Donald Trump’s latest attack on transgender people has angered even his own wife. At a campaign rally in Iowa on Sunday, Trump mocked transgender athletes, saying that his wife, Melania, thinks it’s “not presidential.”
“She said, ‘Darling, I love you so much, but this is not presidential when you do the weightlifting, this is not presidential, or when you do the swimming thing, it’s not … or when you dance off the stage,’” Trump told the crowd.
But Trump said he told Melania, “Look. We got a year to go. Everybody loves us. I love everybody. The country’s going to hell in a hand-basket. Let’s do a little dancing.”
Trump’s transphobic comments have been condemned by LGBTQ+ advocates and allies. They say that Trump’s mockery of transgender people is harmful and dangerous.
“Trump’s attack on transgender athletes is a vile and dangerous attack on the entire transgender community,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Transgender athletes are athletes, and they deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. Trump’s comments are nothing more than hateful and transphobic rhetoric.”
Even some of Trump’s own supporters are criticizing his comments. One supporter tweeted, “I love Trump, but his comments about transgender athletes were uncalled for and hurtful.”
Another supporter tweeted, “I’m a Trump supporter, but I don’t think it’s right to make fun of transgender people. They’re just trying to live their lives.”
Trump’s comments come at a time when transgender people are facing increasing attacks across the country. In recent months, several states have passed laws that ban transgender athletes from competing in girls’ and women’s sports.
Experts say that these laws are discriminatory and have no basis in science. They say that transgender athletes are not a threat to women’s sports.
“There is no evidence to suggest that transgender athletes have any unfair advantage over cisgender athletes,” said Dr. Jack Turban, a professor of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine. “These laws are simply a way to discriminate against transgender people.”
Trump’s comments are likely to embolden those who are seeking to discriminate against transgender people. They are also likely to cause further harm to transgender people, who already face high rates of mental health problems.
With images of wrestling found in prehistoric cave paintings and Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, it’s often considered to be the oldest sport in the world.
But as long as there have been (at least) two sweating bodies, grunting and heaving as they try to dominate one another, there have been homoerotic undertones to this highly physical combat.
Whether its the skin-on-skin intimacy of the more traditional sport, or the high-drama flamboyance of athletic theater, wrestling has long been loaded with suggestions of queerness and sexual expression, which has frequently been explored in media over the years.
2023 alone saw the debut of flashy biopic Cassandro, featuring the magnetic Gael García Bernal as one the most famous gay wrestlers in the world, in addition to the upcoming TV premiere of Out In The Ring, an excellent documentary diving deep into the history LGBTQ+ representation hitting the mat.
And that’s to say nothing of this winter’s buzzy award-season hopeful The Iron Claw. Though it’s based on a very real, very tragic story of a wrestling dynasty and is decidedly not gay, it’s hard not to see actors like Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White hulking in tiny spandex and not feel…. something.
With that in mind, let’s take a look back through film and television history at 10 projects—from provocative biopics to goofy comedies to soul-searching documentaries—that highlight wrestling’s queer appeal (whether intentionally or not).
Cassandro (2023)
Gael García Bernal stars as Saúl Armendáriz—a.k.a. Cassandro, a.k.a “The Liberace Of Lucha Libre”—in this fun and flamboyant biopic, tracing the Mexican-American wrestler’s rise from exótico (campy femme luchadors, typically the “heel” in the ring) to international superstar. Come for the colorful costuming and stunt work, and stay for Bad Bunny‘s scene-stealing role as a flirty love interest.
You have a Prime opportunity to see Bad Bunny go gay this weekend.
Out In The Ring (2022)
Cassandro is one of many icons of the ring name-checked in this award-winning documentary which chronicles the surprisingly robust history of LGBTQ+ representation in the sport. Spanning over 80 years, Ry Levey’s film pays tribute to legends like “Gorgeous George” Wagner while also highlighting the challenges contemporary queer wrestlers face on and off the mat to this day.
After touring film festivals around the globe, Out In The Ring will make its network premiere on Fuse on November 15, and will simultaneously be available through the Fuse+ streaming app,
The Schoolmaster Games (2022)
This surreal Swedish import takes place at the St. Sebastian Academy, an all-male boarding school where homosexuality is the norm and nobody bats an eye when a wrestling match turns into a full-blown makeout session. But that’s just one facet of what goes down in this unconventional art film, which uses provocative eroticism to explore age gap discourse within the gay community.
