OUT-The Advocate, November-December 2024

30TH ANNIVERSARY

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OUTMAGAZINE

MARK BERRYHILL Chief Executive Officer MICHAEL KELLEY Co-Founder, equalpride JOE LOVEJOY Chief Financial Officer AMANDA BINNS Head of Revenue BERNARD ROOK Chief Operating Officer KAYLA GAGNET Senior Vice President, Editorial

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Dear Out Readers, What a way to wrap up the year! This issue marks Out’s 30th anniversary of its prestigious list of LGBTQ+ tastemakers. For three decades, we have celebrated the individuals who have contributed to making our community seen, heard, and valued. And I couldn’t be more proud to celebrate this year’s momentous occasion.

As part of the list’s 30th anniversary, we launched our Out100 Hub this summer. At Out. com/Out100, you can view all 3,000 honorees over the years, behind-the-scenes videos, and profile interviews by select Out100 alums. This hub goes beyond simply commemorating the occasion; it’s a space dedicated to archiving and preserving the legacy of LGBTQ+ leaders and community, serving as a reminder for future generations to reflect on those who paved the way and learn from their groundbreaking contributions.

Thank you to Out’s phenomenal team of writers and editors. Your work is instrumental in uplifting and amplifying the honorees’ stories.

As we descend on Los Angeles this December, I sincerely thank the sponsors and partners of this year’s Out100 event, including Lexus, McDonald’s, and Gilead. We couldn’t have done this event without their generous support, and I am incredibly grateful to them.

We look forward to everyone tuning into the Out100 Special over the holidays. We’ll be broadcast on all eight ABC-owned television stations, Fuse TV, AdvocateChannel.com, ABC News Live, and Hulu, bringing Out100’s inspiration into your homes and onto your screens. See Out. com/Out100Special for listings.

As you peruse this issue, I hope these honorees inspire you to make a positive impact and improve the world for current and future generations.

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R OL A ND F I T Z

DANIEL REYNOLDS Editor in Chief RAINE BASCOS Executive Creative Director DESIRÉE GUERRERO Editor in Chief, The Advocate

shine bright. stand proud. love loud. know that we’re with you, wherever you are. and wherever we are you belong.

congratulations to all of the 2024 Out100 honorees!

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OUTMAGAZINE

COVER

40 FRIEND OF DOROTHY contents

Cynthia Erivo talks flying high as Elphaba in Wicked, a role that helped the iconic singer and actor soar over the rainbow in life and work.

FEATURES

11 OUT100: THE CLASS OF 2024

Meet this year’s Artists, Disruptors, Educators, Groundbreakers, Innovators, and Storytellers who used their positions, platforms, and power to uplift the LGBTQ+ community.

60 SCREEN TIME

This World AIDS Day, Hollywood must commit to better HIV representation.

81 SHOUT OUT

We couldn’t have done it without you.

TRAVEL

72 NEXT STOP IN 2025

CYNTHIA ERIVO in BURC AKYOL Dress; JIMMY CHOO Shoes; ROBERTO COIN Jewelry

Cover Image Photographer ERIK CARTER Cover Star CYNTHIA ERIVO in LOUIS VUITTON Full Look

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out.com

ERIK CARTER

november | december 2024

Costa Rica, Gay Wine Weekend, and more.

OUTMAGAZINE

ed letter

OUT TOGETHER

Afterward, I was sitting in our tiny office in the student center with a rainbow flag on the door and issues of Out and The Advocate on the table. I understood in that moment the great power of media to move hearts and minds — and of erasure to silence marginalized voices. I’d had enough. I opened my laptop and wrote my own damn article about the rally and then hijacked a campus copy machine to print a few hundred copies. My fearless GSA members and I were up all night inserting the coverage into every issue of the morning paper.

Today, I have the great honor of staging another LGBTQ+ gathering in the very magazine that once inspired 20-year-old me

Sincerely,

Daniel Reynolds

Editor in Chief, Out @dnlreynolds

SUPPORT QUEER MEDIA Scan this QR code to subscribe to The Advocate & Out today!

november | december 2024

L UK E F ON TA N A

Once upon a time, I was a student activist. As president of our gay-straight alliance, I helped stage our college’s first LGBTQ+ rally, which brought together Greek houses, sports teams, and the greater student body.

At that joyful display of queerness on the quad, I (and importantly, closeted young people) felt a culture shift from indifference and unwelcomeness to one of acceptance. The only problem? The college newspaper didn’t cover our event. Editors cited a conference they were attending that day as an excuse and then claimed the news cycle had moved on.

to action. This is the 30th anniversary of the Out100, Out’s great tradition of profiling the Artists, Disruptors, Educators, Groundbreakers, Innovators, and Storytellers who, through their power and platforms, engendered greater equality in 2024. An anniversary is a prime opportunity to reflect on progress, and in these pages are icons like Margaret Cho and Rachel Maddow as well as Gen Z changemakers like Chappell Roan and Zaya Wade who are leading the charge.

In celebration of our list’s anniversary, we launched the Out100 Vault, where you can review not only this year’s full list (with exciting content like behind-the-scenes videos and essays) but every honoree’s profile from the past three decades. In an age when right-wing forces try to ban our books and stories, this online archive is an essential space for our history as well as our present. We encourage you readers to visit Out.com/Out100 to access this amazing resource.

And of course, there’s our newly minted Out100 Icon of the Year, Cynthia Erivo. In her interview and photo shoot, the Wicked star also looks to history by referencing Black queer artists James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry. “They’re a direct line to me,” she notes of the writers of Giovanni’s Room and A Raisin in the Sun. The line continues. Though Wicked has not yet debuted, Erivo is already wowed to see the response from young Black girls who “never saw themselves as an Elphaba.” It’s a valuable and essential lesson for all of us — to acknowledge those whose shoulders we stand upon before becoming those shoulders for others. Or to borrow the phrase of a future glass-ceiling smasher: “You think you just fell out of a coconut tree? You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.”

Dear reader, we hope the folks in these pages move you to find your own power as well. We hope you’re inspired to create, to rally, to love, to vote. In a nod to Wicked, our Out100 theme this year is “Together, Unlimited.” And indeed, together, anything is possible.

I’ll leave you with words from Out100 honoree Jodie Foster: “I feel so hopeful for this moment in our history.

Freedom is on the line and, as ever, our LGBTQ+ community is leading the way. Go Love! There’s no fight more worthy of our open arms.”

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A HEARTFELT THANK YOU TO

FOR ITS SUPPORT OF

ARTISTS

MARGARET CHO

@margaret_cho

november | december 2024

DANIEL PR AKOPCYK

Margaret Cho is a comedy and entertainment legend. Career highlights, from her 1994 ABC show All-American Girl to 2022’s Fire Island, represent victories against what she considers her greatest hurdle, which is the invisibility of people like her in the media.

“As a queer Asian-American woman, you just never saw yourself reflected back in entertainment or anywhere,” she shares. “And so, to really come from nothing and to create a space from nothing was a really huge achievement.”

The 2024 Netflix documentary Outstanding shows Cho’s significant role in the history of LGBTQ+ comedy, an art form that has also engendered greater equality. And Cho continues to use her platform to advocate for trans kids and causes that support the LGBTQ+ movement.

“The accomplishment that I’m most proud of this year is helping elect Kamala Harris to president of the United States,” she shares.

“We have a right to equality,” she asserts. “...We don’t have to stand for bullying. We don’t have to stand for transphobia. We don’t have to stand for homophobia. We don’t have to stand for racism.” —Daniel Reynolds

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W I C KE D

—Tracy E. Gilchrist

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out.com

Marissa Bode @marissa_edob

Bronwyn James @bronwynjamesofficial

Bowen Yang @fayedunaway

SAMI DR ASIN FOR UNIVERSAL PICTURES (BODE ); JUSTINA SULLIVAN (JAMES); DAVID URBANKE ( YANG)

“Because of how many differences each of us holds within ourselves as people and how many differences our characters hold, [Wicked] intrinsically wants to be a queer canon,” Out100 Icon of the Year Cynthia Erivo says of the very queer Wicked cast.

The Land of Oz has always been LGBTQfriendly, but Jon M. Chu’s big-screen version of the beloved Stephen Schwartz musical from the Gregory Maguire novel is primed to be the queerest iteration yet with the breadth of out performers embodying the students of Shiz University.

Newcomer Marissa Bode plays the pivotal role of Elphaba’s sister Nessarose, while Bowen Yang’s Pfannee and Bronwyn James’s ShenShen form part of Glinda’s group of soigné witches.

“Maybe my biggest hope with Wicked is that it shows a studio and an audience that you can fill out a world — real or imagined — with every kind of queer character and have it feel like a universal viewing experience,” Yang says.

With Erivo in one of the leading roles in all of her authenticity, and Fellow Travelers’ Jonathan Bailey as the charming Fiyero, the cast is stacked with queer performers. Bode, James, and Yang, at the intersections of their identities, add depth to the film that already promises to draw in a big box office.

“The diversity shown in the story of Wicked is really mirrored in the diversity of its cast,” says James, who recently celebrated her first anniversary with her wife. “Wicked is about living your life true to yourself, and having LGBTQ+ visibility within the cast really hammers that home.”

A disability advocate for years, Bode, who has had a disability since she was 11 and whose Nessarose uses a wheelchair, shares that it took until recently to embrace her queer identity.

“On top of being one of a very, very few people of color at my school [in a small Midwestern town] and having a physical disability, admitting queerness was just one more thing to make me feel ‘othered,’ so I hid it,” Bode says.

Witnessing some of her peers come out after high school encouraged Bode to do so as well. Calling out the barrage of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and legislation, she believes Wicked may uplift those who need its message.

“One of the main themes in Wicked that I hold very close to my own heart is speaking up for what you know is right,” she says. “I hope others will watch the film and feel empowered to live by the idea that you can actually change the world if you are brave enough to stand up for what you believe in and what you know to be fair and just.”

ARTISTS

ADAM L AMBERT

@adamlambert

Out100 Readers’ Choice

Adam Lambert is a gamechanger in the music industry and a powerful advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

The first out gay male artist to reach number 1 on the Billboard 200, he’s sold over 3 million albums and earned a Grammy nomination for his hit “Whataya Want From Me.” Lambert has five studio albums, with his latest EP, AFTERS, showcasing his most liberated queer work yet.

Beyond his solo success, Lambert has stunned audiences worldwide as the lead singer of Queen + Adam Lambert, bringing new life to the band’s iconic hits. His memorable performance of “Believe” at the Kennedy Center Honors even moved Cher to tears. Lambert recently made his Broadway debut in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club as the Emcee, adding another dimension to his career. Throughout it all, he’s remained an outstanding example of representation and pride for the LGBTQ+ community.

“We are not your enemy,” he says. “The people that are freaked out and opposed to the queer community are so concerned that we’re somehow the enemy. We just want the same things everybody else wants — we’re just probably going to look, sound, and feel a little bit more fabulous doing it.”—Gabriella Angelina

W I L LY C H AVA R R I A

Willy Chavarria is a force in fashion.

Last year, he was named the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s Menswear Designer of the Year, a top industry honor.

But the queer California native (now a New York City resident) threads heart and activism into his apparel. “I tell a story of great human dignity through the lens of fashion,” he describes. His runways are mustsee events for their sartorial challenge of racism, xenophobia, and rigid gender norms.

In fact, the now-ubiquitous baggy trouser can be traced to the designs of Chavarria, who paid homage to the zoot suit favored by men of color in midcentury America.

Chavarria is proud of the release of his SS25 collection. (“It is very salable on a global level,” he notes.) He recently released his XXX zine filled with Marco Ovando photographs celebrating the male form. And don’t miss his luxe “Dirty Willy” underwear line.

“I love to share a message of queer power in my work. I love incorporating queer and trans people into all my work. It’s empowering and shares a message of strength and unity,” he says. —D.R.

november | december 2024

BRIAN ZIFF (L AMBERT ); MAT T PROJECTS (CHAVARRIA)

@willychavarrianewyork

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VICTORIA MONÉT

@victoriamonet

For over a decade, Victoria Monét has wowed the world as an R&B artist and as a songwriter for Jhené Aiko, Chloe x Halle, Brandy, and her most prolific collaborator, Ariana Grande. The bisexual icon finally received her flowers this year when she won Best New Artist at the Grammys. Her critically acclaimed 2023 album, Jaguar II, also birthed the hit “On My Mama.”

The road to success wasn’t always easy. Postpartum depression during the pandemic’s roughest days left her feeling isolated. But her support system helped her create some of the most meaningful work of her career to date. “‘On My Mama’ was the first record I did that I actually liked,” she says. “And it came while I was in a place of trying to speak affirmations to really believe and get that confidence back.”

Monét’s message to LGBTQ+ fans?

“The world is full of so many unique and beautiful people. Who you are is more than enough. We all deserve to live and love openly as our most authentic selves.”

—Raffy Ermac

MAREN MORRIS

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Maren Morris (she/they) is a music superstar, with hit albums like Hero, Girl, and Humble Quest. Beyond hitmaking, the Grammy winner challenges the industry’s gatekeeping against women, LGBTQ+ people, and artists of color.

They publicly divorced themself from country music last year over this issue.

Morris is “making the conscious effort to reset a lot of the ‘comfortable’ elements in my life that were getting very stale the last few years…. It’s scary to admit that things aren’t fulfilling you anymore for fear of seeming ungrateful or problematic.”

The bisexual singer sees coming-out as their year’s greatest accomplishment: “It was sort of the last domino of me holding my true self back.

You can say it to yourself for decades, but saying it to the world is a choice. I just didn’t want any piece of myself locked in a corridor.” out.com

“I think the bravery of having so many people against you and choosing happiness regardless is what is so inspiring to me about that [LGBTQ+] community,” they add. —Bernardo Sim

CHANEL MOYE (MONE T ); ASHLE Y OSBORN (MORRIS)

november | december 2024

@marenmorris

ARTISTS

K AT Y O ’ B R I A N

@thekatyo

Anitta revived and reinvented Brazilian pop music with hit songs canonized as anthems, culture-shifting music videos, and a tenacious pursuit of authenticity. As conservatives questioned and discriminated against the out bisexual, mixed-race woman of Candomblé faith, Anitta outsmarted them, sharing her resilient spirit with the world.

“My biggest obstacle has been coming from the favelas, being a bisexual woman in a country with persistent misogyny and discrimination,” Anitta says. “My work is about self-expression and empowerment; being open and vulnerable about my sexuality and my roots. When critics ask why I need to sing about female freedom, my sensuality, and my culture, it’s not because I need to…it’s because I can.”

She’s the first-ever solo Latine artist to top Spotify’s Global Top 200 chart. She’s got three consecutive VMAs in the Best Latin category to her name. And her new album, Funk Generation, will introduce Brazilian funk sounds and culture to global fans.

Brazil plunges into summer come late December, and Anitta is readying her new tour for Brazilian Carnival — “always my favorite time of the year,” she teases. —B.S.

Before her starring role in this year’s Love Lies Bleeding, Katy O’Brian, 35, acted in many beloved superhero and sci-fi productions, including The Mandalorian, Westworld, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Clearly, she had the superpowers needed to carry (on her very strong shoulders!) the hit romantic thriller alongside Kristen Stewart.

O’Brian auditioned six times for the new queer classic. Yet it seems as though the role of the driven strongwoman Jackie was written specifically for her. But the real-life bodybuilder needed more than physical strength to get through the challenges of 2024.

“I lost a dear family member unexpectedly, totaled my car, and I had to have surgery…it seemed like one disaster after another,” O’Brian shares. What helped her cope? She and wife Kylie Chi set aside time for mindfulness exercises to “refresh a positive mindset.”

The queer star is seeing fruitful dividends ahead: She has upcoming roles in Mission Impossible 8 and the zombie movie Queens of the Dead, with more projects to be announced soon. —Stacey Yvonne

november | december 2024

GABRIEL A SCHMIDT (ANIT TA); DANIEL PR AKOPCYK (O’BRIAN)

A N I T TA

@anitta

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Nathan Lane

Denée Benton @deneebenton

TH E G I LD E D A G E

ways that would have been unimaginable even a few short years ago.”

Jacobson, who portrays Ada’s niece Marian, is among those on a journey, having come out this past June. “It was

a bit rattling to publicize my queerness on Instagram, but I overcame the anxiety by reminding myself that maybe — hopefully — by being open and celebratory, I had helped someone who was struggling or questioning their own identity,” she says.

Benton — whose character Peggy Scott stares down significant barriers as a Black woman in 19th-century America — is proud that The Gilded Age has sparked such a devoted LGBTQ+ following. That feeling of belonging reminds the Tony nominee of the “gay mecca” that is the theater world. “It feels like home and pride…. When my work makes queer folks proud and Black folks proud, I know I’m on to something with soul.”

