycle-led march that follows immediately after the festival ended and featured a huge contingent from the motorcycle group Pride Riders LA, who are starting the very first LA chapter of Dykes on Bikes.This years events brought together a community of people who are often relegated to the margins to celebrate and connect during the best month of the year.Keep scrolling to check out WeHo Dyke Marchs Pride Month celebration!How many of these Pride facts did you know? Pride is for EVERYONE! These vintage photos of Pride prove that it is, was, and will forever be about diversity! If you want to celebrate Pride Month, but youre not sure where to start, check out our Pride 2025 calendar and our lists of every Black Pride event, Dyke March and Trans Pride celebration in the country. Don't forget the first Pride was a riot. Know your Stone Wall Uprising history!Is this your first Pride? Here's 5 essential tips you need to know!Want to celebrate Pride with the whole family? Heres how!Pride is a blast but it can also be awkward! These moments are sadly, too relatable. Looking to get kinky at Pride? Heres how to find your kink scene. Pride Month is a time to let your Pride and kink flags fly. Here's how to do it safely.Looking to find a little love at Pride? Heres how to get your flirt on!There are a lot of flags flying at Pride. Heres what they all mean! Want to get busy at Pride? Heres how to play safely.How many of these Pride facts did you know? Pride is for EVERYONE! These vintage photos of Pride prove that it is, was, and will forever be about diversity! If you want to celebrate Pride Month, but youre not sure where to start, check out our Pride 2025 calendar and our lists of every Black Pride event, Dyke March and Trans Pride celebration in the country. Don't forget the first Pride was a riot. Know your Stone Wall Uprising history!Is this your first Pride? Here's 5 essential tips you need to know!Want to celebrate Pride with the whole family? Heres how!Pride is a blast but it can also be awkward! These moments are sadly, too relatable. Looking to get kinky at Pride? Heres how to find your kink scene. Pride Month is a time to let your Pride and kink flags fly. Here's how to do it safely.Looking to find a little love at Pride? Heres how to get your flirt on!There are a lot of flags flying at Pride. Heres what they all mean! Want to get busy at Pride? Heres how to play safely.

