"I Love Being Naked," says Franklyn McClure, 20, Zooming from the porch of his home in Charlotte, North Carolina, and wearing nothing but a pink pair of briefs and a whole lot of jewelry and lip gloss. "So that's why I didn't want to wear a shirt for this interview. Because that shit is who I am. One day when I'm on the red carpet, I'm going to be naked, girl."
McClure is in the midst of having gone viral, and he is trying to make the most of it. "God gave us one life, so make it iconic," he says. If somehow you missed this: Randy McNally, the 79-year-old Republican lieutenant governor of Tennessee, was revealed to have been commenting, using his public, verified Instagram account, on McClure's thirst-traps (handle: @franklynsuperstar). McClure grew up in Tennessee but moved to North Carolina two years ago, after McNally had already started messaging him online.
This is all newsworthy given the lengths to which the Tennessee GOP has gone of late to score points in the culture wars. The state introduced 26 anti-LGBTQ+ bills this year, the most in the country, according to the Human Rights Campaign. Two bills have already been passed into law: one criminalizing drag performances and another targeting gender-affirming medical care for trans youth. The drag bill, in particular, has attracted much attention in the past few weeks. While 14 states are considering such legislation, Tennessee is the first to make it the law. McNally supported the state's anti-drag bill, has opposed gay marriage, and voted to limit sports participation on the basis of sex assigned at birth. (In another hypocrisy sideshow, yearbook photos of Governor Bill Lee, in which he appears to be dressed as a cheerleader, have surfaced.)
This story is from the March 13 - 26, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the March 13 - 26, 2023 edition of New York magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The Escape Artist
PinkPantheress blew up anonymously on TikTok. Now, her Y2K dance-pop influences the masses.
The Parasites of MALIBU
Anthony Flores and Anna Moore met Dr. Mark Sawusch at an ice-cream shop.
THE INVITED
WHEN YOU'RE A VIC-\"VERY IMPORTANT CLIENT\" -LUXURY BRANDS ANYTHING TO KEEP YOU HAPPY (AND SPENDING). WILL DO
LEARNING THE ART OF SEDUCTION FROM THE KING OF HÖRNINESS
There are two things that make women happy,” Usher Raymond IV tells me.
Magic Mikey
She gave up competitive horseback riding to pursue acting. Now, the rising star is getting awards buzz for her role as a determined stripper in Anora
'Mommy, Can We Go to Paris?
You try explaining to my kid why he can't do the wildly expensive things some of his Brownstone Brooklyn classmates take for granted.
Plus-Size Shopping in the Wild
Samyra Miller’s quest to find clothes at the mall that fit.
Hungry for More
A decade of Chicken Shop Date behind her, Amelia Dimoldenberg is still holding out for the One.
BIRTHDAY SUITS
On the cusp of 50, CHLOË SEVIGNY is ready for a change.
Art Fall Preview - World in Motion - An Alvin Ailey retrospective sets the tone for an array of eclectic offerings from the art world this fall.
An Alvin Ailey retrospective sets the tone for an array of eclectic offerings from the art world this fall. A gust of fresh air is blowing through the art world. A brand-new outfit called Ruby/Dakota has opened on the supercool strip of East 2nd Street. A whole new scene has formed around 56 Henry's two gallery spaces in Chinatown, and solo shows there by Laurie Simmons and Richard Tinkler promise to scintillate. Just north of the Whitney, Fort Gansevoort Gallery regularly showcases undiscovered artists, including, in September, 84-year-old quilt-maker extraordinaire Yvonne Wells. A gaggle of established artists are also exhibiting-Kara Walker, Simone Leigh, Nick Cave, and the still under-known Denzil Forrester among them. And the museums will have their fair share of thrilling exhibitions, too: The Whitney will feature American national treasure Alvin Ailey, MoMA will peer deep into its own brilliant bellybutton in a show about the woman who helped make the museum, and the Brooklyn Museum will give us an enormous show of artists based in its borough.