‘Dicks’ will make you gasp

REVIEW: Megan Mullally and Nathan Lane lead an all-star cast to irreverent heights in “Dicks: The Musical”

‘How to Fail as a Popstar’ asks us to make space for failure

The series follows Vivek Shraya’s desire to become “brown Madonna” and grapples with “what happens when a star isn’t born”

By Hina Imam

Books

Bejewelled and beguiled: meet businessman and philanthropist Salah Bachir

His new star-studded memoir dishes deflection and reflection in equal measure

By Chris Dupuis

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Season 5, Episode 3 power ranking: Checking the charts

Which girl group will have the song of the autumn?

By Kevin O’Keeffe

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Season 5, Episode 3 recap: Bop to the top

This season’s version of the girl groups challenge sees a five-on-four matchup

By Kevin O’Keeffe

Sports

By banning Pride Tape and theme nights, the NHL refuses to do the bare minimum

OPINION: By ceding so much ground to a small minority of players, the NHL shows where its true priorities lie

By Katelyn Burns

Books

In ‘Love and Money, Sex and Death,’ McKenzie Wark writes to the people who shaped her

Renowned trans academic McKenzie Wark blends memory, theory, fiction and myth in new memoir

By Misha Pensato

Queer Ink

Erotic tattoos offer queer clients a way to mix pleasure and purpose

For queer tattoo artists and customers alike, erotic designs can be a powerful way to affirm identities and show strength amid an increasingly hostile political climate

By Adam Rhodes

TV & Film

Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Strange Way of Life’ answers a question ‘Brokeback Mountain’ asked 18 years ago

REVIEW: With restrained performances and über design, Almodóvar’s new short film finally lets two gay cowboys ride off into a Technicolor sunset

By Christos Tsirbas

Identity

Sufjan Stevens and the complexity of coming out

OPINION: Reaction to Stevens’s tragic tribute to his late partner shows the nuance of queer life in the spotlight

By Mel Woods

TV & Film

The sweet radicalism of Mr. Dressup, the Canadian Mister Rogers

REVIEW: Beloved kids show had a surprising queer heart

By S. Bear Bergman

Queer Ink

The stories behind our queerest tattoos

From pop culture tributes to “faggy Jesus,” Xtra staff share some of our gayest tats

By Xtra Staff

Books

New book an ode to the Songbird Supreme and her queer fan base

“Why Mariah Carey Matters” is an ode to the Songbird Supreme and the queers who love her

By Denio Lourenco

Queer Culture Catch-Up

Mashed-up historical romance from Lex Croucher, ‘Yesterqueers’ on TikTok and musicians Kaien Cruz and Moe Reen top our calendar this week

Plus national treasure Walter Borden is onstage in Toronto

By S. Bear Bergman

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Season 5, Episode 2 power ranking: Who’s in and who’s out?

As you know in fashion, one day you’re up, and the next day you’re down

By Kevin O’Keeffe

Drag Race

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race UK’ Season 5, Episode 2 recap: Designing women (British edition)

An early design challenge gives the fashionable queens a chance to show their stuff

By Kevin O’Keeffe

TV & Film

‘Sort Of’ to end after Season 3 drops later this year

Star and co-writer Bilal Baig discusses the messy “human” quality at the heart of their groundbreaking series, and why it’s time to call it a day

By Sanchari Sur

Queer Ink

Queer collective care, one pansy tattoo at a time

Non-binary tattoo artist Cedre Csillagi is mobilizing tattooers to give back through a project called A Thousand Pansies

By Lindsay Lee Wallace