Welcome to the Watering Hole

Welcome back to the chaos, bestie. This week’s roundup has everything: dystopian court rulings, towel-clad soft bros, techno-lesbian heartbreak, and Kathryn Hahn officially accepting her “Mother” status. We’ve got trans rights under attack (again), Coachella turned into a queer runway, and a 14-year-old directing Ian McKellen in a time-traveling gay history movie. Also, Ia concealer that actually works on smile lines—so, yes, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster.

• The UK Supreme Court just decided that trans women aren’t legally considered “women” under the Equality Act and it’s genuinely dystopian. Like, imagine weaponizing legal language to strip people of basic recognition and calling it “justice.” It’s dehumanizing, it’s exhausting, and it’s proof that trans rights are still on the chopping block in 2025. Solidarity with my trans siblings—this fight is far from over.

• When even a Trump official is like, “Yeah, Elon Musk is too annoying,” you know it’s bad. Like, it takes a special kind of behavior to irritate someone who worked for an entire administration built on chaos. Elon being the “most irritating” person in the room tracks—especially when the room is full of people who professionally ignore ethics.

• Emily Ratajkowski calling out Blue Origin for “single-handedly destroying the planet” is honestly the environmental activism I want: hot, direct, and pissed. Billionaires are launching themselves into space for vibes while the rest of us are trying to survive the pollen apocalypse. Go off, EmRata—drag them with cheekbones and climate facts.

• Gayle King’s terrified pre-launch face? Mood of the decade. That expression said “Why did I agree to this?” in 14 different dialects. The internet turned it into a meme in five seconds flat and honestly, same. I too would be contemplating all my life choices if Jeff Bezos strapped me to a rocket. She’s braver than me. Also, Gayle in our newsletter two weeks in a row? OK ICON!

• A scholarship inspired by SOPHIE has launched to support women, trans, and non-binary people studying music production, and I’m already emotional. SOPHIE changed the game and created space for so many of us, so a program like this feels like a perfect tribute. The music industry is still so cis-dude heavy, so anything that uplifts marginalized creatives? Needed. Beautiful. Transcendent. Just like her legacy.

• Conner Ives’ “Protect the Dolls” shirt has officially raised over $70K for Trans Lifeline and yes, fashion can save lives. Pedro Pascal and Troye Sivan repping it? Love. Community support wrapped in couture? Obsessed. The message is simple and powerful: protect trans people, uplift trans joy, and look cute doing it. Runway meets real impact. Let’s keep it going.

• Director Andrew Ahn just teased that a Fire Island sequel is being casually floated around with Joel Kim Booster—and honestly, work. He said it’d be like And Just Like That… but “gayer,” which is hilarious considering that show is already a drag brunch in heels. No official plans yet, but the gays are manifesting. I need more chaotic boat parties, messy hookups, and Bowen Yang monologues yesterday.

• Kathryn Hahn knows we call her “Mother” and she’s totally into it. In a conversation with Amy Poehler, she called it “sweet” and admitted she feels the cougary vibe. We’ve been knew. Kathryn has always served queer icon energy, and now that it’s officially sanctioned? It’s canon. Mother has spoken.

• Sir Ian McKellen is starring in Dragged Through Time, a queer history fantasy film directed by a 14-year-old, and honestly? That’s the plot twist I didn’t know I needed. It’s camp. It’s educational. It’s McKellen giving “time-traveling gay mentor” realness. I hope the movie has glitter, emotional monologues, and at least one scene with a disco ball.

• The gays are eating Black Mirror up again, this time for the new episode “Hotel Reverie” starring Emma Corrin and Issa Rae in a soft sci-fi queer romance. It’s giving San Junipero 2.0, it’s giving dreamy techno-lesbian heartbreak, and honestly? I will be crying into my LED strip lights about it for days.

• Bowen Yang did a hilarious SNL sketch mocking homophobes and somehow… they didn’t get the joke? Like, they thought he was on their side. The call is coming from inside the house, babes. The sketch was literally making fun of you. Bowen remains one of the few people who can read bigots for filth and go viral doing it. A legend.

• Ainsley Melham is starring in Boop! The Musical as the charming, shirtless, himbo love interest, and I am seated. The show is campy, joyful, and unapologetically queer-coded (Betty Boop in NYC? Come on). In the middle of so much mess in the world, a musical that just wants to spread joy is honestly the most radical thing you can do. Also, Ainsley talking about hope and happiness while looking like that? Mother knew what she was doing.

• Coachella 2025 was basically a gay desert runway. Everyone showed up shirtless, glowy, and in mesh. Dylan Mulvaney gave whimsical goddess, Johnny Sibilly brought the boyfriend content, and David Archuleta popped out like the sweet little surprise he is. Coachella might still be chaotic, but at least the fits were slutty and the gays were thriving.

• Dylan Efron is in a Sephora ad wearing nothing but a towel and telling us about how he used to be “pretty rough” on his face. I am now personally invested in this man’s skin barrier. He also shouted out the LGBTQ+ community for making him feel welcome, which is sweet and hot, and I forgive him for having perfect pores. It’s giving soft bro energy, and yes, I’d let him apply my serum.

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• TikTok is on fire right now with the “I’m bored, tell me when” trend where people comment their responses to the prompts. Some of our favorites are below — “tell me when you realized your man was secretly gay or DL” and “I wanna hear your most outrageous Grindr stories”. You HAVE to go directly to the comments because some of them are sending us into orbit 🤣🤣🤣

@thenaturalnadine

We need to know the signs bc it’s more common than we realize…ladies talk 🗣️🫶🏽❤️ #dl #downlow #fortheladies #fypシ #fyp #girltok

@averagelatwunk

#Inverted #fyp #lgbt #mlm #grindr

• OBSESSED with this concealer from Sarah Creal. This is the ONLY complexion product that does not settle into my deep smile lines. It’s very pricey but a little goes a long way. And the caffeine for your under eyes instantly brightens, depuffs, and makes me look awake even after zero sleep. Kinda like an eye cream and concealer in one.

Okay, bye.

So yeah—whether you’re rage-scrolling through dystopian headlines, crying over queer time-travel movies, or just trying to keep your under-eyes depuffed, we got you. The world may be a mess, but at least... actually, nevermind. Catch you next week for more drama, more joy, and more unhinged-but-important news. Until then, stay hot, stay loud, and don’t let the soft bros gaslight you.