However, these cast members remind fans not to forget 21st-century stakes.

“My message to the world about LGBTQ+ equality is that in order to hold on to that and all our other freedoms, we have to vote for the people who care about those issues and their protection. In other words, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Lane says.

“Vote for Kamala to protect LGBTQ+ and trans rights!” Jacobson urges. —D.R.

november | december 2024

Amid the world’s troubles, a bright light for LGBTQ+ viewers is HBO’s The Gilded Age. This isn’t due to essential LGBTQ+ representation per se (although there’s some of that with Oscar, a closeted heiress-chaser whose old-money mother is Christine Baranski). It’s more that the Julian Fellowes historical drama centers on a very queer topic: upwardly mobile women scheming to penetrate New York’s high society. It’s all great fun. And cast members like Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, and Baranski are the stuff gay memes are made of.

Vitally, The Gilded Age has prominent LGBTQ+ stars bringing soap-operatic history to life: Louisa Jacobson, Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton, and Nathan Lane. The importance of inclusive entertainment is not lost on them.

“I love everything about our show, including how many queer people of vastly different ages we have working on it, both in front of the camera and behind it,” says Nixon, who plays Ada, a spinster who found love this season. “I personally love to see the ways our younger folks are charting their own individual journeys,

Cynthia Nixon @cynthiaenixon 16

out.com

EMILIO MADRID (JACOBSON); LUKE FONTANA (L ANE ); MYESHA E VON (BENTON); CHAD GRIFFITH (NIXON

Louisa Jacobson @louisa_jacobson

ARTISTS

JESSICA GUNNING

NYMPHIA WIND

“Besides bananas, my work always starts from the heart,” Nymphia Wind, the champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 and reigning America’s Next Drag Superstar, says of her work.

Since joining Mama Ru’s queendom, Wind highlights the incredible year that she’s had so far. “I got to meet some very important figures, including Jane Goodall; the former president of Taiwan [Tsai Ing-Wen]; and Kamala Harris.” Wind was also featured on the cover of Taiwan Vogue and underscores that “representing the drag community on the cover of a major magazine was such a memorable moment for me.”

Wind still deals with “self-loathing, insecurities, and self-esteem” issues, which she candidly reveals she has yet to overcome. Looking ahead, the Drag Race superstar wants to “curate and produce unique shows that fuse Taiwanese culture, traditional craft, and drag performance. It’s a mix of who I am and what I represent. I’d be honored to tour the world with a show like that one day.” Wind adds, “So that, and meeting the Dalai Lama.” —B.S.

november | december 2024

JACK WATERLOT ( WIND); THEO TENNANT (GUNNING)

@66wind99

There was a lot going on in Netflix’s critical and commercial hit Baby Reindeer. But Emmy winner Jessica Gunning was a scene stealer as the obsessed stalker Martha.

“The response has just been incredible,” Gunning says.

“People come up to me all the time and say how much the show meant to them, or how episode 4 moved them, or how gripped they were by it. It’s been amazing to be part of something that seems to have affected so many people.”

Gunning, 38, has been acting for over 17 years now, mostly in U.K.-based projects. In her career and personal life, she knows that sometimes, things take time. “It took me a while to realize I was gay,” Gunning says. “Looking back, all the signs were there, but it just took me a bit of time to ‘find myself,’ as it were.”

“There’s no rush, so don’t feel like you have to define yourself in a hurry,” she advises. “It might take a bit of time to figure all that out, and that’s OK.” —R.E.

17

MALEAH JOI MOON

18

Maleah Joi Moon lived her dream in 2024, making her Broadway debut in the Alicia Keys musical Hell’s Kitchen, for which she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical. Her Broadway bow is the accomplishment she’s most proud of for the year, calling it an “absolute dream come true.”

“Impostor syndrome” is the biggest obstacle she’s faced, says Moon, who uses she/they pronouns. “I am my own worst enemy,” they say. “But honestly, my truth is that it doesn’t really go away — which is OK! With every new day and every show, I’m given the opportunity to overcome my doubts and insecurities as a performer by staying grounded in the truth.”

“I’m a storyteller!” she adds. “I go onstage every night with the goal of getting a message across to the audience in hopes that they’ll leave the theater having felt something.”

On LGBTQ+ equality, Moon’s message is: “Life is short, time is precious. Love who you love and love them entirely.” —Trudy Ring

out.com

A U L I ‘I C R AVA L H O

@auliicravalho

As a teen, Auli‘i Cravalho became a breakout star as the titular lead of 2016’s Oscar-nominated Disney film Moana, a role she reprises in this year’s sequel. Now 23, the bisexual actress also made Janis canonically gay in the new Mean Girls movie musical and marked her Broadway ​​ debut as Sally Bowles in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club.

“I’ve been singing and kissing mirrors since I was six.

Performing (in front of people no less!) is as much of an honor as it is a thrill,” she says.

Cravalho also gives love to her Hawaiian upbringing.

“Growing up with aunts and uncles who were out and living with their partners proudly and having a prominent Hawaiian education that taught me that Indigenous knowledge has always held space for individuals who are intersex, māhū, or Two-Spirit gave me the space to find myself in a safe space. I wish that kind of freedom and community for everyone. And for those that aren’t born into it, finding your chosen family is equally as liberating.” — Taylor Henderson

R AMON RIVAS (MOON); JON STARS (CR AVALHO)

november | december 2024

@maleahjoimoon

LONG-ACTING PrEP APRETUDE is a prescription medicine used for HIV-1 PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents who weigh at least 77 pounds (at least 35 kg).

Reasons to ask your doctor about APRETUDE APRETUDE is the first and only long-acting, injectable PrEP for reducing the risk of getting HIV-1

It’s an injection given every other month, instead of a pill you take every day

Studied in HIV-1 negative cisgender men, transgender women, and cisgender women at risk of getting HIV-1

APRETUDE is given every other month by a healthcare provider after initiation injections have been given 1 month apart for 2 consecutive months. Stay under a provider’s care while receiving APRETUDE. You must receive it as scheduled. If you will miss a scheduled injection by more than 7 days, call your provider right away.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT APRETUDE

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APRETUDE (cont'd)

This is only a brief summary of important information about APRETUDE and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your medicine.

AP-reh-tood

Before receiving APRETUDE to reduce your risk of getting HIV-1: • You must be HIV-1 negative to start APRETUDE. You must get tested to make sure that you do not already have HIV-1 infection.

• Do not receive APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP unless you are confirmed to be HIV-1 negative.

• Some HIV-1 tests can miss HIV-1 infection in a person who has recently become infected. If you have flu-like symptoms, you could have recently become infected with HIV-1. Tell your healthcare provider if you had a flu-like illness within the last month before starting APRETUDE or at any time while receiving APRETUDE. Symptoms of new HIV-1 infection include: tiredness; joint or muscle aches; sore throat; rash; enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or groin; fever; headache; vomiting or diarrhea; night sweats.

Please see additional Important Facts About APRETUDE at right.

MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APRETUDE Important information for people who receive APRETUDE for pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to help reduce their risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) infection:

ram SavingsmayProg pay as little

Learn more at APRETUDE.com

Eligible patients per injection on as a $0 co-pay DE. prescribed APRETU including an Important Warning.

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about APRETUDE,

Eligible patients may pay as little as a $0 co-pay per injection on prescribed APRETUDE.

IMPORTANT FACTS ABOUT APRETUDE (cont'd) MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT APRETUDE (cont'd) While you are receiving APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP: • APRETUDE does not prevent other sexually transmitted infections.

Practice safer sex by using a latex or polyurethane condom to reduce the risk of getting sexually transmitted infections.

• You must stay HIV-1 negative to keep receiving APRETUDE for HIV-1 PrEP. ° Know your HIV-1 status and the HIV-1 status of your partners. ° Ask your partners with HIV-1 if they are taking anti-HIV-1 medicines and have an undetectable viral load. An undetectable viral load is when the amount of virus in the blood is too low to be measured in a lab test. To maintain an undetectable viral load, your partners must keep taking HIV-1 medicine as prescribed. Your risk of getting HIV-1 is lower if your partners with HIV-1 are taking effective treatment. ° Get tested for HIV-1 with each APRETUDE injection or when your healthcare provider tells you. You should not miss any HIV-1 tests. If you become HIV-1 infected and continue receiving APRETUDE because you do not know you are HIV-1 infected, the HIV-1 infection may become harder to treat. ° Get tested for other sexually transmitted infections such as syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. These infections make it easier for HIV-1 to infect you. ° If you think you were exposed to HIV-1, tell your healthcare provider right away.

They may want to do more tests to be sure you are still HIV-1 negative. ° Get information and support to help reduce sexual risk behaviors. ° Do not miss any injections of APRETUDE. Missing injections increases your risk of getting HIV-1 infection. ° If you do become HIV-1 positive, you will need to take other medicines to treat HIV-1. APRETUDE is not approved for treatment of HIV-1.

If you have HIV-1 and receive only APRETUDE, over time your HIV-1 may become harder to treat.

ABOUT APRETUDE APRETUDE is a prescription medicine used for HIV-1 PrEP to reduce the risk of getting HIV-1 infection in adults and adolescents who weigh at least 77 pounds (at least 35 kg).

HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS).

It is not known if APRETUDE is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age or weighing less than 77 pounds (less than 35 kg).

DO NOT RECEIVE APRETUDE IF YOU: • already have HIV-1 infection. If you are HIV-1 positive, you will need to take other medicines to treat HIV-1. APRETUDE is not approved for treatment of HIV-1.

• do not know your HIV-1 infection status. You may already be HIV-1 positive. You need to take other medicines to treat HIV-1. APRETUDE can only help reduce your risk of getting HIV-1 infection before you are infected.

• are allergic to cabotegravir.

• are taking any of the following medicines: carbamazepine; oxcarbazepine; phenobarbital; phenytoin; rifampin; rifapentine.

BEFORE RECEIVING APRETUDE Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: • have ever had a skin rash or an allergic reaction to medicines that contain cabotegravir.

• have or have had liver problems.

• have ever had mental health problems.

• have or ever had kidney problems.

BEFORE RECEIVING APRETUDE (cont'd) • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if APRETUDE will harm your unborn baby. APRETUDE can remain in your body for up to 12 months or longer after the last injection. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while or after receiving APRETUDE. • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. APRETUDE may pass into your breast milk.

Talk with your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby while or after receiving APRETUDE. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Some medicines may interact with APRETUDE. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine.

You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with APRETUDE. Do not start a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to receive APRETUDE with other medicines.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF APRETUDE APRETUDE may cause serious side effects, including: • Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop a rash with APRETUDE. Stop receiving APRETUDE and get medical help right away if you develop a rash with any of the following signs or symptoms: fever; generally ill feeling; tiredness; muscle or joint aches; trouble breathing; blisters or sores in mouth; blisters; redness or swelling of the eyes; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue.

• Liver problems. Liver problems have happened in people with or without a history of liver problems or other risk factors. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your liver function.

Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: your skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow (jaundice); dark or "tea-colored" urine; lightcolored stools (bowel movements); nausea or vomiting; loss of appetite; pain, aching, or tenderness on the right side of your stomach area; itching.

• Depression or mood changes. Call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you develop any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless; feeling anxious or restless; have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have tried to hurt yourself.

The most common side effects of APRETUDE include: pain, tenderness, hardened mass or lump, swelling, bruising, redness, itching, warmth, loss of sensation at the injection site, abscess, and discoloration; diarrhea; headache; fever; tiredness; sleep problems; nausea; dizziness; passing gas; stomach pain; vomiting; muscle pain; rash; loss of appetite; drowsiness; back pain; upper respiratory infection.

These are not all the possible side effects of APRETUDE. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

GET MORE INFORMATION • Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

• Go to APRETUDE.com or call 1-877-844-8872 where you can also get FDA-approved labeling.

December 2023 APR:3PIL Trademarks are owned by or licensed to the ViiV Healthcare group of companies. ©2024 ViiV Healthcare or licensor.

CBTJRNA240006 February 2024 Produced in USA.

N AVA M A U

Nava Mau made Emmys history this year as the first transgender woman nominated in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series. She was recognized for her Baby Reindeer role of Teri, the main character’s love interest who happens to be trans. In a story with messy characters, Teri had her life together. And Mau was hailed for bringing heart to one of the year’s biggest shows.

Baby Reindeer is “about the human condition. It’s about the way that we seek to belong with each other. And I never thought of [Baby Reindeer] necessarily as a queer show,” says Mau, who previously appeared in Max’s Generation. “It is a human show.

And I think the nature of what we’ve been fighting for is to be recognized as humans first and foremost.”

Mau knows that the fight for LGBTQ+ equality is intersectional: “We can’t have equality without justice. And so it’s important that we think about the ways that structural barriers to equality exist for different kinds of people around the world, especially Black and brown people.” —D.R.

ERIK CARTER

@navamau

DISRUPTORS CHAPPELL ROAN

@chappellroan

2024 has been the year of Chappell Roan. The lesbian singer broke bigger than big, landing seven songs from her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, on the Billboard chart. Roan has become a mainstream cultural force with a queer voice. “Good Luck, Babe!” happens to be about compulsory heterosexuality.

Everyone from actors in commercials, to kids, to Republican aunts have been spelling out “Hot to Go!” all summer. Drag performers — a major influence on Roan — have embraced lipsyncing to “Pink Pony Club,” a gay bar anthem inspired by a night out at the Abbey in West Hollywood. And in between hits, Roan has also raised important points about mental health and privacy for celebrities.

As her drag mother, the legendary Sasha Colby, says, “Chappell Roan’s music is a bold, vulnerable, yet fearless expression of unapologetic authenticity and true talent, serving as a reminder that the voices and stories of the LGBTQ+ community inspire us all to live courageously and unapologetically.” —M.R.

JULIO TORRES

After his hilarious and innovative HBO series Los Espookys ended in 2022, Torres made his cinematic debut by writing, directing, and starring in this year’s Problemista. The film tells a new version of the story of the American Dream through Torres’s unique comedic view — he plays a toymaker fighting for U.S. citizenship (and working for Tilda Swinton), an absurd and brilliant take on the queer immigrant experience.

But he wasn’t done there. Torres also released the surrealist TV series Fantasmas this year, giving fans an even better look into his brilliant mind.

Though even Torres is uncertain how to describe his work: “There were mermaids and gay hamsters in it…does that help explain anything?”

“I’m really proud I’ve gotten to release two projects that I stand behind, made with old friends and new friends,” Torres says. “No one asked for a film like Problemista or a show like Fantasmas, and yet we got to make them, and I think those who cherish them didn’t know they were looking for them either.” —M.R.

november | december 2024

MIKE COPPOL A-GE T T Y IMAGES (ROAN); MITCH Z ACHARY ( TORRES)

@spaceprincejulio

23

november | december 2024 24

Blakely Thornton describes himself as a “pop culture anthropologist,” entertaining his considerable Out100 Readers’ digital audience (131k followers Choice on TikTok) with hilarious takes on fashion, celebrities, and more. His videos end with his signature signoff: “Roll credits.”

The catchphrase has become so popular that Monica Lewinsky told him she hopes Kamala Harris says it when she wins the presidency in November.

Thornton will appear in an upcoming OutTV series OFFSHOOT, and his podcast Immediately No is coming in 2025. “I think all aspects of culture, whether highbrow or lowbrow, are connected,” Thornton says.

In the age of influencers, attention can be lucrative but also distracting; Thornton says his biggest challenge is remaining himself as the noise around his work increases. But he has ways of keeping grounded. “I got back to my personal mantra: I’m very Black and very gay, I want those who are either of those things to feel more comfortable being them, and those who experience either one of those things to be more comfortable around them,” he says. —S.Y.

out.com

COLE ESCOL A

@coleescola

Mary Todd Lincoln must be rolling in her grave (with laughter) at the success of Oh, Mary!, a spoof of the first lady’s life from “nonbinary gay Lutheran atheist” writer and actor Cole Escola (Search Party, Difficult People). Escola portrays Lincoln as an aspiring cabaret star indifferent to a nation torn by the Civil War. Audiences can’t get enough of the outrageous plot and hilarious cast, particularly Conrad Ricamora’s closeted Abe. Improbably and fabulously, it’s now one of Broadway’s hottest tickets.

Escola’s Mary would certainly have enjoyed the limelight.

But the star and playwright, who prefers the “gay shadows” of cabaret life to attending spectacles like the Met Gala, is just happy that they made their friends proud this year.

