The Daily Queer
June 5, 2026
Madonna kicks of Pride Month in a big way! Two-thirds of Americans still back marriage equality, but number is shrinking; and what’s the tea behind the toxic Queer Eye drama?
NEWS & CULTURE
People
Madonna, 67, transformed Times Square into a dancefloor on June 4, staging a surprise free concert in partnership with Grindr to kick off Pride Month and preview her upcoming album Confessions II — a sequel to 2005’s Confessions on a Dance Floor, due July 3. She performed hits like “Hung Up” and “I Love New York” alongside new tracks, while screens projected images of LGBTQ+ icons including Marsha P. Johnson, Keith Haring, and Robert Mapplethorpe.
Two in three Americans still back marriage equality
OutSmart Magazine
A new Gallup poll finds 65% of Americans support same-sex marriage — down from a peak of 71% in 2023, with the decline driven almost entirely by Republicans. Support among Democrats and independents has held steady, underscoring the increasingly partisan nature of attitudes toward LGBTQ+ rights.
Red states push conservative rebrands of Pride Month in backlash to LGBTQ+ celebrations
The Guardian
Governors in Utah, Arkansas, Indiana, Tennessee, Alabama, and Oklahoma have declared June something other than Pride Month — from “Fidelity Month” to “Nuclear Family Month” and “Strong Families Month” — in what advocates on both sides read as deliberate counterprogramming. Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ office explicitly framed the move as counter-programming, while Democratic states continue to recognize June as LGBTQ+ Pride Month.
LGBTQ+ candidates sweep CA primaries: “The voters sent a clear message”
LGBTQ Nation
LGBTQ+ candidates had a strong night in California’s primary elections, with state Sen. Scott Wiener among the winners vowing to “go to the mat to defend immigrants and trans people.” The results are being read as a rebuke of anti-LGBTQ+ political rhetoric and a signal of where California’s electorate stands heading into the general election.
Christianity is profoundly queer
Salon
A provocative Pride Month essay in Salon makes the case that Christianity — in its theology, its history, and its radical ethics of love — is far queerer than its conservative political associations suggest. It’s the kind of argument that tends to make everyone uncomfortable, which might be the point.
Must-see LGBTQ TV: June premieres & returns!
GLAAD
GLAAD rounds up the month’s essential LGBTQ+ television, including queer-led premieres and returning favorites across streaming and broadcast — with highlights including Bowen Yang, Matt Rogers, House of the Dragon, The Vampire Lestat, and more. Consider this your viewing calendar for a very gay June.
This summer is packed with queer cinema releases — including a sapphic slasher
News Is Out
A bumper crop of queer films is heading to theaters this summer, from a sapphic slasher to romantic dramas and genre-defying comedies — giving audiences a wide range of queer stories on the big screen. Writer Dana Piccoli breaks down the must-sees and what to expect from each.
Kathy Hilton out as WeHo Pride’s Grand Marshal, title to remain empty this year
Los Angeles Blade
Kathy Hilton has stepped down as Grand Marshal Icon for the West Hollywood Pride Parade following community backlash over her social ties to Donald Trump and a gay slur allegation made by RHOBH castmate Erika Jayne, which Hilton denies. In a joint statement with the City of West Hollywood and parade organizers, all parties agreed the 2026 WeHo Pride Parade will not designate any Grand Marshal Icon honoree — while the weekend festivities themselves proceed as planned.
Inside the ‘toxic’ Queer Eye drama and what led to a ‘divide’ between the Fab Five
People
Karamo Brown is breaking his silence on years of behind-the-scenes tension among Queer Eye’s Fab Five, telling People that a sexual harassment complaint filed against him in the show’s first weeks of filming — later dismissed — “broke” the group before the show even aired. Brown, who skipped all press appearances for the show’s 10th and final season in January, says the toxicity was compounded by bullying from costars and unchecked bad behavior by production staff.
The Guardian
The Guardian’s annual Edinburgh Festival preview is out, and queer work is front and center — from a Bowie-powered gay fantasia to shows exploring gender, desire, and the outer edges of contemporary life. Essential reading for anyone heading to Edinburgh this August or tracking where queer theatre is headed.
Celebrating the LGBTQ artists who changed music
OutSmart Magazine
A review of Mighty Real: A History of LGBTQ Music, 1969–2000 by music journalist Barry Walters — a sweeping account of the music made by and for LGBTQ people over three transformative decades and its enduring impact on popular culture. A good summer read for the musically inclined.