Duh: Gays win Halloween

Gone are the days when you could impress your friends and followers with a simple, store-bought costume of a blood-thirsty monstrosity or a scantily clad key-worker. No more!

Gay Halloween is about winning the queer niche war, concocting an obscure, zany outfit – the cultural relevance of which is often unknown to the straggot eye. This year, the niche-ification reached unprecedented heights – from Benito Skinner and Mary Beth Barone paying homage to Dakota Johnson calling out Ellen DeGeneres’ lies on primetime television, to Rickey Thompson channelling Zendaya’s newfound virality at the Justin Bieber: Never Say Never movie premiere.

And, my personal favourite: Drag Race UK champion Tia Kofi giving “IT’S EGG!” realness as Ayoade Bamgboye in SNL UK’s Nigerian Wicked. Gays work fast!

Mighty Hoopla's Motherfest

Mighty Hoopla has always delivered for London’s rainbow population, boasting pop icons such as Nelly Furtado, Anastasia, Kesha and JADE over its ten-year run, and 2027 promises to be the largest mother-fest in the festival’s history. 

For its 10th anniversary, Robyn and The Pussycat Dolls have been announced as headliners, with additional performances from Kelis, Bebe Rexha, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, FLO, Nicola Roberts, Eve, Jordin Sparks, B*Witched and more. 

Think! Of! All! Those! Bangers! ‘Dancing On My Own’, ‘Buttons’, ‘Milkshake’, ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, ‘Blame It On the Weatherman’, the latter of which I may have lip-synced for my family at age six and then thrown an uncontrollable temper tantrum when they were unable to keep their homophobic guffaw under control. 

For more information and to buy tickets, visit mightyhoopla.com.

KY Kelly’s remorse 

While KY Kelly won’t be appearing on any ‘Most beloved Drag Race UK contestants in herstory’ lists anytime soon, thanks to her uncomfortable treatment of both Paris Baby and Mocha, her main-stage altercation shows she at least embodies the ‘N’ in ‘C.U.N.T’. 

On the ninth episode of season eight, the Rugeley queen bombed her roast and then proceeded to bicker with RuPaul and Michelle Visage, saying she had no “regrets” about her routine. She does seem to have some remorse, however: following her elimination, KY Kelly told fans that she “can acknowledge how my actions, communication and delivery have come across” and that she “never intentionally wanted to make anyone feel disrespected or diminished”.