“I see them after the show, and they have this look on their faces like, ‘You little fucker! You did it! We knew you could!’

My friends are my world, and I can’t think of a better feeling.

Except for maybe the love I feel for everyone who makes this show happen.”—D.R.

BRECHT VANT HOF ( THORNTON); DANIEL R AMPULL A (ESCOL A)

B L A K E LY T H O R N T O N

@blakelythornton

DISRUPTORS

N C U T I G AT W A

@ncutigatwa

Ncuti Gatwa is a bright light in the entertainment world. He shone in his breakout role as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, which recently ended its four-season run. And 2024 saw Gatwa break barriers in Doctor Who, as he became the first out man and first person of color to take the lead in the longrunning British sci-fi series. (Gatwa came out as queer in a 2023 Elle interview.)

In Barbie, Gatwa shared the screen with a star-studded cast, and even performed at the Oscars alongside the other Kens, a 2024 highlight. “It felt like such a celebration of a film we all had a really special time making,” Gatwa says.

Gatwa’s biggest challenge remains being away from loved ones, but he finds peace in “practicing gratitude” and going on walks. “I’ve discovered how much I love being in nature,” he says. Gatwa is set to star in The Roses, a remake of The War of the Roses featuring Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, and he’s taking the stage in London as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. —G.A.

L AW ROACH

Law Roach quite literally wrote the book this year on being a legendary fashion stylist.

The How to Build a Fashion Icon author once swore he was retiring from styling. Yet in 2024, he crafted some of the most buzzworthy visual moments for celebrities, including Céline Dion for her epic Grammys comeback and Zendaya for her Dune: Part Two and Challengers press tours.

Now, the outspoken fashion maven has a new business venture called School of Style, which he founded with his friend and agent Kent Belden. Roach says creating “a go-to destination for anyone who wants to start a career in fashion styling” was the next logical step in his evolution.

Roach, “proudly Black and proudly gay,” also had an epiphany this year: “I realized [being these identities] wasn’t an obstacle that I needed to overcome; it’s for everyone else in the world to overcome, to accept and embrace.”

Law’s message about LGBTQ+ equality to the powers that be?

“Fuck you. We’re tired of begging!” —R.E.

november | december 2024

SAR AH M LEE (GAT WA); E ASTON SCHIRR A (ROACH)

@luxurylaw

25

RENEÉ R APP

26

This year, Reneé Rapp stepped into Regina George’s Louboutin heels in the new musical movie adaptation of Mean Girls. While Rachel McAdams is legendary as the original Queen Bee, Rapp was a revelation. “My name is Regina George, and I am a massive deal,” she sang in “World Burn” — and the world believed her.

Case in point: In January alone, Rapp teamed with Megan Thee Stallion for a song, went viral for chaotic and iconic interview answers, and came out as a lesbian in an SNL sketch with Bowen Yang and Jacob Elordi.

This fall, she’ll take her bow as Leighton Murray, a lesbian character in Max’s The Sex Lives of College Girls.

Along with Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish, Rapp is part of a new wave of young singers bringing lesbian pop to the radio. These artists aren’t just releasing bops.

They’re also teaching young women across the country that lesbian isn’t a bad word; it’s a fun, sexy, and powerful identity to embrace. —M.R.

out.com

P AT T I E G O N I A

@pattiegonia

Pattie Gonia is a drag artist and activist whose work “focuses on environmental solutions — making art at the intersection of activism and making spaces for queer people that the community often forgets exist, [such as] queers in rural and outdoor spaces.”

The boldness, confidence, and determination of a drag icon are all found within Gonia, except that she’s not trying to defeat a lip-sync assassin, please a reality TV judging panel, or serve glamour in a pageant. She’s trying to save the world.

“The biggest obstacle I, and we, have all faced this year is the climate crisis,” she says, expressing how the LGBTQ+ community needs to refocus, see themselves as a part of nature, and collaborate on finding the best solutions for a sustainable future.

“We, as queer people, are not apart from nature; we are a part of nature. Queerness is not ‘unnatural’ — queerness is nothing but natural, and species that exhibit queerness can be found in every ecosystem on planet Earth.” —B.S.

ATIA TEMKIN (R APP); E VAN BENALLY AT WOOD (GONIA)

november | december 2024

@reneerapp

DISRUPTORS

D AV I D L A U T E R S T E I N & F R E D K E A R N E Y

@nastypig

“At its heart, Nasty Pig is a love story,” says CEO David Lauterstein. The hugely successful fashion brand was founded 30 years ago by two men who fell in love at a $1 margarita night in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood, with a mission to create unapologetically queer clothing.

Lauterstein and his partner, Fred Kearney, started out selling leather gear and other sportswear, then expanded into selling jockstraps, underwear, swimsuits, and more. They credit late French fashion icon Thierry Mugler as both a mentor and customer. This summer, Nasty Pig was honored by the Ali Forney Center for 10 years of fundraising to help feed, house, and educate homeless queer youth.

And it’s only the beginning for Nasty Pig. Lauterstein has written his first book, Sodomy Gods, which tells the story of how he and Kearney met, fell in love, and started Nasty Pig together.

“As a gay man who lost so many of my ancestors to AIDS, I never had the opportunity to hear their stories and learn from their experiences,” Lauterstein says. “This book makes good on a promise I made to myself to do for young queer people what my queer ancestors couldn’t do for me.”—S.Y.

N I KO L A A L E X A N D R E

MIHKEL VANAGER (L AUTERSTEIN & KE ARNE Y ); JOSÉ BECERR A (ALE X ANDRE )

@shelterwood_collective Nikola Santarem Alexandre is a Black queer forester whose life changed after attending a nature-based healing gathering following the Pulse massacre. The experience inspired them to commit to land stewardship and nurture a sustainable future for marginalized communities.

After obtaining degrees in forestry and business from Yale University, Alexandre founded Conservation International’s Ecosystem Restoration Program and now serves as its senior advisor. Alexandre cocreated and leads the Shelterwood Collective, a 900-acre, queer-run forest and community center in Northern California.

He continues to center queer and Black voices in environmental stewardship.

“Queerness and ecological health are intimately linked,” Alexandre says. “Our environmental problems are born from attempts to create boxes that separate people and nature. It’s only by rejecting those boxes and blurring the divides between people, places, and ecologies that we’ll be able to restore balance in our ecosystems and build a world where all can thrive. Queerness is one of our greatest teachers for this kind of endeavor, and queer leaders are needed in the climate movement for it to reach its full potential.” —G.A.

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P A B L L O V I T TA R

november | december 2024

HARPER STEELE

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After over three decades of friendship, Will Ferrell probably thought he knew everything there was to know about Harper Steele, a former SNL writer who collaborated with the comedic actor on some of his most iconic sketches and films.

Not the case. As seen in the vital new Netflix documentary Will & Harper, Steele came out as transgender during the pandemic and embarked on a crosscountry road trip with Ferrell to get reacquainted — with each other and America.

Experiencing the United States as an out trans person is a far different experience than it was before Steele began living her truth. While she encountered hatred and ignorance on the road, wrestling with her “internalized transphobia” has been her year’s biggest obstacle. “I’m not sure I did overcome it. I think freedom overcame me, and we’re still working on it. The more work I do, the more free I become,” she says.

But she’s not backing down, and she has a strong message for her haters. “I’m queer. You’re queer. The world is queer,” she says. “Deal with it.” —M.R.

out.com

Pabllo Vittar is not just a renowned drag performer.

She’s a legitimate Brazilian pop star and A-list celebrity who keeps expanding her global reach. With 2.3 billion views and 7.9 million subscribers on YouTube, 21.3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and a following of 13 million on Instagram and 9.6 million on TikTok, Vittar is unquestionably the most popular drag artist of the digital age.

Describing her sound as “sexy, upbeat, and 100 percent Brazilian vibes with a pop twist,” Vittar enters this year’s Out100 after going viral with “Alibi” (a collab with Sevdaliza and Yseult) and becoming the secondever drag queen to enter the Billboard Hot 100 chart — following the drag pioneer herself, RuPaul, who charted thrice in the 1990s.

Vittar is proud of “reaching mainstream audiences despite being a queer artist” in Brazil, where it’s still dangerous for the LGBTQ+ community despite the country’s lively music scene for queer and trans artists.

Next up, the unstoppable Vittar is releasing a new album. —B.S.

CARTER SMITH-NE TFLIX QUEUE (STEELE ); SCOZ ( VIT TAR)

@pabllovittar

DISRUPTORS

Out100 Readers’ Choice

NURSE BL AKE

@nurse.blake

Blake Lynch, known as Nurse Blake to his many fans, blends his passion for care with comedy. The gay nurse from Orlando has a simple mission: make nursing fun and spark laughter. Lynch tours the world hosting nursing conferences and connecting with health care professionals from all walks of life. Performing at the Sydney Opera House was a particular highlight this year.

Lynch is a survivor of conversion therapy, a traumatic time that is a “driving force” for his activism. “It was a difficult and painful experience that caused a lot of internal conflict and confusion about my identity,” he says. “However, I overcame it by seeking support from friends and allies who accepted me for who I am.”

“Here’s the deal: Love is like a good nursing home — everyone deserves a comfy spot!” Lynch says of his guiding message.

“Seriously, whether you’re gay, straight, or somewhere in between, we all deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.” What’s next? “Sleep! I’m about to brush my teeth, take my PrEP, and go to bed.” —G.A.

N ATA L I E W Y N N

ROWAN DALY (BL AKE ); ANONYMOUS ( W YNN)

@contrapoints

Known to fans as ContraPoints, Natalie Wynn amassed 1.83 million YouTube subscribers by creating what she says are “video essays about politics and social issues, from online hate movements to the madness of J.K. Rowling.”

The transgender lesbian influencer makes epic, hours-long video essays that approach topics with academic rigor while creating hilarious and profound pieces of media that involve sets, costumes, ambient lighting, and the intellectual threading of philosophy with pop culture. This year, Wynn released a threehour-long video where she “mapped the intricate depravities of heterosexual fantasy by studying The Twilight Saga.” In six months, the video amassed 4.5 million views.

However, being continually online has its pitfalls. “My biggest obstacle is the mental illness that afflicts anyone with an online reputation,” she says. “The love and the hate are equally dangerous. Narcissism and paranoia go together. The only cure is knowing when to step away.”

Wynn, an essential voice for her generation, wants the world to know that “LGBTQ+ people are just like everybody else, except more gay.” —B.S.

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Starting + Staying on HIV treatment The best time to start treatment is ASAP after diagnosis Model portrayal

You can live well with HIV

By starting HIV treatment as soon as possible after diagnosis and staying on treatment as prescribed, you can help control your HIV viral load, which can help you live a longer and healthier life.

Today’s HIV treatments can fit into your schedule, and some can even be started right away. So be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about what’s right for you.

And remember, you are not alone. There are many people to help support you, alongside your healthcare provider.

Work together with your healthcare provider to find an HIV treatment option that is right for you and start your treatment journey today.

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EDUCATORS

J AY M E S B L A C K

The Trevor Project — a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth — tapped Jaymes Black this year to helm the group’s vital work.

Black (he/she/they) is Trevor’s first Black and first nonbinary CEO. A former CEO of Family Equality who grew up in the rural South, they bring both an impressive résumé and lived experience to tackling the daunting challenges faced by today’s queer and trans kids. “To be in this role, to be who I needed when I was [a] young queer Black awkward kid in Texas, is… another dream come true,” they say.

Bullies manifest on the playground and in the political world. But through it all, Black is inspired by how many young people live openly and proudly, a resilience that comes with being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“The way that we view the world is very different. And because of that, I think we come with…this innate strength that others don’t understand,” they say. “We’ll never give up.

We’ll never give up the fight. We’ll never give up fighting for equality. We’ll never give up being ourselves.” —D.R.

november | december 2024

ERIK CARTER

@thejaymesblack

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AL AN CUMMING

@alancummingreally Peacock’s Traitors has taken the world by storm thanks to its dramatically charming and fashionable host, Alan Cumming.

Lording over a castle of backstabbing reality stars, the bisexual entertainer even bested reigning Emmys titleholder RuPaul as the year’s top reality host. He discovered that win in bed.

But he showed up in full Scottish regalia (and a transgender flag pin) to accept the Emmy for Best Reality Competition during the televised main ceremony. “I’m proud of subverting the competition reality form and bringing fun and joyful genderfuck queerness to a mainstream audience,” he trumpets.

Cumming was also a force this year in HBO’s Chimp Crazy, a docuseries where the animal rights activist employed his star power to save a kidnapped chimpanzee. He encourages all LGBTQ+ people to take a stand for what’s right.

“We must use our power more. Why is anyone still on Twitter? Why didn’t we boycott Target when they withdrew the Pride merch? We need to show them our power is economic as well as spiritual. And we must always remember that queer joy is a form of protest.” —D.R.

JON LOVETT

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Once a speechwriter for Hillary Clinton in her 2008 presidential campaign and Barack Obama during his presidency, Jon Lovett has turned the page. The wordsmith is now working as a comedian; he’s also a cofounder of the liberal political media company Crooked Media and hosts the podcasts Pod Save America and Lovett or Leave It. It’s a career about “hosting and posting,” he says.

“Equality is a life-or-death necessity, but demanding ‘equal rights’ also feels sort of straight? Like putting on a little suit and tie to go to work at the politics factory,” Lovett muses when asked about LGBTQ+ equality.

“Equality is freedom on others’ terms. What are our terms?”

This year, Lovett competed in season 47 of Survivor on CBS, continued running his multimedia empire, and set big goals for Vote Save America, a resource for helping folks maximize their political impact (Lovett wants to recruit 100,000 volunteers to help win elections). What’s next? “Imagine thinking past this election,” he teases. “Must be nice!”—B.S.

out.com

PAUL MORIGI (LOVE T T ); FREDERIC AR ANDA (CUMMING)

november | december 2024

@jonlovett

EDUCATORS

COURTESY (PARKER) ; FR ANK X AVIER (BELYEU)

C H A N N Y N LY N N E P A R K E R

AV E R Y B E LY E U

@bravespacealliance

@montrosecenter

The Brave Space Alliance is the first Black-led, trans-led LGBTQ+ center on Chicago’s South Side. And this year, led

by Channyn Lynne Parker, it launched a behavioral health initiative, offering on-site therapy and medical services. This initiative expands the center’s impact on the community, giving Chicagoans a new way to be empowered to reach a future where everyone can flourish.

Parker, in addition to being CEO of Brave Space Alliance, is a human rights advocate, public speaker, and community leader who has spoken at the White House. This tireless worker currently serves as a commissioner for the Illinois Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes and the Illinois Commission on Poverty Elimination and Economic Security.

“Being a trans woman has taught me that my identity is not a burden but a beacon,” she says. “I don’t have to prove my worth to anyone — I belong here, and my success is my response to those who doubted me. When the world tries to silence you, let your success be your voice. Justice without restoration isn’t justice at all — it’s our duty to restore dignity and opportunity to those who’ve been pushed aside.” —M.R.

In 2024, Avery Belyeu became CEO of the Montrose Center, the fourth-largest LGBTQ+ center in the nation, serving Houston and the surrounding area. She is the first out trans woman to lead an LGBTQ+ center of this size and scale. “I am incredibly proud of what this milestone represents — not just for me but for all trans individuals who can now see another example of trans leadership in a prominent nonprofit dedicated to serving the entire LGBTQ+ community,” she says.

Belyeu has much experience in LGBTQ+ rights work, suicide prevention, and crisis intervention, previously serving at Lambda Legal and the Trevor Project, among other organizations. To build this career, she overcame “severe family and community rejection as a queer young adult,” she shares, having grown up in rural Florida in a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses. She triumphed because of “the incredible people I met along the way,” she notes. She hopes her experience inspires others.

“I believe our diverse and intersecting communities have something really special to teach the world about selfacceptance, courage, and creativity,” she says. —T.R.

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K ALI REIS

@kali_ko_reis Kali Reis is an actor, professional boxer, powerful storyteller, and proud Two-Spirit Indigenous “grown-ass woman.” This year, she starred alongside Jodie Foster in True Detective: Night Country, for which she received an Emmy nomination. And her acting career is on the rise.

Reis will appear in the crime thriller Wind River: Rising, the indie film Rebuilding, and the sci-fi film Mercy, starring alongside Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, in 2025. This work has been “an unexpected blessing.”

“I get to be part of a world of creation and tell stories,” Reis says. “I think being able to embody another person’s life and experiences gives me a better understanding of myself. It’s a silly job, we are just big kids playing house!”

Reis plans to run the New York City marathon this year to bring awareness to missing and murdered Indigenous women. She has also started a boxing promotional company called KOhen Promotions.