Streaming on Here TV. Available for rental via AppleTV,Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube TV.
Euphoria, “Ruminations: Big And Little Bullys” (2022)
Even if you’ve never seen the HBO drama, this episode—largely told through flashbacks—is worth watching as a standalone piece (and not just because of the nude scenes). Before he was a strict father with some dark hobbies, Cal was a teen (Elias Kacavas) who harbored feelings for his best friend Derek (Henry Eikenberry), making their wrestling matches and locker room chats charged with desire.
Check out five of our favorites that make for delightful viewing on a night alone…
Signature Move (2017)
In this charming indie rom-com, the mask of a luchador isn’t so much a disguise as it is a symbol of empowerment. In Chicago, Zaynab (Fawzia Mirza) is lesbian Pakistani Muslim taking care of her sweet but overbearing mother. When she meets and falls for the flirty Alma (Sari Sanchez), Zaynab takes up the sport to impress her and wrestle back some control of her life.
Streaming on Hoopla, Paramount+, Prime Video, and Tubi.
Glow (2017 – 2019)
Based on the incredibly campy (and real!) Gorgeous Ladies Of Wrestling, this incredible comedy series following ragtag group of down-on-their-luck women who became minor stars of the ring in the ’80s. Headlined by the fabulous Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin, Glow featured plenty of complex queer characters and, frankly, we still haven’t forgiven Netflix for canceling this one without giving it a proper goodbye.
Streaming on Netflix.
Foxcatcher (2014)
In the darker corner of the ring is the Oscar-nominated Foxcatcher, a biographical drama that doubles as a psychological thriller. Heir to the du Pont fortune, John (Steve Carell) invests his time and money into training wrestlers for the Olympics, working with brothers Mark (Channing Tatum) and David Schultz (Mark Ruffalo). There’s a queer undercurrent to John and Mark’s interactions, making it an intriguing yet uncomfortable watch.
Available for rental via AppleTV,Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube TV.
Stronghold: In The Grip Of Wrestling (2009)
Image Credit: ‘Stronghold: In The Grip of Wrestling,’ Victor Rook
Where Out In The Ring examines the history of LGBTQ+ wrestlers, Stronghold hones in on the sport’s homoerotic appeal, unpacking the stigma that’s inspired some to embrace is intimate physicality and others to avoid it. The low-budget doc interviews men from across the country—those who wrestle for sport, fun, or… pleasure—to get to the bottom of all the kinky reasons we like watching guys fight.
Interestingly, many of the countries that have printed these stamps don’t have particularly friendly histories when it comes to gay people.
Vision Quest (1985)
On paper, this totally ’80s sports drama is as heteronormative as the come, following high-schooler Louden (Matthew Modine) as he trains to compete against the state wrestling champion, all while wooing an older woman, Carla (Linda Fiorentino). But in practice, the movie’s as homoerotic as they come, frequently giving in to the gay male gaze, especially as Loudon is more focused on bulky foe Brian than his would-be lover.
By the way, Vision Quest also features Madonna‘s first real film appearance, performing original song “Crazy For You,” which was a massive radio hit and became her second No. 1 single after “Like A Virgin.”
Streaming on The Roku Channel and Tubi.Available for rental via AppleTV,Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube TV.
Women In Love (1969)
Despite its sapphic-leaning title, provocative director Ken Russell’s signature film is best remember for its groundbreaking wrestling sequence between two men, where esteemed actors Alan Bates and Oliver Reed brawl in the nude, culminating in a shocking moment of homosocial vulnerability. While it doesn’t center competitive wrestling like the rest of this list, Women In Love merits inclusion for delving into the inherent queer subtext of the sport.
Currently only available for purchase via The Criterion Collection.
