Queer singer David Archuleta celebrated the 35th anniversary of George Michael‘s legendary “Freedom! ’90” by releasing a cover—but, for the American Idol alum, the song is a statement that speaks to his lease on life, new music and upcoming memoir, according to Queerty, citing Ladygunn. “I did not relate to [George Michael] growing up,” Archuleta said. “He’s singing about, ‘I want your sex,’ and ‘I got to have faith.’ I was like, that’s sacrilegious. … [Michael] was like, ‘I guess that was enough for me.’ But then he realized there’s so much more missing because I’m not being authentically myself.” Archuleta added that the song was a way to “pay homage to [Michael’s] legacy” and thank him for “helping me feel seen even 35 years later,” it’s also been a source of inspiration.”
The revival of Sunset Boulevard starring Nicole Scherzinger will officially close July 13, according to Playbill. The show first opened in London’s West End at the Savoy Theatre on Oct. 12, 2023 before quickly transferring to Broadway; Jamie Lloyd’s minimalist production won seven Oliviers last year, including one for the director and the top prize of Best Musical Revival. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Sunset Boulevard (with a book and lyrics by Don Black and Christopher Hampton) is based on the 1950 Billy Wilder movie of the same name that featured Gloria Swanson and William Holden.
Singer-songwriter, pianist and producer Mike Maimone is set to release “On My Way,” the first single from his LP Guess What? I Love You, on March 7, according to a press release. The song holds deep personal significance, as it was originally written as a voicemail to his late husband—renowned PR guru Howard Bragman—during their long-distance courtship. Following Bragman’s passing, Maimone released Borrowed Tunes, Vol. 2: Songs for You, an album of covers that held deep meaning for the couple; Maimone performed three sold-out release shows in Los Angeles, New York and Chicago, donating all proceeds to The Trevor Project.
On March 16, RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! will reach its 1,000th show—and WOW Presents Plus will broadcast it LIVE from Las Vegas as a stand-alone special, according to a press release. Set to perform in the 1,000th-show special are the residency’s current cast members—Asia O’Hara, Ginger Minj, Jaida Essence Hall, Kylie Sonique Love, Morphine Love Dion and Plane Jane—alongside surprise special guests. WOW Presents Plus is additionally set to premiere the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live! Untucked on April 16, with the reigning winner of RuPaul’s Drag Race’s season 16, Nymphia Wind, joining the cast.
Grammy®, Tony® and Emmy® winner and multi-Academy® Award nominee Cynthia Erivo (Wicked) released the solo single “Replay,” out now via Verve Records/Republic Records, per a press release. The song, co-written with Justin Tranter, marks her first solo release since 2021. According to the release, “The track is built off of Cynthia’s peerless vocal harmonies, with multiple layers of her voice being combined into a sound that is as striking as it is singular.”
Also regarding Erivo, she will headline the WorldPride 2025 Saturday night Street Festival and Concert on the Capitol Stage following the parade on June 7, according to a press release. Taking place June 7-8 on Pennsylvania Avenue, the hallmark WorldPride event will feature a mix of local artists, DJs and performers alongside the biggest names in entertainment, and will culminate with the Closing Ceremony event. “As the culminating event for the parade, the Saturday night concert will be an extraordinary moment of unity, celebration, and visibility for our global LGBTQ+ community,” said Ryan Bos, executive director of the Capital Pride Alliance, host of WorldPride 2025. “Cynthia Erivo’s powerful artistry and unwavering advocacy make her the perfect artist to headline this momentous event.”
Gregory Maguire—the gay author of the novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, upon which the musical Wicked is based—recently talked with The National Catholic Reporter, according to New Ways Ministry. He discussed he ongoing impact of Wicked, the intersections of faith and sexuality, and silence and storytelling, especially when it comes to the stories of LGBTQ+ Catholics. In part, he said, “I grew up in a progressive enough circle that the consideration of any kind of sexuality, even straight sexuality, was presented as a potential gift. It could also be a potential temptation, but it was a potential gift.” Maguire added, “I was asking people to think: How would you identify something as evil? If somebody down the street does something, how quickly would you say that’s wicked, that’s evil? And what would you mean by that?”