“No matter what community you are a part of, we all deserve to be loved and lead with love,” Reis says. “You are enough, and living your truth with all of who you are is a beautiful thing.” —G.A.

NICK ADAMS Nick Adams, vice president of the GLAAD Media Institute, has been fighting for transgender equality since joining the organization in 1998. His role is to amplify the voices of trans people and help them be “trans in the public eye.”

He created the transgender section of GLAAD’s Media Reference Guide, setting industry standards for respectful and accurate reporting.

Adams’s expertise has been incredibly valuable in major media moments, including Caitlyn Jenner’s coming-out story in 2015.

This year, Adams worked closely with Trevor Anderson, the co-writer and director of a new film, Before I Change My Mind, about a teen living in Alberta, Canada, whose gender is never clarified but is the driving force behind the story. Adams says the film “is a welcome and necessary antidote to the lies about trans youth being peddled by anti-trans politicians.”

As a transgender man himself, Adams says he’s passionate about continuing the fight against the small group of loud, fringe, antitrans activists working to scare Hollywood into removing queer characters from the media. “I will make sure executives and creators know that the vast majority of their audiences expect and want to see our stories on screen,” he says. —G.A.

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SHAYAN ASGHARNIA (REIS); JOHN ALLEN PHILLIPS (ADAMS)

@glaad

EDUCATORS

D AV I D N I N H If you’ve ever enjoyed an article about an exciting new Netflix LGBTQ+ show or talent (in this very list perhaps), thank David Ninh. The former entertainment journalist spearheads LGBTQ+ outreach as part of the streaming giant’s multicultural publicity team, in which he advocates behind the scenes for projects like Emilia Pérez, Rustin, Heartstopper, Will & Harper, and The Umbrella Academy.

His work is to “elevate LGBTQ+ artists and creators so that they are heard, understood and seen,” he sums up. “I love connecting them with the perfect writer or media platforms so they can engage in meaningful conversations and their important contributions can have the widest cultural impact.”

With Ninh on the job, rest assured that queer voices won’t get lost in the algorithm. “We have always existed everywhere. We are not going anywhere. And we deserve to be protected and safe,” he says.

Ninh acknowledges the work of representation “never ends,” but “I’m doing my part in the best way that I know how.” What’s next? “I do have a fantasy of opening a banh mi food truck and a dive bar one day!” —D.R.

JAMIE CITRON

@​​whitehouseope46 Jamie Citron’s role in the Office of Public Engagement at the White House is to give everyday Americans an opportunity to participate in policymaking. “We turn the White House into a mirror, reflecting the diversity that is our nation’s greatest strength,” Citron says.

Citron was instrumental in reimagining the White House Pride Reception, which welcomes hundreds of LGBTQ+ families to the South Lawn in June to celebrate the diversity of queer families — both of origin and chosen. When there’s a national tragedy, Citron’s department is the first to deal with the survivors. He views his position as a sacred duty, to advise President Biden in his role as “consoler in chief.”

Citron sees the LGBTQ+ community as critical to public service. “Our differences from the mainstream, and the challenges we overcome, give us a perspective that is our superpower,” Citron says. “And we use that superpower to make the world a better, more creative, more beautiful place for everyone.” —S.Y.

november | december 2024

ME T TIE OSTROWSKI (NINH); KENNY SANDOVAL BUSHUR (CITRON)

@dninh

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LOVELOUD

ESER A TUAOLO

The nonprofit LoveLoud produces charity concerts to amplify LGBTQ+ voices and “ignite the vital conversation about what it means to unconditionally love, understand, accept, and support LGBTQ+ youth,” say its founders and leaders, musicians Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons and Tyler Glenn of Neon Trees.

“We created LoveLoud with the goal of bringing together different kinds of people to create an environment of understanding and love to celebrate our LGBTQ+ community,” they say. “We want our audience to be filled with all kinds of humans. The most conservative and religious with the most queer and liberal individuals so that we all can learn from each other.”

The group initially produced an annual concert in Utah.

But in the past year, it expanded with shows in New York, Illinois, and Florida, which made Reynolds, an ally, and Glenn, who is gay, “exceptionally proud.”

“We don’t want LGBTQ+ individuals to simply be tolerated and accepted in society; we want them to be celebrated for their perspectives, for their accomplishments,” they add. “We want the LGBTQ+ community to be celebrated just as they are and for the political fearmongering to end.” —T.R.

Esera Tuaolo, a former NFL tackle who came out as gay in 2002, says his mission is to “inspire, motivate, encourage, save, educate, and send out aloha into the world!” He’s executive director of Hate Is Wrong, which in June held Minnesota’s first statewide gay-straight alliance prom, attracting 200 young people, some from nearby states.

“Equality came with a price, so those who came before us need to be remembered and celebrated,” says Tuaolo, who got hate mail but even more love when he came out.

“As we move forward into the unknown future, know that we have the power to create a better world for all communities, not just ours.”

His other work includes music and food. A former contestant on The Voice, he has released a new single, “Room for Love,” written by his friend (and former professional baseball player) Bryan Ruby, and he’s opening 98 Hawaiian Grill in St. Joseph, Minnesota.

He’s a veteran chef who’s had gigs in Provincetown and at the Taste of the NFL Super Bowl party. He has raised $600,000 for charity by donating dinners. —T.R.

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@mraloha98

L ANCE LOWRY (LOVELOUD); DAN RIGGS ( TUAOLO)

november | december 2024

@loveloudfest

EDUCATORS

DIANA RODRIGUEZ & ANN MARIE GOTHARD

STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON (RODRIGUEZ /GOTHARD); STE VE MELLON (KERR); PAUL REIT Z (SHUMAKE )

@stonewallvisctr

Having welcomed more than 10,000 visitors in its inaugural months, the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center is poised to become a cornerstone of New York City’s tourism landscape. And that’s thanks to the hard work of Diana Rodriguez and Ann Marie Gothard.

The National Park Service’s first LGBTQ+ visitor center honors the events of June 28, 1969, and the way they helped shape the queer civil rights movement. “I think there is something very unique about standing in a place where history was made,” Rodriguez says.

Rodriguez and Gothard — who are also founders of Pride Live, which organizes the annual Stonewall Day — say that when they announced in 2022 that they planned to open just two years later, people were skeptical. But Rodriguez says “not only did we realize this vision, but we also accomplished it within budget and on time — a rarity in New York real estate.”

The visitor center features exhibitions, events, and art displays, all aimed at furthering the Stonewall legacy. “There is no greater gift than knowing we are giving back and offering to all generations of queer people a place where they can truly belong,” Gothard says. —S.Y.

T R AV I S S H U M A K E @travieshu

Travis Shumake is not the lip-syncing kind of drag racer, but he hopes his title as the fastest out gay driver in motorsports (319 mph!) can be just as significant for the LGBTQ+ community. “In addition to driving really fast, I hold space in the conservative world of motorsports for other car and racing motorsports enthusiasts who don’t fit the traditional racing mold,” says Shumake, who this year purchased his own National Hot Rod Association team.

“After thousands of ‘nos’ from sponsors and teams, and people telling me to be ‘less gay’ if I

SUE KERR

@pghlesbian In February, the LGBTQ+ community and its allies mourned the death of Nex Benedict, a 16-year-old nonbinary Oklahoma high school student who died after an attack in a girls’ bathroom. If it weren’t for Pittsburgh-based reporter Sue Kerr, the story would have stayed under the radar.

Kerr founded the Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents blog back in 2005 and has been covering local and national LGBTQ+ news ever since. She was first to report on the details of Benedict’s death, which quickly became a national news story. Even though the last year has been one of the toughest in her life, Kerr is still doing the hard work to combine activism, journalism, storytelling, and memorializing the lives and deaths of trans victims of violence on her blog.

“We aren’t yet equal. I live in a state with no statewide nondiscrimination protections, an active DOMA law, and no codification around parental rights,” Kerr says. “Racial injustice, climate change, poverty, housing affordability, workplace rights, disability, and more are bound to our equality. Don’t take anything for granted and don’t leave anyone behind.” —M.R. wanted to fit in, I decided the only way I could be my authentic self was to own my own shit,” he says. Now the goal is to get a big LGBTQ+ slice of the $8 billion motorsports sponsorship pie.

As a full-time employee of the Ali Forney Center, a former foster dad, and endless advocate for unhoused youth, Shumake believes in the power of being a role model. As queer people, “we all fight for equality and representation in our subcultures, sports, and societies,” Shumake says. “We have to divide and conquer.” —S.Y. 37

NINA WEST

@ninawest

Nina West was a celebrated drag performer long before she was crowned Miss Congeniality on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11. Today, she remains booked and busy. Around the time she competed on All Stars 9 to raise money for the Trevor Project, the Ohio native was starring in Hairspray’s national tour, working with Tina Romero on the queer zombie film Queens of the Dead, and touring a new show called The Very Queen.

“I think the largest obstacle I faced this year was the urge to say yes to everything and realizing there is only so much I can do,” West says. “I recognized this year — and this time on Drag Race — that I [could] be more intentional in the work I was doing. It’s tough to manage it all, but I overcame it by taking it one day at a time and letting some things go.”

West tells fans to “hold on to their wigs” for 2025, as she’s currently writing for a Harper Collins project, recording new music, and continuing to perform around the world. —B.S.

MARK WHITLEY

@eastersealssocal Intersectionality is at the heart of Mark Whitley’s work as president and CEO of Easterseals Southern California, the largest Easterseals Disability Services affiliate organization, which serves nearly 20,000 people every day. It provides autism therapy, adult/ senior day services, child development/early education, residential/ independent living services, employment services, and more.

Easterseals recently launched the “D1$@B1L*tY Is Not a Dirty Word” multimedia campaign, one of its efforts to change the way the world defines and views disability. “It’s important to note how critical a role LGBTQ+ creators, talent, writers, filmmakers, and more [have played]. Many also disabled themselves, [they] have actively supported and been fully included within these efforts,” says Whitley, who is gay.

“The sheer notion of ‘Disability Pride’ is inspired by the example established by our long-fought LGBTQ+ equality efforts and one that Easterseals is proud to amplify and celebrate,” he says, adding, “The LGBTQ+ community is part of our disability community and vice versa.… Together, the LGBTQ+ and disability communities have so much to offer the nation and our world. Our intersectionality is our power and pride.” —T.R.

SAM CHAMPION

november | december 2024

@samchampion

38

Viewers across America listen to Sam Champion for the weather report on Good Morning America, WABC-TV, and beyond. But the Emmy-winning anchor recalls a time not so long ago when it wasn’t possible to be the out-and-proud media professional (and husband) he is today.

“When I started in 1982 and even by the time I got to NYC in 1988, there were ‘no openly gay people in the mainstream news industry.’ I watched people lose their jobs for the suspicion of being gay,” the 63-year-old recalls. “...I stuck it out with the support of my immediate managers and bosses and a very supportive loyal NYC audience.”

“We’re at a crossroads in history when it would be very easy to go back to those days,” he reminds. “Today’s LGBTQIA+ community must be ready to fight for the rights they enjoy and vote to keep them. It’s hard to imagine, but they came at great cost, and I watched people suffer getting us where we are today.” —R.E.

out.com

JENNIFER ENGLERT ( WEST ); COURTESY ( WHITLE Y ); ABC (CHAMPION)

Out100 Readers’ Choice

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2024 HONOREES

FOR THEIR WORK ADVANCING THE LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY THROUGH VISIBILITY AND REPRESENTATION, PHILANTHROPY AND ADVOCACY

THE LAND OF OZ HAS ALWAYS BEEN QUEER. BUT AS WICKED’S ELPHABA, CYNTHIA ERIVO FINDS REAL POWER IN HER INTERSECTIONAL IDENTITIES by tracy e. gilchrist photography erik carter talent CYNTHIA ERIVO @cynthiaerivo photographer ERIK CARTER @erik_carter with ANDERSON HOPKINS @andersonhopkins digital tech JOSEPH MITCHELL #joemitchell first assistant NICOL BIESEK @nicolb.jpg second assistant SCOTT TURNER @switttch_ set stylist GABRIELA COBAR @gabriela_cobar set assistant A.J. BUCKNALL stylist JASON BOLDEN @jasonbolden at JSN STUDIO @jsn.studio stylist assistant JOHN MUMBLO @johnmumblo grooming JOANNA SIMKIN @joannasimkin at THE WALL GROUP @thewallgroup videographer MIGUEL TORRES

november | december 2024

location INTERWOVEN STUDIOS @interwoven_studios

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BURC AKYOL Dress; JIMMY CHOO Shoes; ROBERTO COIN Jewelry

[WICKED] INTRINSICALLY IS ABOUT… THE ACCEPTANCE OF PEOPLE THAT ARE DIFFERENT, WHETHER IT IS WALK OF LIFE OR THE COLOR OF ONE’S SKIN OR THE POWER A PERSON HOLDS THAT MIGHT BE DIFFERENT TO YOUR OWN. 42

out.com

There’s a 1963 photo of James Baldwin and Lorraine Hansberry dancing.

Baldwin’s arms are outstretched, his head cocked to the side. Hansberry glances at him, cradling a cigarette.

It’s a moment of communion between revelatory Black queer artists.

Schwartz’s musical based on Gregory Maguire’s 1995 novel, with Idina Menzel originating the role in 2003. Oz lore begins in 1900 with L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and subsequent books.

Then came the beloved 1939 Judy Garland-led film with Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West — the witch Elphaba grows into. (A central theme of Wicked explores if people are born wicked or made so by the wickedness of others.)

The ’70s brought The Wiz to Broadway with an allBlack cast. Diana Ross and Michael Jackson starred in the 1978 movie version with Mabel King playing Evillene, The Wiz’s version of the Wicked Witch of the West. That rendition introduced Erivo to the idea that “you could take this world of Oz and reimagine it in this way.” Still, Erivo’s most essential acting tool derives from lived experience.

“It’s hard to talk about Elphaba as an other without having it intrinsically linked to being a woman who walks through the world as a queer Black woman.

Immediately I understood what it meant for people to look at you and see you as not beautiful, not acceptable, not any of those things, because I walked through the world like this,” Erivo says. “And having to find a way to not necessarily be OK with it but be OK with yourself enough so that when other people put that on you, you can still move through it.”

Erivo recently made major strides down the Yellow Brick Road. The Human Rights Campaign honored her in September with its National Equality Award

MARNI Full Look; PARIS TEXAS Shoes; ROBERTO COIN Jewelry

november | december 2024

More than 60 years later, Emmy, Grammy, and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo poses for her Out cover shoot in Los Angeles just three months from the release of the big-screen adaptation of the musical Wicked, in which she stars as the viridescent Elphaba.

She holds a cigarette between her fingers. In other poses, she leans into her physical prowess, performing a headstand or standing on one leg.

Throughout, she holds the Another Country author and A Raisin in the Sun playwright close at heart: “A lot of our Black queer icons don’t necessarily get the fanfare often, and I thought that it would be a really wonderful opportunity to pay homage to these wonderful minds and, actually, really stylish people.”

A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London where she grew up, Erivo is renowned for playing Celie in The Color Purple on Broadway (2015), Harriet Tubman in Harriet (2019), and Aretha Franklin in the Nat Geo series Genius: Aretha (2021). And she’s been a mainstay at the Kennedy Center Honors, delivering breathtaking musical tributes to Dionne Warwick and Earth, Wind, and Fire. Now in her leading role in what could be the year’s biggest box-office smash, Erivo stands fully in her intersections as a Black queer woman.

That legacy is why she honored Hansberry and Baldwin. “They’re a direct line to me. And [Hansberry] being one of the first Black women to write a play and have a play on Broadway — those two people are seminal in my growth and my upbringing in the arts,” she shares.

For two years, Erivo embodied Celie, the heroine from Alice Walker’s 1982 novel The Color Purple, and one of a handful of leading Black queer characters in musical theater. Accepting the Tony for the role in 2016, she called Walker’s text a “story that can last through time and time again.” For eight shows a week, she brought down the house with “I’m Here,” where Celie comes into her own: “I’m beautiful / Yes, I’m beautiful / And I’m here.”

Cut to her Elphaba, proclaiming, “Unlimited / My future is unlimited” in “The Wizard and I.” The song arrives early in the film, and in it, Elphaba dreams of stepping into her full power at Shiz University, where the school’s head, Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh), recognizes her potential. Under the direction of Jon M. Chu (In the Heights), the number teems with boundless hope for Elphaba, whose father denounced her at birth upon seeing her green skin, the start of a lifetime of othering.

