The Daily Queer
June 10, 2026
Alex Newell blew the house down at the Tony Awards; Bowen Yang opens up about Saturday Night Live; what to watch on streaming services; and why is The Cake sparking controversy?
NEWS & CULTURE
Alex Newell Brings the Glamour to the 2026 Tony Awards — People
Newell, 33, performed a tribute to Chicago at the 79th Tony Awards — celebrating the longest-running show currently on Broadway — hitting the red carpet in a showstopping sequined Christian Siriano gown before changing into all-black for the stage. People went behind the scenes of their getting-ready process for an exclusive look. Newell is also performing at the Café Carlyle through June 13.
Cynthia Erivo Honored as Pride Icon of the Month — Smiley Movement
Smiley Movement profiles Erivo as their Pride Positive Icon of the Month, spotlighting her work as a founding member of the (RED) Creative Council fighting AIDS, her GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award for advancing LGBTQ+ visibility, her campaigns for queer refugees and youth, and her 2026 appointment as vocal coach and artist-in-residence at RADA.
Bowen Yang Opens Up About SNL Exit: ‘I Never Felt That Central’ — Out
In Variety’s Actors on Actors series, Yang told I Love LA creator Rachel Sennott that he never felt central to SNL, describing himself as a “weird utility” player — “always kind of there as the seasoning.” He departed mid-season in December 2025 after Lorne Michaels personally asked him to stay on for the first half of Season 51 to help stabilize a heavily reshuffled cast — a request he said he couldn’t turn down.
Pride 2026: Your Guide to LGBTQ+ TV & Films Streaming This Month — TV Insider / Yahoo Entertainment
With every major platform rolling out Pride collections, the guide highlights Netflix’s lineup of 2026 GLAAD Media Award winners including Stranger Things, Queen of Coal, Wayward, and XO, Kitty; HBO Max centering Heated Rivalry in its “LGBTQ+ Voices” collection alongside Hacks and The Last of Us; and Hulu adding 52 Tuesdays, Jimpa, and the comedy special Rachel Scanlon: Gay Fantasy.
Pride Month Play “The Cake” Sparks Conversations on Faith and Acceptance — CBS News Atlanta
A Georgia community theatre is staging Bekah Brunstetter’s play this Pride Month. The Cake, presented by Merely Players in Doraville, follows a young lesbian couple and the conservative baker they ask to make their wedding cake. Director Riley Rawson, who identifies as bisexual, says the play is “a beautiful reminder to just relax” and see the people around you as individuals rather than representatives of groups.
A Gay Tennis Coach on Years of Hiding — and Why Visibility Matters Now — Outsports
Florida tennis coach Greg “Moose” DeMoustes — founder of WE PLAY for PRIDE charity events and recipient of the 2024 USPTA Florida Bob Ryland Diversity Award for his work promoting LGBTQ+ inclusion in racquet sports — writes about the years he spent concealing his identity and the work he now does to ensure younger coaches and athletes don’t have to do the same.
Pride Month 2026 Has Begun. Here’s What to Expect. — Associated Press
The AP surveys this year’s Pride landscape — celebrations that are joyful, defiant, and global. Major U.S. parades are scheduled in Los Angeles on June 14, Chicago on June 20–21, San Francisco on June 27, and New York on June 28, with international events in Paris, Rome, São Paulo, and Tokyo. USA Prides co-president Jordan Braxton frames the festivities as both celebration and resistance, rooted in the 1969 Stonewall raids.
How LGBTQ+ Pride Month Has Changed in the Era of MAGA and Donald Trump — Newsweek
Newsweek traces how Pride Month in Trump’s second term looks dramatically different from just a few years ago. Major corporations have withdrawn Pride event sponsorships nationwide, leaving NYC Pride more than $500,000 short of its fundraising goal after already lowering its target by $1.1 million from 2024. The administration has barred LGBTQ+ flags from federal buildings, renamed June “Title IX Month” at the Education Department, and stripped the name of gay rights activist Harvey Milk from a Navy ship. Meanwhile, Republican governors in Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, Utah, and Arkansas have formally renamed June as counterprogramming to Pride.