Table of contents for March/April 2025 in OUT

Out provides more than trending topics and high-profile interviews. It can save lives. Just recently, our very own Marie-Adélina de la Ferrière shared her story — how, amid her transition, our sibling brand, The Advocate, became a beacon of hope in a world that often felt hostile. Since 1967, The Advocate has been the most trusted source for LGBTQ+ news. From Stonewall to the AIDS crisis, the fight for marriage equality, and now the battle for trans rights, we’ve been there — reporting the truth, amplifying voices, and ensuring our community is seen, heard, and valued. But we can’t do it alone. Independent journalism like ours relies on support from readers like you. Your contribution, regardless of size, helps us continue telling stories that inform, uplift, and empower LGBTQ+ lives.…

Paul Tazewell is having a moment, but that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been an iconic costume designer for theater, film, and television for more than three decades now. From Broadway’s Hamilton, In the Heights, and Death Becomes Her to working on films like Harriet (2019) and West Side Story (2021), Tazewell has seen his career leveled up further for his work making thousands of costumes for the two live-action Wicked movies directed by Jon M. Chu — earning his second Academy Award nomination for the first installment of Wicked this year. After praising directorial collaborators such as Steven Spielberg and Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tazewell describes Chu as “a very warm man [who] invites creative input as to how we’ll see the clothing, see each character, and then define what my role…

“I HAVE A RIGHT…TO MOVE THROUGH THE WORLD WITH THE SAME DIGNITY AND RESPECT AS EVERYBODY ELSE.” When the third season of Yellowjackets begins, teenage goalie Van Palmer (Liv Hewson) has surmounted many of the challenges that initially beset the characters of the hit Showtime drama. Following surviving a plane crash in the Canadian mountains, Van and the rest of her girls’ soccer team survive a killer winter, build new shelters, and hunt animals, not each other, for food. But one never knows what awaits in a show famous for deranged acts of violence, potentially supernatural forces, and twisting mysteries. While their life is far from that of a teenager stranded in the wilderness (although they were jokingly labeled a “notable carnivore” by family members as a kid), Hewson is…

So, uh, that happened. And to quote RuPaul’s Drag Race star Shea Coulée: “Why y’all acting brand new?” Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s literal playbook for the second Trump presidency, is starting to roll out, and erasing queer people is near the top of its to-do list. Have a stress cry about it, drink a glass of rosé on the porch, watch some Law & Order: SVU reruns, and when you’re ready, let’s get to work. I won’t sugarcoat it: Attacks against LGBTQ+ people will continue for a while in the current national political landscape. And as they occur, queer people should use their resources wisely to protect their physical and mental health. One of those resources is money. And I don’t mean that as throwaway retail therapy advice. (If…

As attacks on LGBTQ+ people rain from the federal level, the way forward seems hazy and perilous. Sometimes, it can feel safer to tune out and to rest on the sidelines while more marginalized groups are targeted. But I urge you to not to lose sight of the power of empathy, of being awake to the dangers that we not only personally face, but of those threatening the lives of others. This empathy is our strength. In our cover story with Luke Macfarlane, the Bros star also bemoans this cultural shift toward prizing the “brutal and tough and mean.” As he reminds us, “it doesn’t hurt you to be kind.” Though he often felt pressured to adopt a harsher form of masculinity in Hollywood, he resisted, and this principal of…

Heads up for feet first! Pampering men’s feet is an interesting body subculture that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. Thankfully, men’s salon pedicure services, targeted home tools, and self-care products are improving daily. Look, feet take a beating. Ailments to our long-suffering feet that make us move or walk irregularly can cause chain reactions on our posture, stamina, and systemic longevity — with that wear and tear showing up in the form of calluses, bunions, and tenderness. Keeping your feet clean, sanded, shaved, and moisturized is a big step toward a hassle-free foot future. Major advancements in foot wellness topicals can soothe hot and tired feet, provide relief from swelling, and promote circulation (and oxygenation). Your foot maintenance between those pedicure moments is crucial for scaling back rough, dry skin.…

For a kinkster, the upcoming International Mr. Leather is a beautiful event. Kinky folks of all stripes make lifelong friendships there and sometimes fall in love. But this year, one IML regular will not be present. Durk Dehner was removed as a judge of the world’s oldest leather gathering in January after photos of him wearing Nazi regalia circulated online. Following public outcry, Dehner stepped down from his role at the Tom of Finland Foundation, an organization he founded in 1984 with Touko Laaksonen, the original Tom of Finland — arguably the most famous gay erotic artist in history. Since its founding, ToFF has preserved Laaksonen’s art and legacy, and every year it supports emerging erotic artists, often giving them the career boost they need to find success, and many…

Candid and impassioned, U.S. House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi underscores the grave challenges facing LGBTQ+ Americans, particularly transgender individuals, amid the current political landscape. Her main message: The Democratic Party needs to stand 100 percent behind the queer community, and it needs to win in the upcoming midterms. With a mix of historical perspective and a call to urgent mobilization, Pelosi emphasizes the cruelty embedded in the policies targeting trans rights and health care access, drawing direct comparisons to past Republican attempts to dismantle social safety nets. Speaking from a place of personal understanding, she says, “Well, you know, I have a grandniece who is trans, and she’s scared to death. It’s just the saddest thing.” “Over my career, I’ve witnessed the progress the LGBTQ+ community has made in terms…