It’s Monday (again). A lot happened over the weekend. Here’s just some of what you might have missed…
YOU DRIVE ME CRAZY: Lance Bass came to Justin Timberlake’s defense saying fans should forgive his NSYNC bandmate amid the backlash over the “Cry Me a River” singer’s behavior in Britney Spears’ memoir. [Variety]
SHE DEVIL: The wife of newly-elected extreme right-wing anti-LGBTQ+ Speaker of the House Mike Johnson runs Onward Christian Counseling Services, which compares being gay to incest & bestiality. Curiously, the homophobic organization’s website is now offline… [HuffPost]
HUSBANDS-TO-BE: Out former PA state representative & LGBTQ+ rights advocate Brian Sims got engaged to his boyfriend Alex Drakos and shared photos of the romantic beach proposal.
RIP: Cis actress Kathleen Turner, who played Matthew Perry’s transgender parent on Friends and whose character was often misgendered on the hit series, issued an emotional statement following Perry’s sudden passing at the age of 54. [People]
TO HENLEY OR NOT TO HENLEY: The Wall Street Journal investigates if henley shirts can only be worn by muscular hunks or if regular twinks can too. Also, are they just a thirsty, hetero basic look to avoid? [Wall Street Journal]
BACK TO SCHOOL: Omar Ayuso got candid on how he was initially reluctant to return to Élite and how he feels a responsibility playing a gay Muslim character on the Netflix series. In real life, Ayuso is gay and of Spanish & Moroccan descent. [The Hollywood Reporter]
BIRTHDAY BOY:GMA host Gio Benitez’s surprise on-air 38th birthday celebration featured appearances by his husband Tommy DiDario, Harry Potter, baby photos, & a serenade by Cuban-American pop queen Gloria Estefan.
DANCING WITH THEE STAR: DWTS judge Carrie Ann Inaba, who was a dancer on Madonna‘s Girlie Show Tour in 1993, claims the Queen of Pop charged her backup dancers $100 out of their paycheck for every minute they were late. [People]
OOPS HE DID IT AGAIN: Meet the 35-year-old gay man who was the ghostwriter on Britney Spears’ blockbuster memoir, The Woman in Me. [The Independent]
THE DALEY SHOW: Tom Daley could barely contain himself as he put on quite an impressive display posing in a sizzling mirror selfie wearing a tiny red Speedo.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A group of local organizers affiliated with national parents’ rights groups and anti-trans groups are marching to the governor’s home on Saturday as part of a “worldwide” Stop the War on Children rally. One of the protest’s main organizers is Gays Against Groomers, founded in 2022 by right-wing, 2020 election conspiracy theorist Jaimee Michell, a frequent guest on Fox News and One American News Network. Members of Gays Against Groomers have also been linked with the far-right Proud Boys. The group promotes the homophobic and transphobic conspiracy theory that members of th…
ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando has a deal to purchase Pulse nightclub, the site of what was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history at the time, Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel Wednesday. City commissioners Monday will vote on the $2 million purchase, which Dyer says will begin a process toward building a memorial on the site of the 2016 shooting that killed 49 and wounded dozens more. If approved by the city council, the sale would close Oct. 27, Dyer said. “Unfortunately it’s been seven years and we’ve not been able to move forward on beginning the construction of a memor…
This profile is part of Queerty’s 2023Out For Good series, recognizing public figures who’ve had the courage to come out and make a difference in the past year.
Name: Caresha Romeka Brownlee, 29
Bio: This Florida-born rapper –– better known as Yung Miami, one-half of unfiltered and bodacious hip-hop duo City Girls –– always knew she was something special. “Before I was famous, I was hood famous,” she told The Cutin 2023. “Like everybody in the city knew me.”
In 2017, Miami was doing fine as a working mother. With a son born in 2013 (and a daughter who would follow in 2019), the 24-year-old influencer stayed busy hawking her fashion line on Instagram. But when her middle school bestie Jatavia Johnson (a.k.a her City Girls counterpart, JT) proposed the idea of starting a rap group, Miami bought in, despite having little musical experience.
After their first track (crafted without a producer, but with a ton of personality) went viral on SoundCloud, the duo quickly caught the industry’s attention and got signed by Quality Control. “We were just playing around and it blew up,” Miami told The Cut. “But we never planned to be artists or rappers or a rap group.”
And when life threw them a hurdle, Miami seized the day. JT was charged with aggravated identity theft and sentenced to 24 months in prison, but the duo worked hard to record a handful of hits before her July 2018 surrender.
