Shoppers and readers are flocking to the new DNA #315, where model Zack Hilton graces the cover and the issue serves up a lively mix of culture, confession and queer history , from sweaty locker rooms to streaming cult comedies, plus essays on sexuality, voice and politics that matter right now.

Essential Takeaways

  • Cover star: Zack Hilton appears transformed and candid, photographed by Robert Cooke; his line about being “not AI” gives the issue a cheeky, human touch.
  • Feature variety: The magazine pairs fashion and portraiture with essays on queer history, film reviews, personal interviews and erotic photography.
  • Pop-culture rewind: Noughties cult films Another Gay Movie and Another Gay Sequel are back on streaming platforms and still delightfully unPC.
  • Sports and desire: A heated gay ice-hockey locker-room photo story offers atmosphere , loud, sweaty and visually charged.
  • Practical reading: The issue includes thoughtful pieces on voice and identity, a straight mate profile, and hard-hitting Conversation With The Elders reporting.

Why Zack Hilton’s cover feels like a statement

The cover portrait of Zack Hilton lands with a confident, quiet warmth that’s hard to ignore. You can almost feel the studio lights and the photographer’s direction , it’s polished but intimate. DNA’s front-of-mag approach has always blended fashion with personal narrative, and this issue continues that by letting a formerly troubled young man speak plainly about health, habits and self-image. It’s the kind of humanising cover story that makes a magazine feel like a friend you trust. If you’re buying the issue for the photography, expect strong styling and clean retouching; if you’re after the story, there’s a candid thread about transformation and boundaries. Either way, it’s a good reminder that print can still surprise.

Heated Rivalry: why ice-hockey and queer desire make such a potent mix

The magazine runs a locker-room scene by Paul Jamnicky that leans into atmosphere , the close-up sweat, the rumour of bodies and banter. There’s a cinematic nostalgia to hockey-as-sexual-metaphor, and DNA leans into that with flair. Sports and sexuality have been entwined in culture for decades, and editors clearly know readers love the tension between team camaraderie and erotic charge. It’s cheeky, visual storytelling that reads as both celebration and provocation. If you’re sensitive to explicit content, take note: this is sensual photography aimed at adults. For everyone else, it’s a reminder that sports spaces can be reclaimed as sites of queer imagination.

Streaming cults: Another Gay Movie and the joy of unPC comedy

DNA highlights the return of Noughties cult comedies Another Gay Movie and Another Gay Sequel to streaming services, and the tone is affectionate. These films were never about subtlety; they were slapstick, horny and deliberately over the top. There’s value in revisiting them now: they’re cultural time capsules showing how queer humour used to shock, offend and bind audiences through shared absurdity. For fans, they still land as goofy, sexy fun; for new viewers, they’re a quirky archival peek. When you stream, keep expectations light and bring a sense of humour. They’re not revisionist masterpieces, but they do highlight how queer cinema has expanded its palette.

Voice, identity and the science of sounding “right”

One of the issue’s more intriguing pieces asks why gay men often dislike the sound of their own voices and whether anyone should change them. The feature blends science with lived experience and some gentle provocation. It’s part sociology, part practical advice: voice coaching, social expectation and self-acceptance all get airtime. The piece doesn’t preach; it invites readers to consider when adaptation is liberating and when it’s a concession. For anyone thinking about voice work , on stage, online or just in conversation , the takeaway is practical: small exercises can build confidence, but authenticity is a worthy benchmark.

Conversations and confessions: elders, straight mates and film debates

DNA balances glossy shoots with reporting and interviews. The Conversation With The Elders profile digs into Allan Size’s career and brushes with corruption in New South Wales, showing the magazine can do hard-hitting journalism. There’s also a funny, tender Straight Mate profile with comedian Ethan Cavanagh, who had to come out as straight to his parents , a reversal that’s both comic and telling about expectations. Film reviews, including a nuanced take on the “dom-com” Pillion, show the editorial team can split opinion fairly. They note it’s not all shock value , there’s character work and messy humanity beneath the fetish iconography.

It's a tight, lively issue that knows when to entertain and when to interrogate.

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