National Black Justice Collective (NBJC) CEO and Executive Director Dr. David J. Johns issued a statement in recognition of Paul Tazewell making Oscars history as the first Black man and first Black same-gender loving (SGL) man to win Best Costume Design, for his work in Wicked, a press release noted. Johns said, “Paul Tazewell’s historic Oscar win is more than just a well-deserved honor—it is a powerful affirmation that Black LGBTQ+/same-gender loving (SGL) creatives belong and thrive in every industry. His artistry, spanning Broadway to Hollywood, has made breakthroughs in storytelling through costume design, ensuring that our community and its excellence are seen and celebrated on the world’s biggest stages.” He added, “With an Emmy, a Tony, and now an Oscar, Tazewell’s achievements remind us that when barriers fall, brilliance can shine through. NBJC celebrates this moment, not just as history made, but as inspiration for future generations of Black SGL artists who deserve opportunities, and to be recognized and honored for their work.”
Academy Award winner Al Pacino is set to join the upcoming hostage thriller Dead Man’s Wire, which out gay Oscar nominee Gus Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho) will direct, according to Deadline. Pacino will join a cast that includes Bill Skarsgard, Dacre Montgomery, Myha’la, Cary Elwes and gay two-time Oscar nominee Colman Domingo. Pacino most recently starred in Knox Goes Away.
Queer rapper Doechii recently discussed her road to stardom and the meaning behind her stage name, according to PinkNews. Born Jaylah Ji’mya Hickmon, Doechii previously told Vulture that she decided “to become someone new” after being bullied, writing: “I am Doechii,” in her diary. “It just came to me: Jaylah might’ve been getting bullied but I decided Doechii wouldn’t stand for that shit. My whole attitude was different. It stuck.” She came out publicly in 2022 during an interview with GQ, saying that she hadn’t always felt comfortable being out or talking about her sexuality.
Bridesmaids director Paul Feig announced that he and his wife, Laurie, pledged $300,000 to The Trevor Project, Trans Lifeline and It Gets
Better—nonprofits that advocate and provide support services for young queer people, according to The Advocate. “In recent weeks we have witnessed the dismantling of crucial protections for the health and safety of the LGBTQ+ community and, particularly, the transgender community,” Feig told Variety. “I can’t sit idly by and watch as my friends, colleagues and the LGBTQ+ community as a whole—our fellow citizens—are stripped of their rights.”
Season two of the longtime British show Doctor Who—starring queer actor Ncuti Gatwa—will debut April 12, Variety noted. Gatwa’s will be joined by new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu), as well as the first season’s Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). LGBTQ+ actor/reality-show host Alan Cumming is set to guest star in the season’s second episode as Mr. Ring-a-Ding—a “happy, funny, singalong cartoon who lives in Sunny Town with his friend Sunshine Sally,” a press release stated.
Emilia Pérez surprised some by winning best film and director, among other prizes, at the 50th edition of the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, in Paris, Variety reported. The film earned seven awards (also including best adapted screenplay, sound, original music, special effects and cinematography) out of 12 nominations. While Zoe Saldana and Karla Sofía Gascón were both present and were nominated for best actress (although they sat near each other but didn’t speak in the wake of Gascon’s controversy), they lost to Hafsia Herzi, who starred as a prison supervisor in Stéphane Demoustier’s Borgo. Other highlights included the presence of Catherine Deneuve on stage as ceremony president who paid tribute to Ukraine; and an honorary tribute to Julia Roberts.
Queer horror icon Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, recently made her thoughts about Elon Musk known, according to LGBTQ Nation. In one video, Peterson showed that she had the phrase “Elon Sux” written on the side of her silver Tesla. In her post’s caption, she mocked Musk by listing out her five-point answer to the question, “What did you do last week?” She wrote, “What did you do last week?: 1: Woke up, 2: Brushed my teeth, 3: Signed autographs; 4: Your mom; 5: Got a new paint job on my Tesla!” In a second video, Peterson wears sunglasses, a chain necklace and a black cap that reads “Make America Goth Again”—a shot at the black “Make America Great Again” cap that Musk has worn during recent public appearances.