Furthermore, Miami hustled to make sure the City Girls didn’t lose heat. “When [JT] was in jail, I was going to strip clubs and I would pay a DJ $20 to play [our] song,” she told The Fader.
An uncredited feature on Drake’s mega-hit “In My Feelings” scored them even more hype. (“When we heard him say our names on the song, we was jumping around, twerking on the keyboard, twerking on the couches,” Miami recalled.)
Finally, the City Girls’ debut album Girl Code arrived in November 2018. After JT’s release in 2019, they got to work on sophomore LP City on Lock, which dropped in June 2020. And of course, there was 2021 single “Twerkulator,” which had a vice grip on TikTok.
With the City Girls fans behind her, Miami ventured out on her own with the solo single “Rap Freaks” in 2021, and later tried her hand at acting in Kenya Barris’ You People and Starz’s TV series Black Mafia Family.
In 2022, she launched her own podcast “Caresha Please,” and in 2023, she reunited with JT for City Girls’ third album RAW –– short for “Real *ss Whores,” naturally.
To be fair, she’s only getting started. “I want everything: to be an actor, an artist, and entrepreneur,” she told The Cut.
Coming Out: Miami is known for discussing sex in a frank and relatable manner on her podcast. So, it’s no surprise that the rapper had a no-holds-barred approach to discussing her sexuality on The Jason Lee Show this past April.
During a game of celebrity Smash or Pass, Miami got especially enthusiastic when Lee showed her a pic of fellow hip-hop star Megan Thee Stallion.
“I’mma smash all day and tomorrow,” she said, adding, “Megan … really could take me up and throw down.”
Miami went on to reveal that she identifies as bisexual. “Sexually, I have been with a woman before,” she explained. “I really do like girls, [but I can’t see myself] in a relationship with a girl.”
Funnily enough, this wasn’t the first time this City Girl made her love for Thee Stallion known.
In 2021, Megan tweeted, “I was too shy to tell her in person but [Yung Miami] I wanna date.” Miami quickly fired back in a quote tweet, “I been wanted you too, so what’s up?” The smooth moves!
That being said, Miami hasn’t always been so open-minded.
She later apologized on Instagram, writing, “I understand how it can be seen as offensive to the LGBTQ community … My deepest apologies and heart goes out to those who have seen that tweet and were offended.”
Miami’s recent openness about her sexuality certain reflects growth and understanding around the queer spectrum. And overall, Careesha has come a long way from her humble beginnings in Florida’s Opa-locka neighborhood.
From high-profile relationships to wild TMZ headlines, Miami always ends up on top, and her unbridled authenticity continues to be the key to her burgeoning empire.
@parishilton Getting to hear your stories and make people smile is the reason I do everything I love you so much, thank you @LA LGBT Center ♬ original sound – ParisHilton
@zekecieslak You make the word “love” mean something. It means I would do anything for you, and I want to do everything with you. I love you with all my heart @ZayG ♬ original sound – Ezekiel Cieslak
If reality star and influencer Wendy Guevara was ever truly lost, she’s now found her way and she’s landed on the radars of millions of fans who voted for her this summer on the reality series, La Casa de Los Famosos (Mexico’s version of Celebrity Big Brother). Now she’s got her own reality series, Wendy, Perdida Pero Famosa (lost but famous) on ViX. Guevara first garnered a major following in 2017 when she and her friend Paola Suárez posted a now-viral video of being lost in the wild while their companions were in search of water. “¡Estamos perdidas! (We’re lost!),” they exclaim repeatedly in the video while bearing big smiles to telegraph that they were not, in fact, in danger.
(@yungmiami305)
A man pleaded guilty to obstruction charges in a federal court on Thursday for his role in the 
at Mantamar. 
@Andy Cohen 
If reality star and influencer Wendy Guevara was ever truly lost, she’s now found her way and she’s landed on the radars of millions of fans who voted for her this summer on the reality series, La Casa de Los Famosos (Mexico’s version of Celebrity Big Brother). Now she’s got her own reality series, Wendy, Perdida Pero Famosa (lost but famous) on ViX. Guevara first garnered a major following in 2017 when she and her friend Paola Suárez posted a 
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