There’s layered source material for Elphaba. Dozens of Broadway superstars have played her in Stephen

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november | december 2024 44

for a second time. The first was in 2019. “Back then, when I received this award, I received it as an ally. And this time, I get to stand here and receive it as an out and proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community,” Erivo said in her speech, sharing that she wasn’t sure she could land work in entertainment at the intersections of her full identity. “I had to claim the beauty of my queerness,” she added.

Claiming identity is part of Elphaba’s story too. In one scene, the young witch arrives at Shiz only to drop off her younger sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode), who uses a wheelchair.

Elphaba becomes protective of Nessa, and she inadvertently lets her magic fly. This act leads to her enrollment and meeting Glinda (Ariana Grande) and The Wizard (Jeff Goldblum).

“Her power doesn’t just lie in the fact that she’s different. Her power lies in having to learn how to use her emotion.... She’s had to keep a lid on her rage, and she’s had to keep a lid on her joy. She’s had to keep a lid on her sadness,” she says. “There is power in the experience that she’s had in her life and the emotions that she’s gained from them.”

Tamping down to make others comfortable resonates with Erivo. “I’ve experienced it.…

‘You’re a bit too intimidating when you come in the room. Be a little bit quieter or don’t dress like that or don’t wear that,’” she says. “But there’s such power in being all of who you are, in accepting all of your emotions.… I just deeply understood what that means.”

Wicked has long inspired Erivo. On her 25th birthday, the now-37-year-old took herself on a date to see the show in London’s West End. “I remember it was rainy that night, but I just remember falling in love with this musical and this music,” Erivo recalls. “And when I went home...I just felt really alive.”

The Land of Oz has been a queer-friendly place since Garland slipped into Dorothy’s ruby slippers. And this Wicked is packed with gifted queer actors like Bode as Nessarose, Jonathan Bailey as the dashing Fiyero, Bowen Yang as Pfannee, and Bronwyn James as ShenShen.

“Because of how many differences each of us holds within ourselves as people and how many differences our characters hold, [the film] intrinsically wants to be a queer canon,” Erivo says. “It intrinsically is about the difference of people, the acceptance of people that are different, whether it is walk of life or the color of one’s skin or the power a person holds that might be different to your own.”

That sense of queer community showed up on set in a pivotal scene. Shiz students shun Elphaba in the Ozdust ballroom over the hat Glinda tricks her into wearing, and Elphaba steps into the light and dances on her own.

“Something beautiful [was] happening on set because even a lot of our dancers and out.com

THERE’S SUCH POWER IN BEING ALL OF WHO YOU ARE, IN ACCEPTING ALL OF YOUR EMOTIONS. background artists are also queer. That moment in the Ozdust, even though it’s a moment of real loneliness, there’s something really wonderful that was happening in that every single person in that room could understand that loneliness,” she says. “What I was receiving was like a force field of absolute support and love, and it was really overwhelming.”

The scene is also where Elphaba’s rival Glinda steps up to dance with her. It’s the beginning of an abiding friendship that unfolds on-screen. Likewise for the actors, Erivo and Grande “understood each other and the journeys that we were going on; the conversations that we had were really just true, open, honest conversations,” Erivo says. “I know for a fact that she understands [what] it feels like just to be isolated and to be alone and to feel that way and to feel like sometimes when you can try and try and try that you’re coming up against the brick wall.”

Though Fiyero is a romantic interest for Elphaba and Glinda, the real love story is between the women following their initial rivalry, which Erivo says is “interesting because I’m not sure it is a competition.”

“Both of them come from a place of insecurity. Glinda, yes, has privilege. She has been taught that her value is only to do with what she looks like and who she dates and the clothes she wears. For the first time with [Elphaba], it’s someone who sees her for more than all of those things.” Elphaba also sees herself through Glinda at the end of “Popular” when the princess of pink’s attempts at a full Elphaba makeover result in Glinda placing a simple pink poppy in the green woman’s hair.

“They fall in love with the person, not just the outside. When Glinda puts that flower in her hair and realizes that all she needs is this tiny thing that goes ‘good with green,’ it is not just, Oh, look, she has a flower in her hair. It’s actually...I see you as beautiful as you are.”

“The story of these two is really, really special. And I think that we underestimate the power of platonic love, true friendship, true love,” Erivo adds.

Erivo’s artistic endeavors stretch beyond musical theater. In 2021 she released an album, Ch. 1 Vs. 1, and the single “The Good,” about a painful breakup that features Erivo as half of a queer couple in the video.

“People don’t realize that music for me is really expansive. So it is not just musical theater, it is recording, it is live performance with orchestras,” she says. “I hope that the space is open for that because I think we sometimes minimize people who perform musical theater to just musical theater, but actually some of us have so much more to give.”

On the business side, Erivo launched her production company, Edith’s Daughter, in 2020. Last year, she produced the film Drift, in which she plays a Liberian refugee. Next up, she’s producing and starring in Prima Facie, a film adaptation of a one-woman play that delves into sexual assault.

Though Wicked has yet to be released, Erivo has already felt the impact of her presence in the production. “It’s just like a seismic moment for me. People haven’t seen it yet, and I’m still getting young Black girls messaging me about the braids in their hair and the nails that they see, and they never saw themselves as an Elphaba or felt like an Elphaba. To be able to just open the door a little wider for everyone feels really special,” Erivo shares.

“I would be lying if I said that I always thought this was possible. I didn’t, because besides it being this particular character, it’s this property, the law of Oz, this world. It is a big dream to have, and it’s a big dream to have and not realize that you had it in the first place. So to realize that — it’s a big deal.”

LOUIS VUITTON Hat, Jacket, Pants; ROBERTO COIN Jewelry

T R I S TA N S C H U K R A F T

@tschukraft

ERIK CARTER

Following in the footsteps of Virgin mogul (and role model) Richard Branson, Tristan Schukraft is known as the “CEO of Everything Gay” for good reason. This year alone, the business mogul bought The Abbey, the iconic gay bar in West Hollywood; Puerto Rico’s Circo nightclub; and a 75 percent stake in the Fire Island Pines Resort commercial district. He also launched Tryst Hotels, with properties set to open in San Juan, Puerto Vallarta, and the Pines.

Additionally, Schukraft is the CEO of MISTR, a PrEP telemedicine company that recently surpassed 350,000 patients. It’s this milestone that his been his proudest 2024 accomplishment. “I’m motivated not so much about building businesses. While that’s fun, it’s about…eliminating HIV, preserving the gay community. That’s what gets me up in the morning — every morning, because I work seven days a week.”

Schukraft urges LGBTQ+ folks to realize the power of the pink dollar.

“Support those gay businesses, those gay bars because even though it doesn’t seem like you’re doing anything of major significance [by spending money there], you really are.” —D.R.

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out.com

INNOVATORS

J O N AT H A N G R O F F

november | december 2024

From Spring Awakening to Hamilton, Jonathan Groff has had many game-changing Broadway roles. This year, the gay actor finally won a Tony for playing Frank in Merrily We Roll Along, a onetime flop from Stephen Sondheim that found critical acclaim in its revival four decades later.

Groff compared leading Merrily to being part of “a moment-to-moment obstacle course” for eight shows a week: “I tried to take everything one step at a time, lead with love and gratitude, and find the hilarity and joy in playing dress-up for a living.” The work paid off, and his 2024 highlight was “helping to shine a light on the brilliance and humanity of a piece that had been written off as eternally ‘problematic.’”

“Working in the theater is an act of service. I try to bring everything I’ve got to honor the material I’ve been given and then open my heart and soul and deliver it all for the audience,” he adds.

His message to the world? “Love is the answer to everything.” What’s next? “I dream about a break, a boyfriend, more Broadway.” —D.R.

K AEDEN K AL AQTIC

DE AN ISIDRO (GROFF ); VIJAT MOHINDR A (K AL AQTIC)

@kaeden

Fashion designer Kaeden Kalaqtic describes his work as “a blend of modern minimalism and space-age design.” The gay 24-year-old, who made his debut at New York Fashion Week in 2023, counts completing his Space Ring bag as another recent accomplishment.

Kalaqtic entered the fashion industry after gaining a following on YouTube in his teens, becoming only the second out LGBTQ+ Asian man to create and entertain online in Washington State. His designs, under the label Kalaqtic, have been worn

by Machine Gun Kelly, Katy Perry, Megan Thee Stallion, Heidi Klum, and more. Next up, he plans to host the first fashion show at the Seattle Space Needle, paying homage to his hometown. And he knows the power of culture to shape hearts and minds.

“LGBTQ+ equality is not just about legal rights; it’s about creating a world where everyone is free to be their true selves, loved and respected for who they are. Our diversity is our strength, and by standing together, we can build a future where love and acceptance triumph over hate and prejudice.” —T.R.

Out100 Readers’ Choice

47

GORDON BACH

JIMMY FR ANKLIN

november | december 2024

@hornitostequila

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As an associate brand manager for Hornitos Tequila and Mezcal Amarás at Beam Suntory, Jimmy Franklin leads the marketing efforts for Hornitos’ Pride 365 work, “which is about championing LGBTQ+ communities and supporting those who express themselves to the fullest,” he says. He also coordinates Hornitos’ partnership with GLAAD and is the New York lead for PRISM, Suntory Global Spirits’ LGBTQ+ employee group.

Over the past year, he says, “I am most proud of the team around me who has helped Hornitos raise a glass to some of the many LGBTQ+ community leaders who inspire me daily.” His poem “authenticity” was featured at the GLAAD Media Awards in March. “Cheers to the brave ones forging new paths and telling their stories — authenticity has the power to transform our moments together into a celebration,” it reads in part.

Franklin plans to continue building the Pride 365 program, and he hopes all LGBTQ+ people will “find spaces full of people who encourage you to be both who you are today — and who you want to become.” —T.R.

out.com

If you want to be it, you have to see it. That saying defines the importance of media representation, particularly for queer people, and it’s at the heart of what Gordon Bach does as senior vice president and leader of inclusive investment at Starcom Worldwide, an international media network.

Bach works with companies to increase diversity in their media planning and buying, helping brands support publishers that reach people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, women, and other marginalized groups. At a time when real-life villains like Robby Starbuck are pushing companies like John Deere, Ford, and Jack Daniel’s to remove their DEI initiatives, Bach is among those fighting back.

“A big component of my role is to champion these underrepresented publishers and use my seat at the table to give them an opportunity to potentially work with some of the most valued brands in the world,” Bach says. The Los Angeles-based Bach has more than 15 years of experience in marketing, and as a gay advertising leader, he wants to make sure everyone in the LGBTQ+ community knows that they deserve “to love and be loved.” —S.Y.

YEMI STUDIOS (FR ANKLIN); TONY MAESTO (BACH)

@starcomww

INNOVATORS

LIZ BLOOM Liz Bloom serves as the director for equality and opportunity at the White House Domestic Policy Council. With a strong focus on countering antiSemitism and advancing LGBTQ+ causes, Bloom has been at the forefront of civil rights work. Driven by the belief that combating any form of hate makes society better for everyone, Bloom is a leader on implementing the president’s national strategy to counter anti-Semitism.

Bloom’s efforts have made a massive impact — from protecting same-sex marriage and overturning discriminatory policies to ensuring LGBTQ+ rights in health care and education. She previously served as a speechwriter for figures including Ambassador Susan Rice and Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler. With a background in journalism and a joint MBA/MPP from Harvard, Bloom brings a strong skill set to her mission of creating a more inclusive world.

“We continue to fight to advance equality every day in this administration, and we’re also focused on ensuring that this president’s incredible accomplishments for LGBTQI+ people endure for generations to come,” she says. “No president has done more to advance LGBTQI+ equality than Joe Biden. It’s a testament to President Biden’s and Vice President Harris’s leadership and the incredible team they’ve assembled — the most diverse administration in American history.” —T.R.

JEFF CONSOLETTI

COURTESY (BLOOM); CALL AWAY GABLE (CONSOLE T TI)

@jeffcons

As JJLA’s founder and CEO (and Outloud Music Festival’s founder and executive producer), Jeff Consoletti describes his role as a “fun maker,” “confetti blaster,” and “community builder.” Indeed, those seeking a blast of queer joy this year had only to swing

by Outloud at WeHo Pride. Kesha, Janelle Monáe, Kylie Minogue — they were all there, along with a buoyant and inclusive crowd.

Consoletti, who has also produced Oscars and Super Bowl activations, described this event as a “pinnacle moment of success….

Watching the diverse crowd of attendees come together to experience pure joy, it doesn’t get better than that for a music fan and an event producer.”

Be it a party or politics, Consoletti knows the power of showing up. “Whether continuing to work for marriage equality, gender-affirming care, women’s rights, adoption, or the many facets of everyday life that still impact so many LGBTQ+ persons here in America and globally, we must realize we are stronger together in that fight, and we must never let our guards down. We can’t leave a single queer person behind.” —R.E. 49

Out100 Readers’ Choice

50

CARLOS SANTIAGO

@ana_aimm

Trixie Mattel is renowned for drag, but she was also voted Out100’s Readers’ Choice in the Business category. As a queer entrepreneur, Mattel has run a beauty empire, Trixie Cosmetics, for five years. She became co-owner of Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, This Is It!, amid lockdown closures. She also launched the Trixie Motel in Palm Springs, Calif., which led to HGTV/Max’s Trixie Motel renovation show.

“I think of Trixie as a critique on Americanized beauty and capitalism, but also a rags-to-riches story — or burlap to sequins,” she says. “The largest obstacle I’ve faced is learning that work matters, but not as much as relationships. Call your mom, kiss your boyfriend, and buy your parakeet some extra millet.”

Even during Mattel’s widely-reported 2024 hiatus, her multimedia empire released new episodes of The Bald and the Beautiful podcast, installments of Netflix’s I Like to Watch web series, and content for her YouTube channel, an ever-growing platform that she calls her “proudest” accomplishment. Oh, and Mattel became the first-ever RuPaul’s Drag Race alum to reach 4 million followers on Instagram…while on a break! —B.S.

Santiago Solutions Group and the Association of National Advertisers’ Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing “work to change how brands and Hollywood portray the LGBTQ+ community and other diverse groups,” says Carlos Santiago, the gay Latino CEO of the former and cofounder of the latter.

During the past year, AIMM “has gained significant influence in the marketing industry by advocating for transformative change and setting new benchmarks for inclusive marketing,” he says, adding, “Specifically, we’ve debunked the myth that featuring LGBTQ+ consumers is bad for business.

AIMM’s research uncovered that consumers are more likely to ditch brands that retreat from inclusive practices than those that remain steadfast.”

“LGBTQ+ equality isn’t just a social issue — it’s a reflection of our evolving society,” he notes. “AIMM research shows that younger generations, especially Gen Z, where 75 percent of people identify as LGBTQ+ or as allies, expect and demand equality in the workplace and for all consumers…. Brands that embrace this reality aren’t just doing the right thing — they’re securing their relevance today. Equality isn’t optional — it’s essential for social progress and business success.” —T.R.

out.com

ALBERT SANCHEZ (MAT TEL); DAVID RE Y PHOTOGR APHY (SANTIAGO)

november | december 2024

T R I X I E M AT T E L

@trixiemattel

INNOVATORS SUNITHA MENON

@sunitha.menon1

Sunitha Menon made history this year as the first executive director of the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission, selected by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. In this role, she works with a team of 15 commissioners to address gaps in policies and services affecting the LGBTQ+ community.

One of her proudest achievements so far in her new role was supporting queer kids facing bigotry from their school boards and extremist groups like the Proud Boys. “Being with those students, helping create a space for them to stand in their power, own their voices, and stand up for themselves and the LGBTQ+ youth in their community was inspiring in a way I won’t ever forget,” Menon says.

Menon previously worked at Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, and at RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. As a queer woman of color, her dedication to advocating for marginalized communities is personal and powerful.

“We all deserve to live fully equal lives, and until we do, I’ll be in the fight alongside our incredible and powerful community,” Menon says. —G.A.

JOHANN MOONESINGHE

RYAN GREENLE AF (MENON); INKIND (MOONESINGH)

@johannmoon

Johann Moonesinghe is the CEO and founder of inKind, an ingenious app that rewards diners with credit for supporting their favorite restaurants (inKind gives businesses funding in exchange for food and beverage credits for users).

The app has marked a milestone year, exceeding 1 million users — 1.4 million at the time of this reporting. Moonesinghe, a foodie, personally owns and operates restaurants in order to improve his business model. One establishment, the Guest House, is currently the top-rated restaurant in the company’s base city of Austin.

The entrepreneur and angel investor (Uber, Allbirds) grew up in a working-class family with parents who emigrated from Sri Lanka. Today, he is a successful, proudly gay man with a loving husband. But he knows the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S. and abroad is far from over.