Hello and welcome to the latest Creepy Kiki, PRIDEs weekly dissection of all things that go bump in the (gay) night.From the horror genres very inception, queerness has played a major role in its various manifestations, whether that meant subtextual stories of otherness, queer-coded villains, or sapphic sanguisugas.There were rare exceptions, like Countess Zaleska (Gloria Holden) in Draculas Daughter from 1936 or The Hauntings lesbian character, Theodora (Claire Bloom) in 1963, but it took quite some time for out, proud, heroic, and textually LGBTQ+ characters to emerge. Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve) in The Hunger and Angela in Sleepaway Camp are some of the earliest examples of our characters, though neither is an example of heroism. Thankfully, finding queer characters in horror today is relatively easy. Queer horror has essentially become a subgenre all its own with films like I Saw the TV Glow, Knife + Heart, and Thelma not only featuring queer characters but unpacking the anxieties and fears specific to the lived experiences of LGBTQ+ people. Some of these queer characters we love, some we love to hate, some we fear, and some we want to protect at all costs. A lucky few fill us with pride through their bravery, humanity, and depth. That being the case, to kick off this Pride month, I want to highlight and celebrate some of those queer heroes that took on the baddies, faced down fears both internal and external and triumphed. Characters that baby queerdos were introduced to from flickering screens in darkened theaters and on television, and recognized in them not only a portion of themselves, but perhaps even a vision of the future.On that note, lets get into it! Jesse Walsh in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's RevengeLet's kick things off with one of the most iconic queer final gays of all time, Jesse Walsh. Played by out actor Mark Patton in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Jesse faced off with the ultimate dream-inhabiting monster, Freddy Kruger, and won!While this film from 1985 never explicitly outs Jessie, any queer person watching can recognize the subtext of his struggles with identity in his friendship with Ron Grady (Robert Rusler), who he turns to for comfort night rather than his girlfriend; his anxiety over the man trying to invade his body; and, of course, the now infamous leather bar scene. All this context was confirmed to be textual by Patton: "It just became undeniable," he told BuzzFeed in 2016. "I'm lying in bed and I'm a piet and the candles are dripping and they're bending like phalluses and white wax is dripping all over. It's like I'm the center of a [...] bukkake video." Jessie was a true queer horror pioneer. Emerald Haywood in NopeIn a film about spectacle, Keke Palmer still manages to steal the show as Emerald Em Haywood in Jordan Peeles incredible film Nope.In the film, Em and her brother, OJ (Daniel Kaluuya), own a horse ranch thats been training horses for Hollywood for generations. Following their father's unexpected and bizarre death, they come to learn that hovering nearby, out of sight, is a UFO-like creature lurking and looking to feed. The siblings become hellbent on finding a way to document the creature and prove that its real. The film is brilliant for many reasons, but right near the top is Em, who swaggers onto the screen with an infectious masc charm that is effortlessly, unquestionably queer. Em is everything; shes funny, tough, and becomes a bit of an action star by the end. Shes also Keke, so of course were obsessed.Gretchen in CuckooIn Cuckoo, Gretchen (Hunter Schaefer) joins her father and step-family on a work trip to the German Alps. She witnesses women behaving strangely at the resort where theyre lodging and is later stalked by a strange, human-like woman. To top it off, she is also in the throes of grief over the loss of her mother. Gretchen could easily have been just another angsty teen stereotype, and theres certainly some of that on display particularly when she meets an attractive woman and the two attempt to run off together. Instead, all that anger and grief is channeled into bravery and, ultimately, empathy, which is where her reserves of strength are found. This is the kind of nuanced queer character we cant get enough of.Mitch in ParaNormanQueer representation came in the form of a wonderful surprise in the stop-motion animated horror film Paranorman. This film, set in Salem, Massachusetts, follows Norman, an odd kid with the gift of seeing the dead, who uses those talents and the help of his friends to take on a witchs curse and her undead minions.One of those allies is Mitch, voiced by Casey Affleck. Mitch first presents as your prototypical dumb jock; in reality, hes anything but. Over the course of the film, Mitch serves as a loyal brother and protector to the crew, whose bravery is instrumental in Norman defeating the curse. Then he tops it all off with the chillest coming out ever! While his queerness wasnt central to the plot, its inclusion in a film geared toward family watching is important. Also, the way that its handled isn't as a punchline, plot twist, or source of angst. It's just woven into the world in a normalizing and graceful way. Hey Hollywood, more of this right here, please.Deena Johnson in the Fear Street' trilogyWhen the Fear Street trilogy kicked off in 2021, it was a surprise and a delight for queer audiences that the three-part epic, spanning centuries, centered around not one but two epic love stories and how homophobia was the root cause of a hundred-year-old curse.The lesson: Dont mess with the lesbians!While both Deena and Sam snatched our hearts as the couple in the first and final film (and the alternate couple they played in the third film), its Deena Johnson, played by Kiana Madeira, who snatches a spot on our list. Why? Well, because of how heroic she is in taking on genuinely terrifying and deadly supernatural forces in an effort to save her girlfriend and, spoiler alert, she succeeds.Byron in Tammy and the T-RexWhen it comes to cult classic faves, we can't help but have a major soft spot for Tammy and the T-Rex. This absolute oddity from 1994 stars young Denise Richards and Paul Walker as ill-fated lovers whose romance comes to an end when his brain is stolen and wired into an animatronic T-Rex. Just go with it, OK. Tammy (Richards) is on a quest to rescue the brain and her boyfriend, and helping her is her gay best Byron, played by Theo Forsett. At first blush, Byron might come off as your stereotypical flamboyant gay sidekick, but in a move thats surprising for an otherwise absurd and gory B-movie, Byron gets to have a much richer and nuanced role. Not only is he the comedic heart of the film, but he is a hero in his own right. Is the characterization perfect? No, of course not, but it's also leaps and bounds ahead of the way queer folks were largely characterized in the 90s.Josh Detmer in FreakySpeaking of queer heroes in body swap movies, Josh Detmer, played by nonbinary actor Misha Osherovich, is instrumental in saving the day in Freaky.The film, which is a comedic horror take on the Freaky Friday trope, sees teenager Millie (Kathryn Newton) accidentally body-swapping with a serial killer called the Blissfield Butcher (Vince Vaughn). While he uses her body to continue his bloody reign of terror, she has to recruit her friends to try and stop them. One of whom is Josh. In previous generations, a gay sidekick character like Josh would pretty much be guaranteed body count. But here, not only does he bravely take on the killer directly, but he survives, defying the standard bury your gays trope. Jake Wheeler & Devon Evans in ChuckyFinally, our last characters are a couple! For three gloriously gory and heartwarming seasons RIP season four, Im still not over that cancellation Jake Wheeler and Devon Evans (played by Zackary Arthur and Bjornvin Arnson, respectively) went toe-to-tiny-toe with a psychopathic possessed doll, and repeatedly won the day all while falling in love in Chucky. The series tracks their relationship from inception, when they are crushing from afar, and Jake, in particular, is struggling with his identity and his family life. Through the excitement of young love and eventually the physical expression of that connection, they are, all the while, joining forces to take on a murderous foe, homophobia, the church, and eventually an evil puppet master (literally).Chucky was a special show for many reasons, but not the least of which was the beautiful gay love story at its heart. And with that, this weeks Creepy Kiki is adjourned! Ill be back with more highlights on queer horror next week. In the meantime make sure you like and follow us on YouTube for more queer news and pop culture content.

