This Week In OUT: Aretha Franklin, Ken Dolls, and Wigstock's Return
| 08/17/18
Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, Has Died at 76
Aretha Franklin, whose powerful voice and blending of gospel and blues styling earned her the title "the Queen of Soul," has died at 76 according to a family statement. Read more here.
Transgender BYU Student Faces Possible Expulsion for Undergoing Top Surgery
Kris Irvin attends Brigham Young University, but is facing possible disciplinary action, even expulsion, if they choose to go through with their plan of having top surgery. Read more here.
Gay Porn Star Wesley Woods Attacked in WeHo Gay Bashing
Wesley Woods took to his social media to impart a cautious reminder to his queer followers to be vigilant, even in places they think they're safe. Read more here.
White House Memo Allows Federal Discrimination Against LGBTQ People
On Friday, the Department of Labor issued a directive that would allow federal contractors to discriminate based on religion. Read more here.
Track-by-Track Review: Ariana Grande’s 'Sweetener' Does Not Disappoint
The singer has moved on from the blatant, unapologetic themes from 2016's Dangerous Woman and settled into a soothing, infectious bliss. Read more here.
Sam Smith Facing Backlash After Michael Jackson Comments
An amiable weekend outing with Adam Lambert to Catalina Island is turning into a week of negative backlash after Sam Smith expressed his dislike towards the late Michael Jackson's music. Read more here.
Disney Casts Straight Actor in First Major Openly Gay Role
His character is described as "hugely effete, very camp, and very funny." Read more here.
This Cher and Madonna ‘Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!’ Mashup is the Gay Summer Bop of 2018
A Toronto-based artist, Alex Simpson, created the perfect mix of Cher singing "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" and Madonna's "Hung Up" from 2005, which samples the ABBA classic. Read more here.
Lady Bunny & Neil Patrick Harris are Bringing Back Wigstock!
Wigstock is coming back next month, aking place September 1 at the new rooftop of Pier 17. Read more here.
RuPaul Invites Leslie Jones On 'RPDR,' Jones Has Appropriate Reaction
Jones recently appeared on Access where the hosts had a special surprise video for her from RuPaul. Read more here.
Pearl Reveals RuPaul Made Her Feel 'Broken' On 'RPDR'
According to Pearl, it was an encounter with RuPaul himself that left her feeling disenchanted before filming had even begun. Read more here.
Is Willam Spoiling 'All Stars 4'?
Season four alum, Willam Belli recently took to the Instagram comments with a clue about Ru's emotional outburst in the upcoming season. Read more here.
Courtney Charles' Sexy 'Ken' Photo Series Deconstructs Gay Stereotypes
Courtney Charles' Ken photo series offers a hyper-realistic ideal of male beauty standards. Read more here.
50 Photos Capturing the Shape-Shifting, Mostly Naked, Mostly Male Body
Mike Esperanza's organic approach to photography captures the body in its shape-shifting form. Read more here.
Stuart Sandford Gets Intimate with 'Pictures' Polaroid Series (NSFW)
Real moments of intimacy are photographed in all their beauty and ugly truth in Stuart Sandford's Pictures polaroid series. Read more here.
Director Jim Fall Talks 'Trick 2' and 20 Years Since the Original
We caught up with Fall to chat about Trick's legacy and what's in store for the sequel. Read more here.
Challenging Gender Norms With Mark Kanemura & Aaron Jay Young
Mark Kanemura went viral over pride month with his colorful "Cut To The Feeling" dance videos that caught on all around the world. Read more here.
Cover Exclusive: The Faces of Fall
Casey Cott, Anthony Ramos, and Amandla Stenberg cover the September issue of Out. Read more here.