“We’ve come a long way, but we’re still far from the finish line. I encourage our community and our allies not to take anything for granted, but also to recognize and celebrate the progress being made every day — whether big or small.” —D.R.

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DR. CL AIRE LUCAS

M AT T B E R N S T E I N

november | december 2024

@mattxiv

52

Matt Bernstein is one of social media’s most prominent political voices — and he rocks a perfect manicure.

Amid the noise and fake news, Bernstein provides his millions of followers with nuanced takes on pop culture and political injustices, broken down into digestible slides “through a progressive, queer lens.” He’ll analyze how pop stars need better boundaries then break news about a corrupt politician in the same day, all while hosting his own podcast, A Bit Fruity.

Bernstein’s work uplifts the LGBTQ+ community and bridges the divide to members of their red-state families. “That’s really special, and a reminder that I’m oftentimes making work not for the people who follow me, but for their families,” Bernstein says.

Creating boundaries is also necessary in his line of work. “I’m a really sensitive person,” he says. “It’s taken years to separate my human self from my worker self, and one is still a bit mixed up in the other, but knowing which is which has been vital to not losing my mind.”

Throughout, he’s an optimistic fighter for LGBTQ+ equality. “We will win.” —T.H.

out.com

Dr. Claire Lucas — with over two decades of experience across politics, government, and the nonprofit world — is a powerful advocate for freedom, democracy, and equality, who has made incredible strides in advancing LGBTQ+ rights both nationally and globally. As a key figure in the Democratic National Committee, Lucas has served as the deputy national finance chair and cochair of the Harris Victory Fund LGBTQ+ Council. She was also a founder of the DNC’s LGBTQ+ Council 25 years ago and continues to play a role on the Executive Committee.

During her tenure at the U.S. Agency for International Development, Lucas broke new ground in promoting global LGBTQ+ equality, earning the Distinguished Honor Award for her work. With a strong academic background and a career marked by pivotal roles in the World Bank and other international organizations, she has not only advocated for policy change but also implemented powerful programs. Her commitment and leadership make her an undeniable force for big changes.

“LGBTQ+ equality is not only about justice for a marginalized group,” she says. “Inclusive societies with broad political participation strengthen democracy and foster economic growth where everyone benefits — and that is the message we must send to leaders in the U.S. and around the world.” —G.A.

MA X TAYLOR (LUCAS); SAMUEL PICK ART (BERNSTEIN)

@claire.lucas.961

INNOVATORS

MARS SHARROCK

THE WHITE HOUSE PHOTO OFFICE (APREZ A); MELISSA SIMPSON (SHARROCK ); PATRICK R ANDAK-MSNBC (MADDOW )

@_sharrockin_

ERNESTO APREZ A “It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve the American people in different roles at the White House, and I am forever grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris for the opportunity,” says Ernesto “Ernie” Apreza, press secretary to the vice president.

“It is a privilege to serve a lifelong champion of fundamental freedoms in my current role. Kamala Harris has spent her entire career working to advance civil rights, including for LGBTQI+ people, and as that work continues, I feel lucky to be doing my part and doing so while showing up as my full self every day.”

The Mexican-American gay man previously held a role as senior advisor for public engagement at the White House, and he served on the BidenHarris transition team and worked in several communications roles in campaigns and the private sector.

“As someone who was raised in a small town and is the son of immigrant parents,” he says, “I could never have imagined having the role I have today — as the vice president says often: ‘Only in America.’” —T.R.

Becoming who you are — and showing people your true self — is essential for queer people, “but it’s also fun!” says Mars Sharrock, program director for The Wardrobe, a Philadelphia nonprofit combating clothing insecurity.

Whether you need clothes for a job interview or to affirm your gender transition, The Wardrobe makes sure that you are kitted from head to toe.

“Fashion — feeling good in what you wear — is an expression of self. Selfdetermination goes beyond basic needs and is about creativity, expression, and freedom,” Sharrock says. And it’s selfdetermination that they want everyone to have access to, regardless of income, race, religion, or even criminal record.

The organization launched a program called “Returning Wardrobe,” which focuses on clothing and education services for formerly incarcerated people.

And Sharrock has helped the program increase its services to transgender and queer community members by over 50 percent in just the past few years. “Clothing is a basic need, so I see the work The Wardrobe does as helping people get their basic needs met,” Sharrock says. —S.Y.

R ACHEL MADDOW

@maddowshow

Rachel Maddow is one of the most trusted and insightful voices in the often chaotic multiverse of 24/7 cable news. And she’s a vital source of information in navigating an even more chaotic election year.

“The working motto at my office is that we try to ‘increase the amount of useful information in the world,’” Maddow explains. “I do a show Monday nights on MSNBC and anchor MSNBC’s coverage of major events, like election nights. Plus, I make podcasts and documentaries and have written some books. I’m working now on some scripted TV shows and movies as well.”

Despite her multimedia presence, Maddow notes that season 2 of her podcast Ultra was a real labor of love. “It was really hard to do, but I’m proud of how it came out. I think it might be the best thing I’ve done,” she says.

While Maddow’s presence and voice feel even more significant this election year, viewers have come to rely on her to make sense of the world — particularly during the toughest of times. —B.S.

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the out100 special In Collaboration With

A made-for-television r television celebration of the most influential LGBTQ+ LGB individuals shaping culture, politics, and society today.

watch on

VISIT OUT.COM/OUT100SPECIAL FOR LISTINGS

GROUNDBREAKERS

TOM DALEY

@tomdaley

november | december 2024

ERIK CARTER

It will be hard to imagine an Olympics without Tom Daley. Only 30, the English diver retired this year after representing Great Britain on the world stage since 2008. The Paris Olympics marked a bright capstone to his career: He took home silver in synchronized 10m platform (adding to a career collection of three bronze and one gold).

His husband, Dustin Lance Black, and their sons, Robbie and Phoenix Rose, were in Paris that day, and to “have them there cheering on in the audience was pretty special,” Daley says of the year’s highlight.

Since Daley came out in a 2013 YouTube video, he has used his diving platform to represent the LGBTQ+ community. “I think the most important thing is to just be visible, and be able to be your true authentic self, and be able to do the thing that you love to do and do it well. Do it with pride,” he says.

What’s next? Daley, who went viral for knitting at the Tokyo Olympics, launched his own knitwear line, Made With Love, and he hopes to make greater strides in fashion and television. —D.R.

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K ARL A SOFÍA GASCÓN

@karsiagascon

Is this the year that a trans woman is nominated for an acting Oscar? Karla Sofía Gascón is fighting to make that happen. Gascón stars in the new musical crime thriller Emilia Pérez, where she plays a Mexican cartel leader who uses the money she gained as a crime lord to transition to her true self. It’s unlike any trans movie that's come before — unique and powerful, with deeply vulnerable performances from its leads, including Gascón, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldaña, and Adriana Paz. The foursome made history at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, winning Best Actress as an ensemble. Next up, they’re getting ready to conquer the Golden Globes and Oscars.

“In my work, I put in as much love as possible.

I believe that without love it is impossible to bring anything to a successful conclusion,” Gascón says.

“The most important thing for me is to do things with my heart. When I use my mind or think too much, things don’t turn out as well as when I put [in] my soul and heart.”—M.R.

VA R L A J E A N M E R M A N Varla Jean Merman has been in the business of drag for 30 years, doing her best to “make people laugh, scream, gasp, and sometimes groan…all in a dress completely stretched beyond recognition.”

This drag icon’s 2024 proudest achievement was putting together a Taylor Swift-inspired show called Varla Jean: The Errors Tour. “I explore all the horrible errors I have made in my career, like not telling the director of one of my All My Children episodes that snot flew out of my nose before they aired it,” she says, “and discover that the only real mistake in life is the one you don’t learn from.”

Merman adds, “Living in Florida, I had to not only deal with the government trying to ban my job, but also deal with people in our community, all over our country, wanting to boycott my state. Our country is one body. If your hand hurts, do you cut it off? No. You show it more love and more support until it is well. Florida is filled with amazing LGBTQ+ people who are not responsible for the hideous policies that have occurred.”

—B.S.

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out.com

K ARL A SOFÍA GASCÓN (GASCÓN); KRISTOFFER RE YNOLDS (MERMAN)

@varlajeanmerman

GROUNDBREAKERS

C M S G T. C H A D VA N C L E AV E - G O F F

As a chief master sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, Chad VanCleaveGoff has a long and distinguished military career. He serves as a mentor and coach for service members and their families, helping them deal with life's hardships or prepare for deployment.

But it took courage and strength for VanCleave-Goff to seek that same kind of support for himself. For 22 years, VanCleaveGoff hesitated to seek mental health services due to stigma, particularly in the military. He credits his husband, Adam, with helping him overcome his fear.

“It was Adam who knew just how bad I was hurting both mentally and physically,” VanCleave-Goff says. “He said the right words at the right time for me to finally seek professional help. I was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and have received amazing therapy from a dynamic military mental health team.”

This year, VanCleave-Goff was the project lead and planner for the 2024 USAF First Sergeant Worldwide Conference. As he approaches his 23rd year of service, he remains committed to making a difference. “Every day in uniform is another day to make a difference in the life of another,” he says. —G.A.

J O N AT H A N B E N N E T T @jonathandbennett

Jonathan Bennett has had a breakthrough year for representation on TV — and Christmas. “This year I’m most proud of two really big projects: producing and starring in the first gay-led movie with a samesex wedding on Hallmark in The Groomsmen [and] creating and hosting Hallmark’s first-ever nonscripted reality competition show, Finding Mr. Christmas, America’s search for the next Hallmark Christmas movie star,” he says.

Bennett adds, “Oh, and also my Broadway debut!”

He made that debut in Spamalot.

“My biggest obstacle has been learning to get out of my own way,” says the Mean Girls alumnus. “As a queer storyteller, I kept finding myself worried too much about what ‘the business’ or ‘the network’ wants.”

“I realized just telling stories about LGBTQ+ characters that are rooted in what’s real is all you have to do,” he notes. “Because those stories deserve to be told as much as any other — we live them every day.

And if you make great stories that people can relate to, everyone will watch them.”

Bennett, also known for sharing adorable videos of domestic life with his husband, Jaymes Vaughan, plans to “keep telling queer stories in spaces where they need to be told.” —T.R.

november | december 2024

86TH AIRLIF T WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS ( VANCLE AVE-GOFF ); WES & ALE X (BENNE T T )

@usairforce

57

TS MADISON

@tsmadison

Ts Madison evolved from a social media sensation to a multimedia superstar. She hosts shows and podcasts and stars in Hollywood productions like Zola, Bros, and The Ts Madison Experience, where she made history as the first Black trans woman to star in and executive produce a reality show.

“The work I do is easy, because it comes from the heart,” the multihyphenate says. “At my core, I’m an entertainer, healer, teacher, and comedian… everything I dreamed of being as a kid. I educate, inspire, and probably sometimes infuriate [people], but I cause thoughtful conversations through my art. Because I am those things, it comes naturally to me. I am an entertainer.”

Between appearing on Beyoncé’s acclaimed Renaissance album and becoming a recurring judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, Madison had a big year.

But her biggest accomplishment is purchasing a $1.2 million home.

“This causes me to reflect back to when I [struggled] to pay rent,” Madison recalls. “I am now adding to my real estate portfolio and was able to turn my old property into ‘The TS Madison Starter House,’ a safe haven for trans women.” —B.S.

Jodie Foster is one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed actresses. But even for an award winner, it’s been a golden year. Foster received an Oscar nomination for her performance as Bonnie Stoll in Nyad, in which she played coach to the famed swimmer Diana Nyad. Beyond the Academy, the LGBTQ+ community loved seeing one of its most famous faces portray a lesbian character (and friendship) with such love and humanity.

Foster won her first Emmy this year for her lead role in HBO’s True Detective: Night Country. After kissing her wife, Alexandra Hedison — another win for visibility — at the ceremony, she thanked her out costar Kali Reis, Indigenous people, and the power of love.

As a public figure who once shied away from the lavender spotlight, her optimism for the LGBTQ+ movement is now on bright display. “I feel so hopeful for this moment in our history. Freedom is on the line and, as ever, our LGBTQ+ community is leading the way. Go Love! There’s no fight more worthy of our open arms.” —D.R.

COURTESY (MADISON); JOEL SAGE T/ VIA GE T T Y IMAGES (FOSTER)

JODIE FOSTER

GROUNDBREAKERS

Out100 Readers’ Choice

OLIVIA HILL

@oliviahill247

Zaya Wade is the daughter of NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade and legendary movie star Gabrielle Union. But at only 17, she has already established her own public platform as a prominent LGBTQ+ activist.

In 2020, when Zaya was 12 years old, she came out as trans.

Her father told Ellen DeGeneres about how he and Union were supporting their child’s transition unconditionally. Since then, the family has been a shining example of how love and support can change a trans youth’s life.

Now, as she’s preparing for college, Wade has launched Translatable, an online safe space for LGBTQ+ youth and their support systems. She says it’s her proudest accomplishment this year, and arguably in her life. “Being able to do something I love with my dad makes it even more impactful for me, and I hope for all trans families,” she says.

“Honestly, my biggest joy and biggest obstacle is being trans in front of the whole world,” she adds. “...It has challenged me every single day, and given me the opportunity to grow beyond heights I never thought I could reach.” —M.R.

Olivia Hill made history in 2024 by becoming the first out transgender person elected to public office in Tennessee. In September, she won an at-large seat on the Metropolitan Council of Nashville and Davidson County.

“This year, I’m most proud of the progress we’ve made in expanding dialogue and understanding around trans rights in Tennessee, especially in a political climate that can be resistant to change,” she says. In the coming year, “I plan to continue building coalitions and working at the intersection of policy and activism to create a more inclusive Tennessee and beyond.”

“I am truly honored and humbled by this recognition as the Out100 Readers’ Choice in the Politics category,” she notes. “As an out and open trans woman and the first openly trans person ever elected in Tennessee’s history, this acknowledgment holds profound significance for me personally and professionally. It represents not only my journey but the journey of countless individuals fighting for representation, equality, and a voice in spaces that often exclude us.” —T.R.

november | december 2024

SYDNE Y ENGELHART ( WADE ); CODY STALLINGS (HILL)

Z AYA W A D E

@zayawade

59

Start HIV treatment

ASAP Model portrayal

Learn how to look after your health If you are living with HIV, talk to your healthcare provider about treatment options.

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Treatment helps prevent the spread of HIV If you're living with HIV, a major goal is to get your viral load to undetectable. This means that there is so little virus in the blood that a lab test can't measure it. Current research shows that taking treatment as prescribed and getting to and staying undetectable prevents the transmission of HIV through sex. This is also known as U=U.

Why U=U matters U=U means undetectable=untransmittable. It helps destigmatize living with HIV, raises awareness that today's medications can be effective, and reminds people of the importance of continuing to take treatment as prescribed.

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Speak with your healthcare provider It's important to be open and honest with your healthcare provider to find the right treatment for you and your routine. No questions are off limits when you meet with them.

You can live well with HIV It's important to start HIV treatment as soon as possible and stick with it. Remember to take your treatment as prescribed and stay engaged in care. Taking care of yourself is a great way to help you live well with HIV.

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GILEAD and the GILEAD Logo are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. © 2022 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. US-UNBC-0983 11/22

THIS WORLD AIDS DAY, HOLLYWOOD MUST COMMIT TO FIGHTING STIGMA BY CREATING REALISTIC REPRESENTATIONS OF PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV by tony morrison

In fact, there were zero portrayals of characters living with HIV out of 256 movies released last year by Hollywood’s leading film distributors, which were tracked by the latest Studio Responsibility Index from GLAAD, the LGBTQ+ media advocacy nonprofit where I work. For the 1.2 million of us with HIV in the U.S., as reported

by HIV.gov, this ongoing erasure is unacceptable and harmful.

When Tinseltown does turn the rare camera on this issue, the stories told fall short — to say the least. GLAAD’s 2024 State of HIV Stigma report outlines a dismal recent history of TV and film productions that perpetuate negative, unfair, and outdated ideas and beliefs. You know the tropes: the mass graves; the overflowing hospital wards; the tainted blood transfusions; the threats to expose a character’s HIVpositive status as blackmail; the horror of a diagnosis.

We’ve seen these stories and portrayals. Haven’t we had enough?

I can say from experience that being diagnosed with HIV is terrible — and in the aftermath of the AIDS crisis, stories that depicted these terrors were essential to raising awareness of the pandemic and forcing political, cultural, and societal action. But it may surprise you when I say that I don’t think this is the story we should be telling in 2024.