Honestly? Same.Trisha Paytas has found her home within the LGBTQ+ community and she has no desire to appeal to straight people at all.The nonbinary performer and influencer is giving back to her passionate gay fans by creating content that features queens from RuPaul's Drag Race and she's even slated to perform at the WorldPride Music Festival in Washington, D.C."Happy Pride! Now more than ever, we need to be storming Washington, D.C. with all the queerness. It's my Super Bowl! I would turn down the Super Bowl. It doesn't get bigger than this," Paytas tells PRIDE. See on Instagram Paytas has gone viral for countless amounts of hilarious videos and memes over the years, which naturally catapulted her to icon status within the queer community."It's always been the place where I feel like I belong. If anything, it's the one place I feel accepted and it's a beautiful community to be a part of. If there's straights in my house, get out! That's how I feel. Just leave! You don't get it and you won't get it."The hilarious influencer may not want to hang with straight people, but she desperately wants to spend time with RuPaul on a future season of Drag Race."Someone over there has it out for me, for sure! They keep putting me on Snatch Game. Let me on! I want be on. They can use any of my songs royalty free. You don't have to pay me!"Fans can keep up with Trisha Paytas by following her on Instagram here. To see the full interview, check out the video at the top of the page.

Leisha Hailey and Kate Moennig's long-awaited joint memoir dropped this week, giving fans an even deeper look into a friendship that's spanned decades and multiple iterations of The L Word.Although So Gay For You isn't specifically a memoir about working on The L Word, it would have been impossible for the two not to have woven experiences they shared during the six seasons it was on air (plus another three for Generation Q) into their writing. Fans will undoubtedly appreciate both on and off-set anecdotes involving various cast members, like the one about the dryer fire in the home where Hailey and Mia Kirshner (who played Jenny Schecter) were living.But, Moennig told The Advocate, "this isn't a book about gossip. This is not a tell-all. We're not interested in that."Instead, the book's full title So Gay for You: Friendship, Found Family, and the Show That Started It All makes it clear to readers that this is the kind of memoir that drives home just how uplifting and important platonic relationships are within the queer community. And that's something Hailey and Moennig are more than qualified to write about."Leisha and I, we are our own selves, obviously," Moennig said. "But really, Leishas presence in my life really completes it. I dont know what the colors in my life would look like without her. And that platonic love is incredibly powerful."Of course, they both do end up dishing on their love lives as well. Particularly of note to longtime fans may be Hailey's relationship with fellow actress Kim Dickens. The two have been together since 2017, but Hailey has previously acknowledged that Dickens was actually her very first girlfriend back in her early 20s even before she dated k.d. lang.But at the heart of this story is the friendship Hailey and Moennig share, and the "parallel lives," as they call it, that led them to that point."[Platonic love] is what inspired this entire book," Hailey told The Advocate. "We know how important we are to each other. And we were like, This is such an important thing in queer culture. And we find each other for a reason. When it comes to this community, it means everything. It really is like, Im not going to say life or death but finding our people is everything."

