Conor to Milan Winter Olympics – A historic moment for queer sports

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Conor to Milan Winter Olympics – A historic moment for queer sports

Conor McDermott-Mostowy has officially qualified for the 2026 Winter Olympics, becoming one of the very few openly gay men to compete in long-track speed skating at the Olympic level.

The Team USA skater secured his spot by winning the men’s 1000-meter event at the U.S. Olympic Trials, locking in his place on the roster headed to Milan Winter Olympics.

For McDermott-Mostowy, this achievement is about far more than a finish time.

A comeback years in the making

The road to Milan has been anything but straightforward.

McDermott-Mostowy narrowly missed the 2022 Winter Olympics after falling ill at the worst possible moment, a setback that forced him to watch the Games from home.

Rather than walking away, he chose to rebuild.

He returned to training with renewed focus, balancing the physical grind of elite speed skating with the mental toll of staying competitive in a sport with limited funding and visibility.

Conor with boyfriend Dylan Beyer
Conor with boyfriend Dylan Beyer

That persistence paid off in dramatic fashion when he crossed the line first at trials, Outsports reports, finally earning the Olympic berth that had slipped away four years earlier.

Out, proud, and visible on the ice

McDermott-Mostowy has long been open about his identity, something still rare in men’s elite winter sports.

In interviews, he has spoken honestly about the challenges of being an openly gay athlete in a traditionally conservative sporting environment.

He has also emphasized how important visibility is, especially for younger athletes who may not yet see a place for themselves in competitive sports.

Simply showing up as himself, he has said, is part of the work.

More than medals

While Olympic qualification is a career-defining achievement for any athlete, McDermott-Mostowy’s moment carries extra weight.

Men’s speed skating has had very few openly gay competitors at the international level, and even fewer who reach the Olympic stage.

His presence in Milan will stand as a reminder that queer athletes belong everywhere excellence is rewarded.

It also highlights how representation in sports continues to expand, even in disciplines that have been slower to change.

Looking ahead to Milan

As the countdown to the 2026 Winter Olympics begins, McDermott-Mostowy will now shift his focus to preparation, recovery, and maintaining peak form.

For fans, his qualification already feels like a win.

For queer athletes watching from the stands or from home, it’s proof that perseverance, authenticity, and belief can coexist at the highest level of sport.

And when he steps onto the Olympic ice in Milan, he won’t just be racing the clock.

He’ll be carrying pride, history, and possibility with every stride.

A heartbreaking goodbye for “Broadway Husbands” Bret Hanna-Shuford

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A heartbreaking goodbye for “Broadway Husbands” Bret Hanna-Shuford

The Broadway community and a huge corner of queer social media are mourning the loss of Bret Hanna-Shuford, who has died at 46.

The news was shared by his husband, Stephen Hanna-Shuford, in a deeply emotional post on the couple’s Broadway Husbands account.

In the announcement, Stephen wrote that Bret passed away “surrounded by his family,” and called him “the most amazing man, husband and Papa in the universe.”

If you’ve followed Broadway Husbands for any amount of time, you already know why those words hit so hard.

From Broadway stages to an online chosen family

Bret Hanna-Shuford was a working performer with credits that included major productions such as Wicked, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid, and he also appeared in screen projects including The Wolf of Wall Street.

But for many people, Bret wasn’t just a name in a Playbill or a face you recognized for two seconds in a scene.

He was the warm, funny, soft-hearted half of a couple who let people into their everyday life in a way that felt real.

On Broadway Husbands, Bret and Stephen shared their love story, their marriage, their home, their chaotic joy, and the kind of parenting moments that make you laugh and cry in the same minute.

In a world that still treats queer families like a debate topic, they simply existed—proudly, tenderly, and very publicly.

The illness they faced with honesty

In 2025, Bret was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive combination of hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and peripheral T-cell lymphoma, and the months that followed became a brutal fight.

Even then, Bret and Stephen didn’t “perform” strength for the internet.