JENNIFER FINNEY BOYLAN’S new book about life as a transgender woman, Cleavage: Men, Women, and the Space Between Us, comes amid attacks on trans people from the White House and elsewhere. But Boylan didn’t write it with the ability to see into the future. “I’d like to say that I was trying to be prescient and aware of the perilous moment that we all find ourselves in here in the beginning of 2025,” Boylan says, “but to be honest, I’ve been working on this book for at least five years…. It just took me so long to get done that it’s coming out now as opposed to in some happier time.” In Cleavage, Boylan deals with topics including her life pre- and post-transition, the differences in how men and women…

In his exciting debut novel, I Make Envy on Your Disco, Tony-winning Broadway producer Eric Schnall (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Fleabag) takes us back to the early 2000s, following 37-year-old art advisor Sam Singer who’s feeling stifled by his partner and a predictable life in New York City. The story kicks into high gear when Sam flies to Berlin for a gallery opening, where he finds the once-divided city also going through its own sort of rebirth; past and present colliding and combining to create a palpable new energy. Over the course of a few days against the backdrop of Berlin’s graffiti-stained streets, candlelit cafés, and techno clubs, Sam contemplates his life and purpose. And of course, meets some interesting characters along the way — like “lonely wannabe DJ”…

SEEING SPOTS The leopard print is a tough fabric to confidently wear, even as a supplementary layer, but as outerwear – now that is a statement! Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana sent down leopard overcoats in tailored and oversized silhouettes, respectively. What bonds these two looks is the toned-down styling underneath – the casual denim with white tee (and a gold chain) plays down the strong leopard print and gives it a more accessible feel, whereas the white shirt/black tie styling plays it up, but doesn’t clash with the print. The new Lanvin (now helmed by the legendary ex-Nina Ricci designer, Peter Copping) show featured an oversized leopard coat paired with grey denim. MSGM and No. 21 (Numero Ventuno) decided to up the ante by a millimeter by combining…

talent LUKE MACFARLANE @ten_minutes_younger photographer JOHN RUSSO @johnrussophoto photography assistant KEN WALLER @kenwaller stylist WARREN ALFIE BAKER @warrenalfiebaker with THE WALL GROUP @thewallgroup grooming AYAE YAMAMOTO @ayaeyamamoto with EXCLUSIVE ARTISTS @exclusiveartists videographer ISABELLE PASSAGLIA @isabellepassaglia For his photo shoot with Out magazine, Luke Macfarlane had a checklist. He wanted to be outdoors. He wanted a shovel. And he wanted to get dirty — and wet. Consider those boxes checked. By the end of the shoot during an idyllic day in the Malibu woods, the Bros and Platonic star had dug a hole, submerged himself in a stream, and bared his torso — with a small team (including a stylist, reps, and videographer) hiking trails alongside for the outing. For the Canada native and nature lover, nostalgia helped guide his creative…

Say goodbye to your X. In response to the rise in hate and hostility in mainstream social media environments, VACAYA, the leading provider of all-LGBTQ+ cruises, is partnering with the MeetMeOnboard platform to create a safe and welcoming space to connect with fellow travelers on social media. Acknowledging “it was time to rethink how we help our guests connect,” CEO Randle Roper explains that the partnership with MeetMeOnboard “helps us achieve those goals, providing a focused, secure, and inclusive space where our guests can build meaningful connections before their trips even begin.” The new collaboration allows VACAYA travelers to connect on the innovative MeetMeOnboard platform before, during, and after their cruise. In the past, travelers linked on social media sites and platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. However, recent…

Whether it’s being shirtless or sporting some fierce spring fashion, there’s power in how we dress and present ourselves to the world right now. We hope the folks in these pages have inspired you to step out more boldly, bravely, and beautifully. As Jane Fonda said at the SAG Awards, these trying times are no “dress rehearsal.” So let’s seize that main stage and act up.…

Although Donald Trump recently prohibited trans people from updating their gender markers at the federal level, some Democratic states are making it easier for them to legally change their name and sex. The Washington State Department of Health announced in February that it will begin expediting sex change requests on birth certificates. A process that had previously taken up to 10 months has now been cut to three business days, not including mail and delivery time. “Very proud to announce the Department of Health will now process all requests to change gender designation on birth certificates within three business days. Previously, there was as much as a 10 month wait,” Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson wrote on Twitter/X. “A team of more than a dozen people worked through a weekend to…

talent dylan mulvaney @dylanmulvaney photographer jon stars @jonstars photography assistant mike taveira @miketaveira stylist annie easton @annieleaston; @annieandnora stylist assisant madalyn @gonemad_vintage hair angelina panelli @angelinapanelli makeup armando kole @kole_mua video miguel torres @mtrider91 At one point in trans activist, influencer, singer, actor, and now author Dylan Mulvaney’s new memoir, our intrepid heroine is in South America, high as a satellite on ayahuasca, when she learns the purpose of her life. Over the last several years, Mulvaney, 28, has been on one strange trip after another. In 2022, she came out publicly on her very popular TikTok channel. Just one year later, she was experiencing exciting highs, like interviewing then-President Joe Biden, and devastating lows, like becoming the target of a right-wing hate campaign. All of that, and more, is…

MONTGOMERY CLIFT WAS one of the most highly regarded — and arguably most beautiful — film actors of the mid-20th century. He also was unabashedly bisexual, something that couldn’t be acknowledged in the press at the time, but in his social circles he was open about his relationships with both men and women. An image has emerged of him as depressive, self-destructive, and tortured about his sexuality — but a documentary released by his nephew Robert Anderson Clift in 2018, Making Montgomery Clift, takes issue with that. He had a brooding side, yes, and sometimes overindulged in alcohol and drugs, but he was also fun-loving and was comfortable with his sexual orientation, according to the documentary. What’s not in dispute is Clift’s brilliance as an actor. He started on Broadway…