Teen Mom 2 star Kailyn Lowrys 15-year-old son Elliot Rivera just came out publicly and is opening up about the way his moms fame has impacted him. This is for me, and Ive built up the courage over time to make it known and let me have my moment, shared Elliot (who was formerly known as Isaac). I'm really sick of people coming up with their own stories and putting things in their own words and things coming out on other people's terms about me, because my life isn't entertainment for other people.Elliot confirmed his queer identity on the June 6 episode of Lowrys podcast Barely Famous, explaining, This is for me, and Ive built up the courage over time to make it known and let me have my moment. Im really sick of people coming up with their own stories and putting things in their own words.He continued, My life is my life and I can do what I want with it. And for people to take things from my life, like personal stuff, is not okay. If I want to share it, I should share that on my own terms."During a candid conversation with his mom, which will have a part two available on Patreon, Elliot said that he had made the decision to come out publicly, but doesnt think its necessary for everyone to do so, People reports.Im doing it for me so you can do what you want, he revealed. If you think its necessary to come out, do it. But if you dont, then just be yourself. You dont have to prove anything to anyone. Just be who you are.Fans met Elliot back in 2010 on 16 and Pregnant, when Lowry starred in an episode and welcomed her oldest son into the world on national television. The two then starred in Teen Mom 2, which documented Lowrys life and experiences as a young mother. Lowry left the series in May 2022.Elliot also opened up about why he decided to change his name, though his father still calls him Isaac."I started going by Elliott, because at some point, I wasn't happy with my first name. It just doesn't feel like me," he explained.Lowry admitted that she never gave a f about his name change or sexuality. "If you came home and told me that you wanted to marry a woman, cool. You tell me you want to marry a man? Cool. I don't give a f--- because at the end of the day, that part does not affect me or my life, she said. "It only affects you and who you love is who you love. At the end of the day, I'm not going to sever a relationship with my child based off of who he love or doesn't love.As hard as living in the public eye has been, Elliot is glad to be able share this with the world and hopes it makes a difference to other people who are struggling with coming out. Happy pride everybody! he said. Im here today to show you who I am not who you saw on TV for 12 years of my life. Its very important to me because I feel like growing up on TV, its hard to show who you really are when a camera is in front of you all the time. Its harder to be yourself and be more comfortable because you know its going to be everywhere.

Gay fave Natasha Lyonne and bisexual Hacks actress Hannah Einbinder just made the Hollywood Reporters latest actors roundtable delightfully queer with a hilarious scissoring joke, and just in time for Pride Month, too!Lyonne and Einbinder joined fellow stars Kathryn Hahn (Agatha All Along), Jessica Williams (Shrinking), Kristen Bell (The Good Place), and Michelle Williams (Dying for Sex) to talk about their careers and personal lives when the conversation veered toward LGBTQ+ representation in media. When asked what the actors have pushed for because it was something you needed to see at some point in your life, Einbinder chimed in about her own experience being a bi actor after calling Lyonne her freaking queer icon.Einbinder, who plays Ava Daniels on Hacks, credited the show with giving vivid life and a reality to the bisexual character.We know that when people write to their own experience, something is just far more lived-in, Einbinder said. And as a queer actor myself playing a queer character, I can add my, you know, zest. So, this season, theres a polyamory arc that is not the butt of a joke.See on InstagramShe said that there were queer shows and movie that paved the way for Hacks, but shes proud of the realistic representation the show provides. It warms my heart when I get messages from people who feel like this is an in-depth and non-fetishized representation of bisexuality, Einbinder revealed.Then, Lyonne asked, Do you feel like this kind of a queer component is something that youve slowly laid in track for, or was it always embedded?Oh, its always been there. A lot of our writers room are writing to their own experiences. Everyone whos telling a story has an incredibly talented comedy writer to represent that lived experience, Einbinder answered. The 30-year-old actress explained because of her own lived experience as a queer person shes able to point out places in the script that seem realistic. And its this great symbiosis where, because I live a queer existence, Im able to lend various [ideas], like, Well, I dont know if they would be, like, coming at the same time in the shower. Perhaps, like, one person is topping.Not one to let a good joke pass her by, while Einbinder said one person is topping, the But Im a Cheerleader star made the universal hand gesture for scissoring by making peace signs with both hands and then sliding them together. Trust Lyonne to always make the perfect sapphic joke!

Members of Macons LGBTQ community gathered inside The Tubman Museum of African American Art, History, and Culture on June 5 to celebrate the start of Pride season and the induction of three local advocates at the forefront of activism, art, and education who have contributed significantly to LGBTQ visibility and progress. Portraits of Marques Redd, [...]The post Pioneers and Trailblazers: LGBTQ Southerners of Past and Present Celebrated in Pride Season Exhibit in Middle Georgia first appeared on GLAAD.

Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend. 1.) Anna Emma Haudals lesbain rom-com The Venus Effect is now available to stream on Amazon! In the Danish drama, twenty-something Livs life is turned upside down when [...]The post The GLAAD Wrap: The Venus Effect Streaming, First Trailers for Wicked: For Good and Kiss of the Spider Woman, New Music by Ethel Cain, Staci Gruber, and More! first appeared on GLAAD.