They shared what was happening with honesty, gratitude, and a kind of openness that invited people to show up with love rather than curiosity.

There were hospital updates, long stretches of uncertainty, and heartbreaking holiday moments that no family should have to spend under fluorescent lights.

And still, in the middle of the fear, there was also so much tenderness—photos, small celebrations, and the constant reminder that their little family was the point of everything.

A GoFundMe was launched in August to help support Bret and his family amid mounting medical expenses.

A love story that changed strangers

It’s hard to explain the impact of Broadway Husbands if you only see it as “influencer content,” because it never really felt like that.

It felt like community.

It felt like watching two men build something stable and sweet, then invite others to believe that kind of life is possible for them too.

For queer people who grew up without many mirrors, Bret and Stephen were the mirror.

For LGBTQ+ parents—or those still dreaming about becoming one—seeing their son Maverick pop into videos and photos wasn’t just adorable, it was affirming.

And for Broadway fans, Bret represented the working-actor reality: showing up, staying ready, chasing the craft, and doing it with heart.

Remembering Bret

Stephen’s message made it clear that this loss is personal, devastating, and real in the most ordinary way grief always is.

It isn’t a headline to their family.

It’s a husband gone too soon, and a child who will grow up with stories and videos and photos that will never feel like enough.

But if there is any comfort to be found, it’s in how loudly people have shown that Bret mattered.

In the messages, the memories, the way strangers have said they felt less alone because of him.

And in the simple truth that love like that doesn’t disappear.

It changes shape, it becomes memory, it becomes legacy, and it stays.

Rest in peace, Bret Hanna-Shuford.

📷 IG: @ broadwayhusbands

Stephen Libby, The Traitors, and the quiet love story fans are noticing

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Stephen Libby, The Traitors, and the quiet love story fans are noticing

Many viewers were introduced to Stephen Libby through The Traitors, where his calm presence, emotional intelligence, and quietly observant energy made him stand out among a cast built on suspicion and strategy.

On the show, Stephen comes across as thoughtful rather than theatrical, someone more interested in reading the room than dominating it.

That same grounded quality is now what’s drawing attention to his life off-screen.

Outside the castle walls, Stephen has been sharing glimpses of his relationship with artist Daniel Quirke, not through announcements or captions designed to go viral, but through a steady stream of everyday moments.

Their Instagram posts tell a story that feels lived-in rather than staged.

Travel photos from Spain, Scotland, Madeira, and island getaways sit alongside woodland walks, soft smiles, and relaxed poses that suggest comfort more than performance.

Daniel, a visual artist, brings a clear aesthetic sensibility to what they share, with images that feel intentional without ever tipping into polish.

Stephen, meanwhile, appears entirely at ease within those frames, present rather than posed.

There’s no sense of a “hard launch” here.

Instead, their relationship unfolds the way many real ones do, gradually, quietly, and without asking for permission or applause.

In a media landscape that often treats queer relationships as either spectacle or secrecy, there’s something quietly powerful about that choice.

It’s not that Stephen and Daniel are hiding anything.

They’re simply letting their life together exist on its own terms.

That approach feels especially resonant coming from someone audiences first encountered in a high-pressure reality format built on manipulation and mistrust.

Where The Traitors thrives on suspicion, Stephen’s real-life presence feels rooted in openness and ease.

The contrast is striking in the best way.

What emerges isn’t a headline-grabbing romance, but a portrait of queer partnership that values companionship, shared experience, and emotional safety.

It’s the kind of representation that doesn’t shout, but lingers.

For many queer viewers, especially those past the stage of grand declarations and dramatic reveals, that kind of visibility can feel deeply affirming.

Stephen and Daniel aren’t selling a fantasy.

They’re showing a life.

And sometimes, that’s exactly what queer joy looks like.

📷 IG: @ stephenlibby / daniel.a.quirke

Remembering Jasen Kaplan: beloved reality star and Hollywood makeup artist

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Remembering Jasen Kaplan: beloved reality star and Hollywood makeup artist

We are saddened to share that Jasen Kaplan, known to many as a charismatic contestant on Finding Prince Charming and a cherished Hollywood makeup artist, has died at the age of 46.

