Table of contents for July/August 2022 in OUT

There is a photograph that my partner loves to show others at parties. It’s from March 2011, when we began dating. In it, we’re fresh-faced and smiling, leaning close to one another in a brightly lit art gallery. My hair was short (it’s long now). It looks like us, but different versions of us. “Babiesff” is one typical response to the image. And indeed, we look younger, but also new, if that makes sense. We took another photograph on our anniversary in 2020. We’re seated a few feet from one another at Hunters in Palm Springs, California, on a trip we had planned for the occasion. “Social distancing,” read the caption on social media — a not-so-great joke about the then-new health recommendations tied to the growing pandemic. By the…

FARREN FUCCI DR. ONI BLACKSTOCK Out launched in the summer of 1992. And when it came to the cover, editors had quite the issue to solve. “It was really hard to figure out what to do,” says Michael Go#, the first editor in chief. “We needed to communicate it was gay and lesbian, but if you put a gay and a lesbian together and it doesn’t have the right air it looks straight.” The final result was casting a female model (credited as Jane from Click Agency) and painter Tom Ward, who was then a bartender, making kisses at the camera in a way that would read as approachable to the largest swath of people. Farren Fucci and Dr. Oni Blackstock, who are a part of this new reimagining, both…

In a now-iconic cover, Clea DuVall and Natasha Lyonne were our “Girls of Summer” for Out’s July 2000 issue. Then starring in the satirical cult classic But I’m a Cheerleader as two lesbian teens who’ve been sent to a conversion therapy camp, the two sent pulses racing. Now it’s singer Jada Michael (in pink pants) and allaround talent Bay Davis that are coming into focus. Michael had her first moment with her sexy hit “Freak” but is set to serve up another set of bops to soundtrack our summer. And Davis? Between her poetry, tattoos, activism, and everything else, you’re bound to see her throughout Pride season. Hair JENN LAGRON jennlagron.com @jennlagron Makeup ALANA WRIGHT alanawrightmakeup.com @alanawright Makeup Assistant JUSTIN LENTZ @justinlentz Stylist SHANNON STOKES @shannonlstokes Stylist Assistant ANNISAH MEDINAH…

Of Tom Ford’s three Out covers, November 2007 was undoubtedly his most controversial — and remains one of the most talked-about in our history, given the nudity of some of the interior shots. “You don’t work with Tom Ford. You work for him,” recalls Aaron Hicklin, editor in chief at the time. “In 2007 he was reentering the fashion world after crashing out at Gucci, and this cover was meant to convey the bruises and scratches he’d endured in the process — a fighter who was able to pick himself up and get back in the ring for another round.” While Serpentwithfeet may have bruises, they haven’t been showing as the singer fights his way into the music industry. With two albums out and a tour this fall, the performer…

When Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy covered our May 2018 issue, it became the mostliked cover on social media — and remained that way until our 2021 Out100. And for good reason: our “American Idols” were celebrating their friendship and historic year at the Olympics. Today, it’s multihyphenates Nyle DiMarco and Chella Man who are celebrating. By making space for the deaf community and queer folks both in Hollywood and culture at large, they have become idols themselves. Hair CHARLIE LE MINDU charlielemindu.com @charlielemindu Hair Assistant JET KEEFE @jetkeefebeauty Makeup LARAMIE laramiemakeup.com @laramiemakeup Makeup Assistant ARPITA BRAHMBHATT Stylist RASAAN WYZARD @monsieur_wyzard Stylist Assistant MELINDA GRIFFITH…

“My first issue of Out, as editorial director, was produced during a crazy time! I was editor in chief of The Advocate when our publisher bought Out. For months, I was straddling two jobs while most of the original Out staff quit in a huff. I knew the first issue under new management had to be amazing. I believe it was, despite a circus of Page Six histrionics and late staffing miracles. We landed Dolce & Gabbana for their first cover story interview in an LGBTQ+ publication. The story was picked up worldwide. I hired Gregory Wein back to Out as fashion editor, and things took off. Fashion had not been an area of great interest to me before Out, but I immediately fell madly in love with the art…

To understand Out and its legacy today, you have to understand LGBTQ+ media history. In professor Rodger Streitmatter’s 1995 book Unspeakable: The Rise of the Gay and Lesbian Press in America, he wrote that our earliest queer publications (including The Advocate), were “written and edited by the same women and men who organized and marched in the picket lines” and “those publications of the mid-1960s articulated the political philosophy that fueled the new defiance. The publications of the era directed this dramatic change from conforming to the dictates of society to building a national gay community with values often in conflict with those of heterosexual America — and proudly so.” As our world went from the “g ay” community to one that reflects the real diversity of the LGBTQ+ world…

Facial brightening and lightening of dark spots have been a trending hot topic that produces billions in consumer sales. While this phenomenon isn’t particularly new, science and technology have effectively caught up to this ageold dilemma. Masks and “maskne” (acne caused by masks) have made “un-spotting” a year-round necessity, and the problem is serious enough that it has left many not leaving the house for days — me very much included. This quest for clear, unmarked skin has also been wrongfully confused with skin “bleaching,” which generally brings thoughts of an all-over, head-to-toe skin pigment lightening. Rock on if this is you. Today we’re focusing on hyperpigmentation, or dark spots often caused from erupted pimples or shaving over them, ingrown hairs, razor nicks, and menstrual cycles, coupled with blue light…

