Queer Vulturing
August 24, 2026
Just why did Derek Chadwick resign from heading the dating app Goose? Queers name their favorite comics. Secretly queer British football players emerges after 45 years. And Sam Smith gets sexy in new video.
Dating App Cofounder Bails After Scandal Over Using Fake AI-Generated Influencers
Futurism
Derek Chadwick has stepped away from gay dating app Goose after reports that the company used fabricated AI-generated influencer personas to attract users. The controversy raises thorny questions about authenticity, consent and trust in queer online spaces.
When Federal Funding Is Used to Censor: National Queer Theater’s Fight for Artistic Freedom
BroadwayWorld
National Queer Theater won its challenge to the NEA’s “gender ideology” funding restriction, but the federal government is appealing. The case could have major consequences for queer and trans artists, arts organizations and the limits of government control over publicly funded expression.
Gays name their favorite queer comics, & one surprising name stands well above the rest
Queerty
Queerty surveys a lively online debate over the funniest LGBTQ+ comedians, with one unexpected favorite pulling well ahead of the pack. The results make for a quick tour through several generations of queer comedy.
VOD Catch-Up: We Are Pat is a Fun, Intelligent Ode to Queer Dissection
The Film Experience
Ro Haber’s documentary gathers queer comedians and cultural figures to reconsider Saturday Night Live’s famously ambiguous Pat. The film uses the character as a springboard for questions about gender identity, comedy, disability, appearance and the uneasy afterlife of 1990s pop culture.
The gay rugby player who feared rejection but got total support
Yahoo Sports
Newport rugby player Kyle Tayler-Woolston is speaking publicly about coming out after fearing how teammates and supporters might react. Instead, he says he received overwhelming support and hopes his experience offers a happier model for other closeted athletes.
Christian Styles, Metro Detroit Adult Performer, Dies at 29
Pride Source
Christian Styles, a gay adult performer and content creator with Michigan roots, has died at 29. His family confirmed that he died on August 20, prompting remembrances from friends, colleagues and followers.
Chaka Khan pushes back on ‘straight icon’ label: ‘How do you know what the f— I am?’
Entertainment Weekly
Chaka Khan objected when an interviewer described her as a straight icon for queer audiences, arguing that assumptions about her sexuality are nobody else’s business. The exchange is a tart reminder that even supposedly complimentary labels can become a form of unwanted categorization.
Jonathan Groff had excited reply when asked to front all-male As You Like It
PinkNews
Jonathan Groff is set to take on Rosalind in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s all-male As You Like It. The Tony winner’s enthusiastic response to the gender-bending casting adds another intriguing queer-theater project to his increasingly eclectic stage career.
Re-introducing Priyanka, Drag Race winner and now Heated Rivalry season 2 star
PinkNews
Canada’s Drag Race champion Priyanka is joining the second season of Heated Rivalry, expanding the queer hockey phenomenon’s cast. PinkNews offers a primer on the drag star’s career for viewers meeting her outside the Drag Race universe.
Dame Judi Dench and Sir Ian McKellen want people to be able to ‘live authentically as themselves’
PinkNews
Longtime friends Judi Dench and Ian McKellen discuss acceptance and the importance of allowing people to live authentically. Their conversation brings together two theatrical legends whose friendship and careers span decades of enormous social change.
Sam Smith’s new video is a sweaty and sultry, Western-inspired queer epic
Queerty
Sam Smith accompanies the release of fifth studio album Hazel Eyes with a new visual that turns Western imagery into a sweaty queer fantasy. It is another big, unapologetically theatrical entry in Smith’s increasingly adventurous visual catalog.
Enes Kanter Freedom ejected from WNBA game after wearing anti-trans T-shirt
PinkNews
Former NBA player Enes Kanter Freedom was removed from a WNBA game following a confrontation while wearing an anti-trans shirt. The incident became another flashpoint in the increasingly politicized debate over transgender participation in sports.
Five LGBTQ+ Democrats advance after winning Florida primaries
PinkNews
Five openly LGBTQ+ Democratic candidates advanced in Florida primary contests, adding to the number of queer candidates seeking office in a state that has been central to national battles over LGBTQ+ policy. Their wins now move them into the next stage of the 2026 election cycle.
Proposed Indian foreign funding law overhaul could further pressure LGBTQ+ groups
Los Angeles Blade
A proposed overhaul of India’s foreign-funding rules could make life more difficult for LGBTQ+ organizations that rely on overseas support. Advocates warn that tighter restrictions could further squeeze civil-society groups already operating in a challenging political environment.