Kaplan passed away on December 31 in New York City, leaving behind a legacy of warmth, creativity, and laughter that touched both fans and colleagues.

As a cast member of the 2016 season of Finding Prince Charming, he brought charm, sparkle, and heartfelt vulnerability to a show that holds an important place in LGBTQ+ reality television history.

But Jasen’s talents extended far beyond reality TV screens.

For decades, he worked as a highly respected makeup artist, creating iconic looks for celebrities across music, film, and fashion.

His clients included stars like Kelly Osbourne, Eva Longoria, Cyndi Lauper, Lynda Carter, and Bethenny Frankel, among many others who trusted his creative vision and generous spirit.

Friends and peers quickly took to social media after the news of his death broke, sharing personal stories, photos, and heartfelt messages.

Kelly Osbourne, in particular, expressed her devastation and gratitude, thanking Jasen for the joy and laughter he brought into her life and promising to care for his beloved dog, Coco.

That outpouring of love revealed how deeply Kaplan was regarded not just for his professional skill but for his kindness, humor, and unwavering loyalty as a friend.

His passing comes just weeks after the death of fellow Finding Prince Charming alum Chad Spodick, a reminder of how fragile and precious life truly is.

Fans who followed Jasen’s journey through television, beauty, and community remember him as someone who carried himself with both confidence and humility.

He lived out loud, embraced queer visibility early in his career, and helped forge spaces where LGBTQ+ stories could be seen and celebrated.

For those who knew him or simply admired him from afar, his work — both on and off screen — made a lasting impact.

As we mourn his loss, there is also space to celebrate the joy he created, the beauty he brought into the world, and the friendships that will carry his memory forward.

Jasen Kaplan’s legacy is woven through laughter, love, art, and an unmistakable sparkle that will not be forgotten.

📷 IG: @ jasenkaplan

Matthew from The Traitors is bringing outdoorsy queer joy to the castle

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Matthew from The Traitors is bringing outdoorsy queer joy to the castle

Matthew might be entering The Traitors with a low-drama strategy, but his real-life energy is anything but quiet.

At 35, the creative director from Northern Ireland now living in Edinburgh is already standing out as one of the season’s most emotionally compelling contestants.

On paper, his game plan is simple.

Anyone but him.

Stay liked, stay connected, and stay part of the wider group.

But scroll through Matthew’s Instagram and you quickly realize that this approach isn’t tactical so much as instinctive.

Matthew is the founder of Wee Gay Hike Club, a community built for queer people who want to get outdoors without having to perform confidence, fitness, or masculinity.

In post after post, he thanks those who showed up first and gives extra credit to those who came alone.

That detail matters.

It reframes solitude as bravery and community as something you build gently rather than earn.

His content isn’t about peak bagging or personal bests.

It’s about walking together, noticing the view, and letting conversation unfold at its own pace.

In one end-of-year post, Matthew described the hike club as the absolute highlight of his year.

In another Christmas caption, he acknowledged how the season can hold joy and a quiet ache at the same time.

He wrote directly to those who were alone, estranged, or shrinking parts of themselves to keep the peace.

You are still here.

You are doing great.

That emotional honesty hits differently when paired with reality television.

It suggests that Matthew’s social awareness on The Traitors isn’t about manipulation.

It’s about attunement.

He understands how people feel in groups, how exclusion creeps in, and how safety is often created through small acts of care.

In a game where players are punished for standing out too much or too soon, his instinct to stay connected feels quietly powerful.

Whether he ends up a Faithful or a Traitor remains to be seen.

But emotionally, Matthew is already playing a very different game.

One rooted in belonging, softness, and the radical idea that queer people deserve space in nature, on television, and in each other’s lives.

And honestly, that might be the most dangerous thing of all.

📷 IG: @ yermatty

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