There’s just something about a cowboy. The sensuality is undeniable. Maybe it’s the hat? Or the attitude. Perhaps the way the wide-open road weathers you. Or the haunted resilience? You look into those eyes and can’t help but wonder what they’ve seen. The bootjean combo? Or maybe it’s the fearlessness, the willingness to go down the path less trodden. Cowboys are just sexy. “There is something very gay about the imagery of it,” country star Orville Peck says. “I mean, chaps and cowboy hats are definitely something you see in daddy bars and Pride parades.” And he would know. The yeehaw agenda, featuring the Old West aesthetic, has become a trend in pop culture over the past few years. Celebrities like Cardi B and Diplo have brought the hats and…

When the groundbreaking Queer as Folk came stateside for a new iteration, there was much fuss about whether it would have all of the nudity of the original. Instead of going that route, we celebrated Showtime’s version on our December 2000 cover, putting the cast in fall fashion as opposed to undressing them. Two-Spirit Indigenous couple Sean Snyder and Adrian Matthias Stevens (in jacket) know the importance of dressing, making their regalia by hand to perform and compete on the powwow circuit. Hair JENN LAGRON jennlagron.com @jennlagron Makeup ALANA WRIGHT alanawrightmakeup.com @alanawright Makeup Assistant JUSTIN LENTZ @justinlentz Stylist SHANNON STOKES @shannonlstokes Stylist Assistant ANNISAH MEDINAH…

Kylie Minogue’s August 2010 cover was a departure. While she wasn’t a mainstream name for American audiences, she had a loyal base of queer fans. “What makes this cover striking is the fact that Kylie has her mouth wide open and the eyes closed, suggesting a moment of sheer delirium,” Hicklin says. “Editors are told that cover subjects should be looking directly at the camera to create engagement with the reader, but we loved the energy of this shot and the beautiful graphic architecture of her hands cradled around her face with that fabulous halo of hair.” Model, producer, and activist Jari Jones is living in that euphoria. Jones has made history multiple times over in fashion and in Hollywood — the expression of joy on her cover is not…

Nyle DiMarco is a teacher. He is. It’s something he’s wanted to be for a long time. Yes, he did make history when he won America’s Next Top Model cycle 22, and he did go on to win Dancing With the Stars season 22 after that. It’s also true that he walked the Oscars red carpet this year as a nominated producer for his Netflix documentary Audible. But at his core, the 6-foot-2, steely blue-eyed beauty is a teacher. And he went to college to do just that. “After America’s Next Top Model, I actually was planning on going back to teaching math,” he says in a phone call through an interpreter. And teach he has, though math has not been the subject. In the span of a few years,…

Diesel and the Tom of Finland Foundation have joined forces in creating artful apparel. The clothing company, known for its designer jeans, has released a new capsule collection emblazoned with the work and signature of the famed Finnish artist, whose homoerotic drawings have influenced queer culture for decades. The capsule collection includes underwear, jackets, tote bags, shirts, socks, and accessories. It also showcases the work of other queer artists influenced by Tom, such as Florian Hetz, Silvia Prada, Palanca, Tank, Heather Benjamin, Peter Berlin, and Michael Kirwan. Additionally, as part of the collaboration, over 70 LGBTQ+ artists from the ToF archive were featured in an “AllTogether” exhibition staged internationally throughout Pride Month. These pieces, co-curated with the Community art collective, are usually shown at the Tom of Finland House in…

Lea DeLaria has never been afraid of grabbing the mic — and the spotlight. She was the first out gay comedian to do so on American late-night television, in 1993 with an appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show. And she’s been going ever since. Our March 1998 cover celebrated her as “Hollywood’s Latest Lesbian Love Interest.” At the time, she was headed to Broadway with the musical On the Town and was just off from making two films. In this re-creation, it’s “Lesbian Jesus” Hayley Kiyoko grabbing the world’s attention. Similarly unabashed about her sexuality, in a moment when sapphics are leading culture more than ever, she is one of the internet’s most beloved stars. And with her sophomore album, Panorama, out in July and a tour kicking off in…

At one time, Out’s Swimsuit Issue was an annual staple. Year after year, you could count on seeing the sexy, generally skimpy styles of the season stretched across bodies that represented a very specific sector of the community, as seen in this February 2006 version. And though we retired it, Dexter Mayfield is taking us back. A judge on the CBS competition show Come Dance With Me, Mayfield has fashioned himself into a star, walking runways for brands like Rihanna’s Fenty and dancing for the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Katy Perry. And now he brings that same confidence to Out. Hair JENN LAGRON jennlagron.com @jennlagron Makeup ALANA WRIGHT alanawrightmakeup.com @alanawright Makeup Assistant JUSTIN LENTZ @justinlentz Stylist SHANNON STOKES @shannonlstokes Stylist Assistant ANNISAH MEDINAH…

You want to talk about power? Beyoncé is unparalleled. In a coup, Out secured an exclusive interview for our May 2014 Power issue, beating out even The New York Times. “Getting Beyoncé for Out felt like an endorsement of the magazine’s place as a cultural force, and while she did not identify as queer, there was no question that she resonated in the lives of queer people, as Madonna had a generation earlier. She was an outsider who had worked to make her success,” Hicklin says. “That she’d done so without compromise was — is — simply inspiring.” And she’s not the only one. As arguably the most renowned Beyoncé impersonator, Miss Shalae knows how to hold a room. She astounded Beyoncé herself in a moment that’s been immortalized in…

The traditional 30th anniversary gift is the pearl, which symbolizes wisdom. For three decades now, Out has covered LGBTQ+ culture. Along the way, we’ve shared a little wisdom and gained it from you as well, dear reader. Together, we’ve earned experience from the battles we’ve lost and those we’ve won — and what an invaluable gift for the fight ahead. Thanks for staying with us in the journey.…