Looking back, it was never this virus that destroyed my life. It was everyone around me, employing a constant stream of rejection and embarrassment, who made me feel small. People I revered unknowingly distilled my worth to dust in seconds — and most didn’t know any better.

GLAAD’s State of HIV Stigma report found that only 30 percent of Gen Z adults said they feel knowledgeable about HIV; half of Americans overall felt the same. Part of this ignorance is due to a systemic failure of our nation’s schools to teach sexual health for the 21st century. Make no mistake, the renewed far-right push for bans on LGBTQ+ books and coursework also targets HIV education.

Like it or not, it’s largely fallen on Hollywood to shape public perceptions of HIV. And the entertainment industry’s failing grade

SHUT TERSTOCK

THE BIG PICTURE ON HIV

If you’ve been to the movies lately, you were far more likely to see a story featuring a superhero, a killer extraterrestrial, or a giant sandworm than someone like me, a happy and healthy person living with HIV. And that’s a huge problem in 2024.

TONY MORRISON

@thetonymorrison As GLAAD’s senior director of communications, Tony Morrison still has a journalist’s passion — which isn’t surprising, considering his over decade-long career in morning television news.

Helping lead GLAAD’s on-the-ground response to the death of nonbinary Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict this year was proof that his inner watchdog is here to stay. GLAAD’s work to fact check and make sure local and national media got Benedict’s story right “solidified that I am doing exactly what I should be doing right now in this life.”

Outside of GLAAD, Morrison’s +Life Media digital series Truth Be Told spotlights folks living with HIV and others in the community who are thriving. He’s come a long way since disclosing his HIV-positive status in a 2021 essay for Good Morning America, his former employer.

“Forcing my truth onto myself was the best thing I have ever done, and I challenge myself daily by centering myself with my truth and owning my story,” he says. “Today, my HIV status is the most managed thing in my life. I wish more people knew that. I want people to spend less time feeling sorry for me and more time advocating for people like me and destigmatizing HIV prevention, treatment, and care.”

“I want people to know and understand that LGBTQ+ advocacy and activism isn’t going anywhere, because there will always be LGBTQ+ people and experiences in need of visibility and representation,” he adds, “because LGBTQ+ people exist in every corner of society, industry, script, business, melody, and story.”

SHUT TERSTOCK (RIBBON); ANTHONY CUNANAN (MORRISON)

for realistic depictions of HIV has consequences. HIV.gov estimates that 13 percent of those with HIV don’t know their status and need testing.

And media representations steeped in fear, death, and ostracism heighten stigma and misinformation, which can prevent access to care.

If a diagnosis goes unchecked or untreated, the consequences can be dire. For health, this includes a worsening condition, increased risk of recurrence, or more difficult treatment ahead.

And we know all too well that Silence = Death. So the time is now, with tools and talent, to fill this acceptance gap and disallow HIV stigma from permeating in ways that keep us clinging to narratives of shame and death.

It’s been a few years now since I disclosed my HIV-positive status in a 2021 essay for Good Morning America, where I used to work. I did so in such a public way in hopes of shedding light on what life is really like for people like me living with HIV. At the time, I had kept my status a secret for almost eight years. As someone who was cultivating LGBTQ+ storytelling as a journalist, I felt I was living a double life, hiding from my own story and experience. I had enough of living that way.

Today, HIV is the most managed thing in my life. It’s remarkable to stop and read that sentence twice over. I live loudly and boldly, in memory of so many who never got lifesaving treatment and care. They never got to live their lives at all.

Knowing that life is a gift — and that I will be living a long and healthy one — is the story I want to tell. The fact that I’m anxious and annoying when I’m in love is the story I want to tell. That I’m a “Disney Gay” in denial and that I call my mom every Sunday at 2 p.m. is the story I want to tell. That I’m living a life and profession I never thought was possible is the story I want to tell. For everyone living with HIV, there is so much more story to tell.

Thanks to modern medicine, that Undetectable = Untransmittable and groundbreaking HIV prevention and innovative treatments like PrEP, stories about HIV in 2024 can and should be very different from the ones we’ve seen before.

I’m challenging Hollywood to uphold a proper standard of care to the audiences it claims to serve, because we know that how we see ourselves in the world impacts how we show up in it. And how we show up in the world collectively has the power to shift culture. It could not be more true about creating authentic, multidimensional portrayals of people living with HIV. In fact, GLAAD research shows that for viewers, seeing these kinds of stories drives up the comfort of interacting with people living with HIV by as much as 15 percent.

Dr. Brené Brown, who studies shame, defines this feeling as “the fear of not being worthy of connection and belonging.”

In short, shame prevents worthiness. Stigma has had its hold on people living with and impacted by HIV for long enough.

Stories that inspire new attitudes and sentiment around people like me are a true antidote to fear, misinformation, and unworthiness.

It’s time to tell our story — my story — and fully treat HIV stigma for good.

GROUNDBREAKERS

COL. BREE FR AM

@breefram

Bree Fram is breaking barriers and changing the future as a colonel in the U.S. Space Force — the first out transgender woman to be promoted to that rank in the American military. She ensures our nation’s interests in space remain secure. However, Fram’s impact extends to Earth. She is the leader of the LGBTQ+ Initiatives Team for the Department of Air Force. In this capacity, she advocates for LGBTQ+ military members, civilians, and applicants, focusing on fostering an inclusive environment and workplace.

Fram continues to challenge stereotypes every day, proving that transgender service members are just as capable and dedicated as all others. As Fram looks to her next role, she hopes to become a Delta Force commander and keep pushing boundaries and developing future leaders, cementing a bright future for LGBTQ+ representation in the military and more.

“Put simply, we belong everywhere and add value anywhere we show up,” she says. “Any nation or organization that cuts off access to a portion of the population is deliberately limiting its potential. Our developmental experiences often create a focus on others and help us shape solutions that benefit everyone.” —T.R.

SEN. L APHONZ A BUTLER

“My work requires that I first and foremost represent all of California,” says U.S. Senator Laphonza Butler, the first Black lesbian to serve in the chamber.

“Which means that I am listening to lots of constituents, policy experts, and advocates to deeply understand issues of importance.”

A longtime Golden State ally of Kamala Harris, Butler served as president of EMILY’s List and California's Service Employees International Union State Council prior to filling the late Dianne Feinstein’s seat, a 2023 appointment by Gov. Gavin Newson.

Butler labels “the doubt that creeps” as her most persistent obstacle this year. She’s also been busy getting work done, such as “bringing resources back to California” and being able to “engage young California leaders” in the political process.

“My message to the LGBTQ+ community would be, ‘Take a bow!’” she declares. “We’ve faced challenges, hate, and discrimination…and because we’ve stood with other communities — our allies, families, and neighbors — we have accomplished so much. While there is still much to do, every time we choose to do it together, we make progress.” —B.S.

november | december 2024

ALIV YA FR AM (FR AM); ROBERT BR AGGS (BUTLER)

@senlaphonza

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T H E L G B T Q+ O LY M P I A N S

L AUREN DOYLE

Women’s Rugby, Bronze @lauren.doyle23 “It brought me so much joy to know that the people of America got to see what our team was capable of. I think it is really important for America to see a team — that comes in all shapes, sizes, ethnicities, sexual orientations, etc. — work together to achieve the biggest goal possible.”

STEPH ROVETTI

Women’s Rugby, Bronze @steph_rovetti “Bringing home a medal was more than just a personal achievement; it was a moment to show the world that LGBTQ+ athletes are here, we are strong, and we deserve to be seen.”

KRIS THOMAS

november | december 2024

Women’s Rugby, Bronze @kristhomas11

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“We’ve thought a lot as a team about what it would mean to bring home a medal for our communities. As an LGBTQ+ American, I’m conscious of the huge role sports have played in societal acceptance and celebration of queer and trans people. It means the world to me and I hope that we’ve inspired our community.”

out.com

C H E L S E A G R AY

Women’s Basketball, Gold @cgray209 “Bringing home a gold medal on the Olympic stage is the dream of a lifetime.

And to say I’ve done it twice? It’s incredible and not something I take for granted. I know we hear it often, but representation really is so important.

When I was growing up, I don’t remember seeing anyone that looked like me who also identified as LGBTQ+. I hope young people see me and realize that how they identify does not limit them. That you can sit in the middle of all these different intersections and still thrive and accomplish whatever you set your mind to.”

JEWELL LOYD

Women’s Basketball, Gold @jewellloyd

“Anytime you’re representing your family and your community, it always means more. I just always think of myself.

Regardless of my surroundings, I was just happy to be on the biggest stage in the world to represent. Having that honor and representation means more than the sport you play.”

ALE X HO ( THOMAS); ALE X HO (DOYLE ); ADIDAS (GR AY ); USA RUGBY (ROVE T TI); SAGE E AST/GE T T Y IMAGES (LOYD)

Every four years, the world’s best athletes come together to compete and inspire at the Olympic Games.

And victory for out Olympians doesn’t mean just medals; it signals freedom and possibility to the global LGBTQ+ community. This year, there were a record 199 out athletes competing at the Paris Olympics, with 43 medals won.

On Team USA, out athletes won medals in fencing, women’s rugby, BMX, canoe slalom, 100-meter dash, relay, women’s soccer, women’s volleyball, and women’s basketball.

Ahead, these champions detail what victory means to them. —M.R.

GROUNDBREAKERS

T H E L G B T Q+ P A R A LY M P I A N S The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the world’s top competition for athletes with a range of disabilities, truly showcased what the human spirit can achieve. And this year, the out Paralympians (44 from 15 countries) dominated.

Those competitors won a combined 28 medals, including a spectacular 12 gold medals. Their collective triumphs send an important message to the world, as they describe ahead. —M.R.

JALEEN ROBERTS

JOSIE ASL AKSON

“There are many differences amongst us, but one similarity every human should share is the right to live authentically and love unapologetically. We may not be there yet, but as we all continue to be who we are and fight for equality, we will get to a point where expressing our truest selves is no longer associated with fear.”

“I feel very lucky to have a place in both the LGBTQ+ and disability communities.

These communities intersect beautifully.

Both empower me and so many others to live the life they want to live and not be defined by outdated labels or stereotypes.”

Women’s 100m Sprint, Silver @jaleenroberts

GE T T Y IMAGES (E ATON); MARK REIS-USOPC (CROSSLE Y ); JOE SCARCINI (ROBERTS); USA VOLLE YBALL (MAT THE WS); JOE KUSUMOTO (ASL AKSON); WHEELCHAIR SPORTS FEDER ATION (RYAN)

K A I T LY N E AT O N

Wheelchair Basketball, Silver @josiealaska

Wheelchair Basketball, Silver @kaitlyn_eaton21 “One of the coolest things about competing in the Paralympics is the inclusivity of all types of people regardless of race, sexuality, or disability.

I think that the Paralympics sets an amazing precedent for how the world should be and I hope that it is something that we continue to strive for.”

C O U R T N E Y R YA N

M O N I Q U E M AT T H E W S

Sitting Volleyball, Gold @moniqueusav7

“My victory at the Paris Paralympics meant the world to me, it meant my hard work and all my sacrifices from the past three years was worth it. I am so proud of myself and my team for staying together as a team and playing our butts off to achieve our goal of going three straight Paralympics as gold medalist[s].”

CHRISTIE R ALEIGH CROSSLEY

Swimming, Gold (2), Silver (2), Bronze (1) @crcswimsusa

Wheelchair Basketball, Silver @courtneyryan_55 “At the heart of the Paralympics lies the powerful spirit of inclusion and resilience.

As we come together to celebrate incredible athletes from all walks of life, it’s essential to recognize the beauty of being authentically ourselves. LGBTQ+ equality is just another matter of rights; it’s recognizing the strength that diversity brings to our communities and our sports. It sends a message that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, deserves respect, support, and the opportunity to shine.”

“Simply put, LGBTQ+ equality saves lives.”

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RON NYSWANER

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Three decades ago, when the Out100 first launched, Philadelphia premiered in theaters and changed the world for LGBTQ+ representation. The film starring Tom Hanks as an attorney fired for his gay identity and HIV status earned writer and activist Ron Nyswaner an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. It marked just the beginning of Nyswaner’s stellar career as a gay storyteller.

Another Hollywood gamechanger from the Pennsylvania native? Fellow Travelers, the Showtime drama that recounted decades of LGBTQ+ history through the eyes of gay lovers: Hawk (Matt Bomer) and Tim (Jonathan Bailey). McCarthyism, disco, the AIDS crisis — it’s all there, along with some of the steamiest, most authentic queer sex ever aired on TV. Nyswaner is proud to use storytelling to spark empathy. As he would say during the production of Fellow Travelers (as retold to Out), “We are exploring and creating a drama about the history of the LGBTQ+ community and our struggles. But we are also making a drama about the human struggle.

And there aren’t that many barriers, really, between human beings except those that we create.” —D.R.

out.com

ERIK CARTER

november | december 2024

@ronnyswaner

STORYTELLERS L AURIE HERNANDEZ

@lauriehernandez

The nation rooted for Laurie Hernandez as a part of the “Final Five” USA gymnastics team at the Out100 Readers’ 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Choice where she won the team gold and silver in balance beam. That was when she was a teen.

Now the next stage of her life has begun.

Hernandez, who has been dating her partner Charlotte Drury since 2020, is currently a full-time NYU student. This summer, she provided commentary for NBC’s coverage of women’s gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she quickly became a fan-favorite announcer. She even dropped a clever “and they were roommates…” Sapphic reference!

The future is bright for Hernandez, who next plans on acting and writing (both novels and screenplays) and is looking forward to graduation, after which she hopes to continue to make the world a better place. “In a world often weighted with shame and judgment, be the person that makes a space welcoming for all,” she says.

“It’s a conscious thought, but a worthy one.” —M.R.

B R I T TA N I N I C H O L S

@bishilarious

november | december 2024

CHARLOT TE DRURY (HERNANDEZ ); DEIJA Z AVAL A (NICHOLS)

Out100 Readers’ Choice

“Breaking into scripted comedy when you’re not a straight, cis white guy continues to be a huge challenge,” says Brittani Nichols. The Abbott Elementary co-executive producer jokes she overcame it “via sorcery,” and now her hit Emmy-nominated ABC series is entering its fourth season.

“I try to create comedy that makes you feel like you’re part of a community while you’re watching them,” Nichols says. That feeling of community, particularly for Black and queer people, is evident throughout Nichols’s work. She won accolades for her 2016 feature Suicide Kale, which she wrote, produced, and starred in, and she served as writer on Prime Video’s Transparent (2016) and A Black Lady Sketch Show (2019).

On Abbott, Nichols has helped create an environment that’s accessible without compromising the uniqueness of the community portrayed on screen. “It’s been interesting seeing how few people attribute the success of Abbott to our diverse writing staff,” she says. “The show is distinctly American, and it is uniquely Black American just as it is Philadelphian and queer and beautiful.” —S.Y.

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ANGELO ELLERBEE

november | december 2024

@doublexxposurenyc

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When it comes to publicity, few rival Angelo Ellerbee’s experience and expertise. The founder and CEO of Double XXposure Media Relations has been in the business for over 45 years, representing groundbreaking artists such as Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Dionne Warwick, and Mary J. Blige.

This year, Ellerbee released a new book, his fourth, Before I Let You Go, a guide to making the most of one’s life and career and achieving greatness in your own way, something Ellerbee has been an expert in for decades. He also celebrated two of his current clients, Warwick and Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool & the Gang, as well as a former client, Blige, being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year.

“Be you!” Ellerbee says. “Love yourself, accept yourself, and keep moving forward.” —M.R.

out.com

Justin Torres is a novelist and UCLA professor who made waves with his 2011 debut novel, We the Animals. The semi-autobiographical book was named one of the “100 Best Books of the 21st Century” by The New York Times.

His sophomore novel, Blackouts (2023), landed Torres the National Book Award for Fiction.

“Winning the National Book Award for my novel, Blackouts, was incredible — and I’m proud of that,” Torres says. “During the ceremony, many of the nominees across categories came together and collectively called for a ceasefire in Gaza. Tragically, that was almost a year ago, the early days of a genocide that has only worsened.”

Growing up in Brooklyn with a Puerto Rican mother and Italian-Irish father, Torres felt isolated as a mixedrace gay man. But the writer has learned to embrace his identities and use his platform to support other marginalized groups.

“Queer liberation is connected to other struggles for liberation. As a teacher, it’s heartening to see so many young queers understanding those connections and leading student protest movements against the genocide in Gaza.”—B.S.

