Queer Vulturing
September 14, 2026
Meet the contestants of CRUSH HOUSE. Tennis star Mika Brunold acknowledges queer competitor in his coming out story. Pete Buttigieg says America is ready for a queer president. A revealing Orville Peck.
CRUSH HOUSE puts 10 queer creators under one roof
Instinct Magazine
The new reality competition CRUSH HOUSE gathers ten queer creators in a Mexican villa for challenges, alliances, eliminations and a $20,000 prize. Think influencer aquarium, only hotter and considerably more strategic.
Bob Mackie, legendary gay fashion and costume designer, dies at 87
Them
The designer who put Cher in feathers, Diana Ross in sequins and generations of stars into pure show-business fantasy has died at 87. Mackie’s clothes didn’t merely enter a room; they made an entrance, and queer visual culture owes him an enormous debt.
Turkey launches sweeping anti-LGBTQ raids
The Straits Times
Turkish police raided gay bars, LGBTQ organizations and activists’ homes across the country, detaining at least 60 people in a crackdown authorities linked to “traditional family values.” The raids followed government-requested blocks on the social-media accounts of more than a dozen LGBTQ organizations.
Virginia students win fight to restore their Gay-Straight Alliance
LGBTQ Nation
A Virginia school board that effectively banned middle-school clubs after students sought to form a Gay-Straight Alliance has reversed course following a federal lawsuit. The settlement is a small but satisfying civics lesson: if you abolish everybody’s club to keep queer kids from organizing, the Constitution may have something to say about it.
Two out gay men make pro tennis history by facing each other
Outsports
Swiss player Mika Brunold defeated Brazil’s João Lucas Reis da Silva in the first professional men’s tennis match between two openly gay players. Brunold won the ATP Challenger final in Tulln, Austria, but the larger victory was visibility in a sport where openly gay men remain exceedingly rare.
Mika Brunold thanks João Lucas Reis da Silva after historic all-gay tennis final
PinkNews
After the first professional men’s tennis final between two openly gay players, Mika Brunold thanked opponent João Lucas Reis da Silva for helping give him the courage to come out. It adds a lovely personal coda to a match already included in today’s roundup.
Democrats wrestle with transgender issues as the midterms approach
Associated Press
The AP examines a growing Democratic divide over transgender policy, particularly participation in school sports, as candidates calculate what will help or hurt them at the polls. Ed Markey’s Massachusetts primary victory offers a striking counterexample: he leaned into support for trans rights while defeating Seth Moulton.
Fire Island launches a film festival, with screenings, comedy and an underwear party
Queerty
The inaugural Grove & Pines Film Festival is bringing four features, 42 shorts, panels, comedy and an awards show to Cherry Grove and the Pines. Because this is Fire Island, naturally the programming also includes an Ice Palace underwear party and a closing pizza party.
Orville Peck hopes his new music gives LGBTQ+ listeners courage
People
Ahead of his album Mule, Orville Peck says his queer identity shapes the record’s unusually direct treatment of vulnerability, substance use and emotional numbing. He hopes that candor can give LGBTQ+ listeners courage and encourage people to check in on those who may be struggling quietly.
Graham Norton talks growing up gay, taking on Meta and getting a Taylor Swift wedding invite
The Times of London • PAYWALL
In a wide-ranging interview, Graham Norton looks back at growing up gay in rural Ireland, discusses his legal battle with Meta over AI deepfakes and reveals his surprise at being invited to Taylor Swift’s wedding. The interview is behind The Times paywall.
Alden Richards addresses years of gay rumors on Philippine television
Philstar
Philippine star Alden Richards confronted long-running speculation about his sexuality during the revived talk show Gandang Gabi Vice. He said the rumors can sometimes get on his nerves, while denying a story that he once punched someone for calling him gay.
Dustin Yu explains his exchange with a gay adult-content creator
ABS-CBN
Former Pinoy Big Brother housemate Dustin Yu is addressing online chatter about an earlier interaction with a gay adult-content creator on X. It is another reminder that queer-adjacent celebrity gossip now travels internationally at roughly the speed of a screenshot.
New York congressional candidate’s past BDSM modeling surfaces during campaign
New York Post
Chris Gallant, the Democratic nominee in New York’s 1st Congressional District, previously modeled BDSM and fetish gear for a San Francisco retailer. Gallant’s attorney said the images were consensual, personal and unrelated to his qualifications; Gallant has asked that the retailer remove them.
Global LGBTQ organizations warn U.S. funding cuts could be devastating
The Advocate
An Outright International survey finds LGBTQ organizations around the world reeling from lost U.S. foreign aid, with nearly 89 percent of respondents reporting cuts since January 2025. Many groups warn that the damage threatens basic services and, in some cases, their survival.
Pete Buttigieg says ‘of course’ America is ready for a gay president
NBC News / Meet the Press
Asked on Meet the Press whether the country is ready to elect a gay president, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg answered, “Of course,” noting that he would not have run in 2020 if he believed otherwise. He did not announce a 2028 campaign and said his current focus is the 2026 midterms.
Andrew Scott calls resistance to gay actors playing straight roles ‘just prejudice’
Variety
At TIFF, Andrew Scott discussed Elsinore, in which he plays the late gay actor Ian Charleson, and recalled fears that coming out could cost him heterosexual roles. Scott rejected the notion that audiences cannot accept gay actors as straight characters, calling that attitude prejudice.
Gay Big Brother housemate was married to ex-MP at center of lobbying scandal
PinkNews
New Big Brother housemate Harry Symonds, who describes himself as a “gay Christian,” was previously married to a former British MP who later resigned amid a lobbying scandal. A bit of Westminster history has wandered into the reality-TV house.
Peau d’homme turns a gender-swapping graphic novel into a queer musical fairytale
nss magazine
Léa Domenach’s Peau d’homme, adapted from the acclaimed graphic novel, gets an enthusiastic appraisal as a playful queer musical fairytale starring Pomme and Catherine Deneuve. The film closed the Giornate degli Autori section at Venice with gender, desire and identity very much in the spotlight.