In the wake of anti-trans attacks from President Trump, actor Pedro Pascal—who’s been an outspoken LGBTQ+ advocate for years and a staunch supporter of his trans sister, Lux—took to Instagram to post a message of support for trans people, Them noted. Pascal’s post contained a photo of a poster reading “A world without trans people has never existed and never will.” He added the comment, “I can’t think of anything more vile and small and pathetic than terrorizing the smallest, most vulnerable community of people who want nothing from you, except the right to exist.”
Book Riot released its list of 11 must-read new queer books that are out this month. A few include Harriet Tubman: Live in Concert, by Bob the Drag Queen (out March 25); Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories, by Torrey Peters (out March 11), about a group of lumberjacks who plan a dance that requires some of them to volunteer to dance as women; Liquid: A Love Story, by Mariam Rahmani (out March 11); Homegrown Magic, by Jamie Pacton and Rebecca Podos (out March 11); and We Are Villains, by Kacen Callender.
Grammy-nominated soul musician Angie Stone—who first rose to fame in the 1980s with the South Carolina trio the Sequence—died in a van accident while traveling from Alabama, Spin reported. Stone went on to join another R&B trio, Vertical Hold, before signing to Arista Records, which released her debut solo effort, Black Diamond, in 1999. Her hit singles included “No More Rain (In This Cloud),” “Wish I Didn’t Miss You” and “Brother.” Stone, 63, is survived by her son, Michael D’Angelo Archer II, whom she shared with fellow singer D’Angelo.
David Johansen—the singer and last surviving member of the glam and pre-punk band the New York Dolls who later performed as his campy, pompadoured alter ego, Buster Poindexter—has died at 75, NBC New York noted. It was revealed recently that he had stage four cancer and a brain tumor. Two years ago, Johansen was the subject of Martin Scorsese and David Tedeschi’s documentary Personality Crisis: One Night Only, which mixed footage of his two-night stand at the Café Carlyle in January 2020 with flashbacks through his career and intimate interviews.
The NFL is sticking with its roster of openly gay cheerleaders, according to Eurweb, citing Outsports. NFL teams (about a quarter of them, to be specific) have included male cheerleaders in their squads—although the fact that they’re male does not automatically mean that they’re part of the LGBTQ+ community. The Carolina Panthers, L.A. Rams, Super Bowl champ Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots are currently the only teams with male cheerleaders, with the Rams featuring seven guys on their cheer squad. (There are 18 men altogether.)
Athlete Derrick Gordon announced his retirement from professional basketball on Instagram on March 1, per Instinct. Gordon—who was not selected in the 2020 NBA Draft—made gay history in 2014 when he came out as gay to the public, ultimately becoming the first out professional athlete on the court. Gordon was a shooting guard for a number of college teams, including the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers, the UMass Minutemen and the Seton Hall Pirates. He also played basketball professionally overseas as seen with Römerstrom Gladiators Trier in Germany, and Apollon Limassol in Cyprus.
Emmy-winning media company World of Wonder plans to unveil a second season of the original series Slaycation, and production is already underway in Alberta, Canada, per a press release. The lineup of drag performers will include Alyssa Edwards, Miss Fiercalicious, Nicky Doll, Silky Nutmeg Ganache, Tessa Testicle and Xana. The first season is streaming now on WOW Presents Plus in the United States and select territories. The show follows six queens from across the international Drag Race family as they vacation together at a Canadian winter cabin.
Indiana Gov. Mike Braun is tasking his wife, First Lady Maureen Braun, with keeping the state’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library program (which provides free books every month to children from birth to age 5) alive, according to WFYI. Both the governor’s budget proposal and the version approved by House Republicans eliminate that funding—about 0.013 percent of the state budget. In a statement, Maureen Braun said she’s confident she and the state’s strong community partners will find a solution.
