Queer Vulturing
August 13, 2026
A curated roundup ofqueernews, politics, culture, entertainment and sportsyou might have missedfrom the past day.
CBS correspondent Tom Hanson’s beach report becomes an unexpected thirst moment
Queerty
A routine CBS Mornings report about shark sightings took a detour when Gayle King and Nate Burleson noticed correspondent Tom Hanson’s gym work and persuaded him to flex on camera. Queerty, naturally, documented the moment and Hanson’s Provincetown photos for posterity.
Why rumors about Lindsey Graham’s sexuality followed him for decades
Snopes
“To the extent that it matters, I’m not gay,” the late U.S. senator once told TMZ.
The 21 most sexually liberal cities in the world for LGBTQ+ people
The Advocate
This is where you can get your freak on in queer-friendly places. What more could you ask for.
Federal judge dismisses Minnesota lawsuit challenging Trump administration’s anti-trans stance
LGBTQ Nation
A federal judge dismissed Minnesota’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s position on transgender students and school sports. The ruling means the state will have to pursue its effort to protect trans students through another legal route.
Democratic congressman apologizes after trans-rights meeting erupts
LGBTQ Nation
Rep. Eugene Vindman apologized after a tense meeting with transgender Democrats over his voting record deteriorated into profanity and ended with him walking out. The confrontation underscores growing friction inside the Democratic Party over votes affecting trans people.
Republican-linked ‘local news’ sites raise questions about political misinformation
Queerty
A network of websites presenting themselves as local news outlets in swing states is drawing scrutiny over politically slanted and apparently AI-generated material. The episode adds another wrinkle to the increasingly murky border between campaigning, content farms and journalism.
Lilly Wachowski says Hollywood won’t finance her thriller with an all-trans cast
PinkNews
Lilly Wachowski says financiers have balked at backing her roughly $10 million dystopian thriller The Hunted because of its “wall-to-wall trans cast.” She recently staged a live table read in Los Angeles while looking for alternative ways to move the project forward.
Noah Schnapp will make his stage debut in London
PinkNews
Stranger Things star Noah Schnapp is headed to the theater, making his stage debut in the new drama Affluenza at Riverside Studios. The play, set among the ultra-wealthy in the Hamptons, runs September 26 through November 21.
RSC postpones Sharon D Clarke’s groundbreaking Othello
PinkNews
The Royal Shakespeare Company has postponed its production of Othello starring Sharon D Clarke while the acclaimed actor begins cancer treatment. The production had attracted attention for casting the Black lesbian performer in Shakespeare’s title role.
Neil Patrick Harris recalls feeling pressured to come out by the celebrity-blog era
PinkNews
Neil Patrick Harris has revisited the circumstances surrounding his 2006 coming out, saying gossip bloggers had made his sexuality a target. His recollection offers a revealing snapshot of how dramatically celebrity culture and the politics of coming out have changed in two decades.
James Haven describes the secret codes closeted gay men used in Hollywood
PinkNews
Actor and producer James Haven, Angelina Jolie’s brother, says closeted gay men in Hollywood once relied on assistants, coded invitations and carefully orchestrated exits to arrange discreet meetings. The story arrives as Haven speaks more openly about his own sexuality and Hollywood’s culture of secrecy.
Andy Cohen confronts Hacks co-creator Paul W. Downs over a joke at his expense
Entertainment Weekly
Andy Cohen used Paul W. Downs’ visit to Watch What Happens Live to ask why Hacks took a swipe at him during its final season. Meg Stalter jumped into the exchange, saying she had warned Downs not to use Cohen’s name in the joke.
Garrett Williams turns musical-theater training into raunchy queer comedy
Queerty
Comedian Garrett Williams talks about Heavy Naturals, the debut EP from Garrett & The Bad Boys, and the musical-comedy influences behind it. The record mixes queer nightlife, musical-theater chops and deliberately ridiculous songs, with a release show set for New York’s Night Club 101.
Eurovision names Burgas, Bulgaria, as its 2027 host city
PinkNews
Eurovision will head to the Black Sea coast next year, with Burgas selected to host the 2027 song contest after DARA’s historic win for Bulgaria. It will be the first time Bulgaria has hosted the famously queer-beloved international spectacle.
Three of the WNBA’s top four teams are coached by out gay women
Outsports
Cheryl Reeve, Becky Hammon and Stephanie White are leading three of the WNBA’s four highest-ranked teams. Outsports looks at the remarkable concentration of openly LGBTQ leadership at the top of the league.
Eleven out LGBTQ stars bring extra Pride to the Women’s Hockey World Cup
Outsports
The Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup includes at least 11 publicly out LGBTQ players, including Belgian teammates and partners Charlotte Englebert and Emma Puvrez. The field also includes prominent queer athletes from the Netherlands, United States, Germany, England and Spain.
Readers rank their favorite LGBTQ+ travel destinations
GayCities
GayCities has unveiled a reader-driven list of favorite LGBTQ+ destinations, mixing major queer capitals with beach escapes and cities rich in LGBTQ history. It is a lighter end-of-summer counterpoint to the day’s harder political news, and a useful snapshot of where queer travelers want to go now.