Queer Vulturing
August 12, 2026
A curated roundup of queer news, politics, culture, entertainment and sports you might have missed from the past day.
Andrew Sa Expands the Cowboy Myth on American Rough
NCPR
Queer country artist Andrew Sa talks about the tension between who you are and who you fall in love with. He talks about love songs and the queer artists who’ve influenced him.
Angelina Jolie’s Brother James Haven Details Coming Out Journey, How Dad Jon Voight Reacted to News
Us Weekly
James Haven is speaking about coming out as gay and the reaction he received from his father, actor Jon Voight. The story adds a revealing family chapter to Haven’s public discussion of his sexuality.
People
Rosie O’Donnell revisits her 2002 coming-out and the public confusion created by her famously enthusiastic crush on Tom Cruise. She makes clear that the running joke never complicated her own understanding of being gay.
Them
Them examines the queer backlash to Nicholas Hoult joining HBO’s Harry Potter series as Gilderoy Lockhart. The piece places his casting within the continuing debate over participation in the franchise amid J.K. Rowling’s anti-trans activism.
Et Tu, Nicholas Hoult? Another ‘Ally’ Disappointingly Takes ‘Harry Potter’ Role
The More You Think About ‘One Night Only,’ The Harder It Is to Believe Gay People Would Be OK
Them
A new critique takes apart the world-building of the gay dystopian comedy One Night Only. The central question is deliciously basic: would an authoritarian government invasive enough to regulate sex really leave homosexuality alone?
Trump’s New Medicaid Rule Strips Care From Low-Income Families of Transgender Youth
The Advocate
A new Trump administration rule cuts federal Medicaid and CHIP funding for gender-affirming care for transgender minors. States now face decisions over whether and how to continue coverage without the federal money.
ACLU-SC to South Carolina Arts Commission: Respect the First Amendment
ACLU of South Carolina
The ACLU of South Carolina is challenging proposed restrictions that could affect arts grants involving LGBTQ+ themes. It argues that the state arts commission must judge applicants on artistic merit rather than viewpoint-based political requirements.
Gay Couple Shot & One Left in Critical Condition with Wound to the Head in Bizarre Road Rage Attack
LGBTQ Nation
Two straight men on an e-bike shouted slurs at the gay men in a car. Now one of the cyclists is facing an attempted first-degree murder charge
Mysterious Skin: One of the Great Movies of the Early 2000s
New York Times
Gregg Araki’s coming-of-age drama, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, tracks the story of two traumas with one source: a baseball coach.
The Caftan Chronicles
He’s had two novels since then and finds it hard to write, but admits he’s still had plenty of weird, uncanny events in his life to make more work possible.
Flanagan Beats Craig in Minnesota Senate Primary After Winning Key LGBTQ Endorsements
Washington Blade
Peggy Flanagan defeated Angie Craig in Minnesota’s Democratic Senate primary after drawing important LGBTQ+ organizational support. The result also highlights the ideological and coalition-building tensions shaping Democratic politics.
‘I’m Tougher and More Confident Since Signing Up for My Trans Rugby Team’
Outsports
A trans rugby player describes finding confidence and community through the TransManian Devils, a U.K. trans-specific rugby team. The story is a welcome sports counterpoint to the political battles that so often dominate coverage of transgender athletes.
I’m a Gay High School Soccer Coach in Rural America. I Was Afraid to Be Visible. Not Anymore.
Outsports
New Hampshire high school soccer coach Couper Gunn writes about retreating from LGBTQ+ visibility after becoming a coach. Success with his team helped persuade him that being openly gay and being an effective coach need not be competing identities.
El Pais
The creator of Queer as Folk, It’s a Sin and Years and Years has devised one of the year’s most talked-about series. ‘Set in a polarized Manchester, Tip Toe begins as a light comedy and ends in tragedy.
Bill Russell to Release Memoir Still, Bill: Gay Adventures From Cowboyland to Broadway
BroadwayWorld
Tony-nominated lyricist and librettist Bill Russell has written a memoir tracing his path from South Dakota to Broadway. The Side Show writer’s title promises a distinctly gay account of the life behind a long theater career.
High School Musical Stars Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini Are Engaged
Gay Times
Frankie Rodriguez and Joe Serafini, who met while working on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, have announced their engagement. Their on-set meeting has turned into one of Disney television’s happier real-life queer romances.
GLAAD
GLAAD and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation brought a discussion of Black storytelling to the Martha’s Vineyard African American Film Festival. The panel explored representation, cultural power and the need for stories that reflect the breadth of Black lives and communities.