Singer Buffy Sainte-Marie—whose Indigenous lineage has been called into question, said she has returned her Order of Canada “with a good heart” and restated that she never claimed to be Canadian, according to Variety, citing the Canadian Press. In her first comment since she was stripped of the award in February, Sainte-Marie, 84, said that she is a U.S. citizen and holds a U.S. passport, but was adopted as a young adult by a Cree family in Saskatchewan. An Oscar-winning songwriter and Canadian Music Hall of Fame inductee, Saint-Marie has for decades been associated with the struggles of Native Americans and is known for the anti-war song “Universal Soldier.” No specific reason for the termination was stated, but an investigation by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Fifth Estate show claims that Sainte-Marie fabricated her Indigenous heritage.
In the UK, Olivia Rodrigo, the 1975 and Neil Young will headline this year’s Glastonbury Festival on June 27-29, Variety noted. They join Rod Stewart, who was previously announced to be playing the event’s prestigious legends slot. Some of the other names slated to perform include Wet Leg, queer rapper Doechii, Raye, The Prodigy, Charli XCX, Alanis Morissette, Noah Kahan, Busta Rhymes, Japanese Breakfast and Weezer.
Actor Armie Hammer has opened up about his past sexual experiences in a new episode of his podcast, Armie HammerTime—including the time he experimented with another man, Queerty noted. While talking with guest Dani Cruz—who said she confirmed her heterosexuality after hooking up with another woman—Hammer revealed that he once sexually experimented with another guy. “I tried hooking up with a dude one time uh, and it was hilarious ’cause I was like, ‘You know what? Like, women are the worst. Like gay dudes seem to have it so easy,’” he said. He went on to suggest gay guys can easily have quick sexual encounters because of hook-up apps, adding that his own same-sex encounter didn’t arouse him at all.
Joe Exotic—who rose to fame from his role as the titular individual in Netflix’s docuseries Tiger King—is begging Donald Trump not to deport his fiance, Jorge Marquez Flores, according to LGBTQ Nation. “They took him away from me today to deport him 2 days before my birthday,” Exotic, a vocal supporter of Trump, wrote on Instagram. Exotic is serving a 21-year sentence on charges related to animal abuse and attempting to hire a hitman to kill animal-rights activist Carole Baskin; Marquez Flores was serving time for immigration-related issues in the same Texas federal prison. Earlier this year, Exotic posted on social media that Trump “forgot” him, referring to how Trump pardoned or commuted the sentences of more than 1,500 criminals on his first day in office, but not Exotic.
Gay pornographic actor/entrepreneur Tim Kruger, known legally as Marcel Bonn, has reportedly died, according to PinkNews. In a post shared on social media and on the porn website TimTales, which Kruger founded in 2009, his partner confirmed that the “sweet, caring” actor had died in a “tragic accident” at his home. Kruger, who was born in Dusseldorf, Germany, was 44. The reference to Kruger’s partner suggests that the author is his longtime partner, Grobes Geraet.
Charli XCX’s Brat was named British Album of the Year at the 45th Brit Awards at London’s O2 Arena, where she also won British Artist of the Year, Best Dance Act and Songwriter of the Year, as well as Song of the Year for her and Billie Eilish’s “Guess,” per Deadline. Other winners at this year’s ceremony, hosted by Jack Whitehall, included Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Stormzy and Ezra Collective, among others. In addition, the late singer Liam Payne was honored with a tribute.
It looks increasingly unlikely that the Grammy-winning duo Hall & Oates will ever perform again, according to Deadline. Talking with The Times of London, Daryl Hall was asked about the possibility of a reunion with now-ex-partner John Oates. He replied, “That ship has gone to the bottom of the ocean. I’ve had a lot of surprises in my life, disappointments, betrayals, so I’m kind of used to it. I’ve been involved with some pretty shady characters over the years. That’s where the problems start.” The duo—who had hits like “Maneater” and “Kiss on My List”—sold 60 million records and earned 16 U.S. Top Ten singles at their peak.