DOUBLE X XPOSURE MEDIA REL ATIONS (ELLERBEE ); JJ GEIGER ( T0RRES)

JUSTIN TORRES

STORYTELLERS

A N G E R I A P A R I S VA N M I C H E A L S @angeriavm

Hailing from Georgia, the ever-charming Angeria Paris VanMicheals was crowned the champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 9 this year. “From the country to the silver screen, I’m officially the All Stars queen!” she declared. Also a winner? The National Black Justice Coalition, which received a $200,000 donation as VanMicheals’s charity of choice.

VanMicheals describes herself as a “fabulous international drag performer” with an aesthetic that’s “polished, glamorous, and Southern charm at its absolute finest.” However, the drag star also contended with her inner saboteur this year. “The largest obstacle that I faced was getting out of my own head. I can be so indecisive sometimes, and I overthink everything, which always works against me.”

VanMicheals is grateful to have found support from the LGBTQ+ community. “Our community is all about love and accepting one another,” she says. “We are not here to harm, but to inspire people of all walks of life.” Looking ahead, Angeria has been working on her first one-woman show and teases a potential return to that “silver screen” very soon. —B.S.

MARLEY DIAS

ERIC MAGNUSSEN ( VANMICHE ALS); BEN JE THRO PIERRE (DIAS)

@iammarleydias At 19, Marley Dias already has an astonishing résumé of achievements.

Nearly a decade ago, Dias, who is of Jamaican and Cape Verdean descent, founded the global campaign #1000BlackGirlBooks, which collected and donated over 15,000 books featuring Black girls as protagonists. When she was 14, she published the book Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! with an introduction by filmmaker Ava DuVernay. Now Dias, who is bisexual, is set to graduate from Harvard University in 2026 with a degree in Sociology and African American Studies.

Dias is open about the challenge of managing anxiety and depression: “I’ve worked hard to bring more balance to my life.” Her proudest 2024 accomplishment was working with the nonprofit Art School Africa in Cape Town. The opportunity came to fruition via an internship with the Harvard Center for African Studies, which allowed her to travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe for a month.

“Telling stories of LBTQ+ folks through books, television, film, and intergenerational exchange is the key to moving from an ideology of ‘tolerance’ into a world of consciousness and liberation,” Dias says.

—B.S.

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CHUCK WHEELER

K AT H L E E N A R A M B U L A - R E Y N A

Queer films are more vital now than ever, and Chuck Wheeler knows that as coordinator of the OUTSOUTH Queer Film Festival, one of the largest LGBTQ+ film festivals in the southeast. The festival attracts thousands of attendees yearly. While COVID presented a signifcant setback, Wheeler and his team have been wildly successful at rebuilding the event and helping it flourish.

The festival, which “celebrates a worldwide glimpse of today’s LGBTQ+ life,” according to its website, has been going on for 29 years in Durham, N.C., and Wheeler has been a part of it since the beginning back in 1996, when it was called the North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

“The festival’s existence in 2024 was more important than ever, as it provided the LGBTQ+ community a chance to gather as one, especially in the face of growing political adversity and escalating violence against us, particularly towards transgender members of our community,” Wheeler says.

“I was 16 when Stonewall occurred, I lost most of my friends during the AIDS epidemic, I was violently struck in the face by a guy who called me a ‘faggot’ in 1982, I marched in Washington for our rights in 1993, I celebrated the legalization of gay marriage in North Carolina in 2014, I married my longtime partner two weeks later, and I heralded the long-overdue arrival of gay marriage throughout the U.S. in 2015,” he continues. “That is, I’ve witnessed and lived through the good and the bad. Now in 2024, however, I feel as if it is pre-Stonewall again, and I am deeply saddened and angry that having come so far, everything we have accomplished is again being challenged.” —M.R.

As board president for the Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ Film Festival, Kathleen Arambula-Reyna assures that there is positive LGBTQ+ representation in Fresno County, “one of the most conservative parts of Central California,” she says. The festival, one of the oldest in the nation, celebrated its 35th anniversary this year. It was dedicated to the memory of Michael S. Reyna, Arambula-Reyna’s younger brother and a former festival board member, who died in August.

In 2024, Fresno Reel Pride named Arambula-Reyna as its community liaison to the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s board, and the fest received a $180,000 grant from the city of Fresno and the Fresno Arts Council to expand outreach to marginalized rural communities.

“Fresno Reel Pride has brought to the silver screen joy, laughter, tears, and hope — most importantly, Fresno Reel Pride has brought a place for community and partnership as it continues to uplift those stories and use those as medium for change,” says Arambula-Reyna, a political science professor at Fresno City College. She will help the fest continue its work in 2025 as well as mothering her son, Sebastian Michael. —T.R.

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out.com

@k_arambulareyna

JONATHAN LEE ( WHEELER); AUGIE BL ANCAS (RE YNA)

@outsouthqueerfilmfest

STORYTELLERS TAY L O R T O M L I N S O N @taylortomlinson

Taylor Tomlinson is a groundbreaking bisexual comedian known for her sharp wit and relatable humor. As a stand-up, Tomlinson blends laughter with comfort. In the past year, Tomlinson hit major career milestones, releasing her third Netflix special and stepping into the role of a late-night CBS host on After Midnight.

Despite her success, Tomlinson’s journey hasn’t been without challenges. Losing her mother at a young age deeply affected her, a topic she bravely explores in her second special, Look at You. Overcoming the stigma around mental health and seeking therapy in her 20s was a pivotal step, shaping her into the person she is today.

Currently, she’s back on the road with her Save Me Tour and working on the second season of After Midnight.

“First and foremost, I’m a stand-up comedian,” she says. “It’s the foundation of my career, and any other opportunities I’m lucky enough to get are the result of that. I hope that my comedy helps people feel seen. I want it to be funny and comforting.” —G.A.

ALICE OSEMAN @aliceoseman

november | december 2024

MAT THE W SAL ACUSE ( TOMLINSON); NE TFLIX (OSEMAN)

Out100 Readers’ Choice

The Heartstopper graphic novels by Alice Oseman, and the accompanying Netflix series, are geared toward young people, but there is something utterly healing about it for adults. Oseman, an asexual English author and illustrator, has crafted a wholesome queer story that can seem almost too good to be true, particularly for queer people used to seeing their lives depicted in traumatic ways in pop culture.

At the heart of every Oseman narrative is an issue that is often solved with basic kindness, caring, or communication, and that’s something that everyone can relate to. And right now Oseman is focused on wrapping up the charming love story of Charlie and Nick and their queer and trans friends. “Figuring out how to end Heartstopper was a huge challenge, especially now that so many people are invested in the story and all have their own opinions about how it should conclude,” they say.

One thing that’s easy for Oseman, though, is articulating their message to the LGBTQ+ community. “It’s more important than ever that we are all standing up for trans rights and trans liberation,” they say. —S.Y.

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tk kead section

RICHARD GADD

@mrrichardgadd Scottish comedian, actor, and writer Richard Gadd shot to international fame this year with the release of Baby Reindeer, a Netflix dramedy inspired by Gadd’s real-life relationship with a woman who became his stalker. Gadd portrayed the lead, Donny Dunn, as he grappled with this stalker, his bisexual identity, and his repressed history of sexual assault.

Baby Reindeer won six Emmys, including Best Limited Series and Best Actor for Gadd. But beyond awards, Gadd appreciates that his story has resonated with and inspired LBGTQ+ people.

“I get messages and letters from people saying, ‘Oh, this show allowed me to finally come out to my parents.’ And, ‘This show allowed me to finally speak to my wife about the fact that I’m bisexual,’” Gadd shares. “That’s really, really powerful stuff, because I know…what it’s like to carry that weight around with you all the time…[thinking] you need to be a certain way so the world can accept you.

And so the fact that it’s moving people to make this positive change in their lives is incredible.” —D.R.

B E N P L AT T

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This was a landmark year for self-described “actor, singer, writer, songwriter, producer, and homosexual” Ben Platt, who was nominated for a Grammy (for Parade’s 2023 revival soundtrack) and an Independent Spirit Award (for the comedic film Theater Camp). The Tony winner for Dear Evan Hansen released his third studio album, Honeymind, in May just ahead of hosting a three-week Pride Month residency at Broadway’s legendary Palace Theatre. Special guests included Cynthia Erivo, Sam Smith, Jennifer Hudson, and Kacey Musgraves.

Adding more queer joy, he married “the love of my life,” Noah Galvin, in September.

“I want queer people to reserve time and space to celebrate the fact that their queerness is not only equal and worthy, it makes them extraordinary,” Platt declares.

“It manifests in different ways, but it inevitably informs who we all are and how we approach the world. It is something to be reveled in and bragged about, not just accepted or tolerated.”

Looking ahead, Platt wants to explore “an assortment of writing, acting, producing, singing, and performing until I kick the bucket.” —B.S. out.com

BY PIP ( GADD); VINCE AUNG (PL AT T )

november | december 2024

@bensplatt

STORYTELLERS

M A R K C O R TA L E @cortalemark

Broadway has long been home to many great LGBTQ+ artists and businesspeople throughout the years, and producer Mark Cortale is proud to be a part of that legacy.

The producer of the three-time Tony-nominated new musical Days of Wine and Roses by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel served as producing artistic director at the Art House in Provincetown before moving to Broadway last year, and he’s not slowing down.

In September, he produced Table 17 by Douglas Lyons off-Broadway, and coming up in April, he’s partnering with Lincoln Center to produce Tina Landau and Adam Guettel’s musical Floyd Collins. “The LGBTQ+ community is comprised of incredibly compassionate, intelligent, and talented people,” Cortale says. “We are your sons, your daughters, your brothers, and your sisters. Embrace us — we are here to stay.” —T.R.

FE LLO W TR AV E LE RS

RON AMATO (CORTALE ); JASON HE TERHINGTON (FELLOW TR AVELERS)

@jbayleaf @jelanialladin @noahjrkts @mattbomer Fellow Travelers, Showtime’s historical miniseries, made TV history of its own. The casting of four out actors — Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bailey, Jelani Alladin, and Noah J. Ricketts — to portray queer men in love stories, stretching from the 1950s to ’80s, is nothing short of groundbreaking.

Created by Out100 honoree Ron Nyswaner, Fellow Travelers presented viewers with decades of LGBTQ+ history through the eyes of its central couples — Hawk and Tim (Bomer and Bailey), and Marcus and Frankie (Alladin and Ricketts) — as they navigated the thorny times of McCarthyism, Harvey Milk’s assassination, and the AIDS crisis. The production educated and humanized, presenting not sanitized versions of LGBTQ+ people but complex characters with flaws and great sex lives. A glass of milk will never taste the same.

For the Fellow Travelers cast, living queer history through their roles while simultaneously breaking down doors for representation has been revelatory. It was “the chance of a lifetime to expand the Rolodex of Black queer characters that exist in prestige television, and portraying them with strength, lust, intelligence, and bravery!” Alladin says.

“Fellow Travelers opened a door in Hollywood,” Ricketts attests.

“It allowed people to see that queer stories can be successful and relatable to a wider audience. We have to continue down this path.

We have to continue creating content that reflects the world we live in today.”

Adds Bailey: “I feel supremely lucky to live in a time where we can begin to tell these stories authentically. And we do because of heroes like Tim, who simply demanded truth, of himself and the world around him. He fought for it, as so many before us did, and if I get to pay homage to them through storytelling like this, I can’t ask for much more.”

While Fellow Travelers is set in the past, these actors hope the show reminds viewers of how precious freedom is in the present and future. “So many of our viewers were shocked that the historical events were true,” Ricketts says.

“As the saying goes, ‘History repeats itself.’ I hope the show sheds light on America’s dark history. We don’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past — but everyone plays a role in creating a better future. I hope this series encourages people to vote for a better tomorrow.”

“I hope this show and these characters inspire people like they inspired us, to stand up for what’s right and love beyond measure,” Bailey says. —D.R.

LGBTQ+ TRAVEL IN 2025

FALL 2024

THREE SIXTY EXPERIENCE

VISIT AN UNRIVALED COSTA RICAN RESORT

OUT IN THE VINEYARD

Costa Rica FIND ROMANCE IN THE RAINFOREST

VADIM 777/SHUT TERSTOCK

CHEERS TO GAY WINE WEEKEND

The Hotel Three Sixty welcomes LGBTQ+ couples with unparalleled service and 360-degree views of the Pacific Ocean and Costa Rican rainforests

november | december 2024

BY D ONA L D PA D G E T T

74

“I can walk down to the beach on the treetops.”

Or at least that was my first impression upon opening the curtains and gazing at the rainforest and the Pacific Ocean from the balcony of our sunrise villa at the Hotel Three Sixty in Costa Rica.

My boyfriend and I had arrived well after dark the previous night. The moon shed enough light only for hints of the jaw-dropping views from nearly everywhere in the resort complex. We came looking for an escape from the real world and a chance to reconnect at this boutique property in the relatively undiscovered town of Ojochal in southern Costa Rica.

Thankfully, the Hotel Three Sixty not only fit the bill — it wildly exceeded our expectations.

The region is a nature lover’s paradise with abundant flora and fauna, stunning waterfalls and warm water beaches, and a pleasantly surprising number of exciting restaurants reflecting the region’s intersection outtraveler.com

of the local cuisine and contributions of its French and American ex-pat communities.

But the star of our visit was the Hotel Three Sixt y and its incomparable staff dedicated to providing a level of service I had not experienced in my travels to date.

“Authentic, laid-back luxury,” says Hotel Three Sixty owner Trevor Ling when asked to describe his resort. “A major factor in that is our location.

We aren’t surrounded by other hotels and businesses, and that’s the allure.

The wildlife is naturally abundant because we aren’t near busy roads or locations with crowds of rowdy guests scaring away the animals. Because we’re 12 villas in size, even when we’re at capacity it never feels overrun. Our staff can take attentive care of guest needs because for us it’s quality, not quantity. Our priority is providing an elevated and exceptional experience.”

The Hotel Three Sixty sits on a 58-acre private rainforest reserve at a roughly 1000-foot elevation, which results in cooling winds and those stunning views of the ocean and rainforests.

When we did venture off the property, the local area featured natural wonders

▲ Hotel Three Sixty in Costa Rica

COURTESY HOTEL THREE SIX T Y

Romance in the Clouds

YOU CAN’T TELL THIS CITY WHO SHE IS, YOU HAVE TO LISTEN. CRADLED BY THE BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS AND DEEPLY ROOTED IN A LEGACY THAT REMAINS EVER-EVOLVING. WITH GROWERS WHO ARE ARTISTS AND ARTISTS WHOSE WORK GROWS. STAND OUT. YOU’LL FIT RIGHT IN.

Scan to explore pride in the mountains ExploreAsheville.com @VisitAsheville

outtraveler.com

▲ Soundproof villas offering kingsized beds, stunning views, and ultimate privacy

▲ Peruvian chaufa fried rice with a view at the resort’s Kua Kua restaurant

OURTESY HOTEL THREE SIX T Y; DONALD PADGE T T

november | december 2024 76

like Nauyaca Waterfalls and the famed disappearing Whale’s Tail isthmus at Marino Ballena National Park. However, we found we were just as thrilled walking along the resort’s nature trail. We saw several Panamanian white-faced capuchin monkeys dancing on the tree limbs above us and heard the frightening cries of the aptly named mantled howler monkeys during our admittedly wet walk through the rainforest.

We were never alone at the resor t, but not once did the Hotel Three Sixty feel crowded or even busy. There were several other couples at the property, and we grew accustomed to nodding to each other and politely saying hello, but not much more — and that was OK. Everyone was centered instead on experiencing the Hotel Three Sixty with their significant other, including LGBTQ+ couples.

“The local community is filled with members of t he LGBTQ communit y, including members of our staff,” Ling says. “We want travelers to only focus on the adventures they’re having, the wildlife they’re seeing, and the memories they’re making — there’s no room for worrying about if you’re accepted or how to act. You’re fully accepted here as you are. It’s the pura vida lifestyle.”

Our experience at the Hotel Three Sixty left us relaxed and our relationship revitalized. Our only regret is that we were not able to stay longer.

Learn more about the Hotel Three Sixty, including all-inclusive packages and spa offerings, at hotelthreesixty.com.

▶

The author at the upper Nauyaca Waterfall

The homes are Victorian.

The attitudes, thankfully, are not.

Key West is known the world over for our authentic gingerbread architecture. What’s even more genuine is our welcoming, laid-back attitude and inclusiveness. Come, be yourself, in a place where the homes are charming and Victorian but the climate is forward-thinking, sunny, and warm.

fla-keys.com/gaykeywest 305.294.4603

▲ Gay Wine

Weekend’s closing pool party

▲ Tracy E. Gilchrist,

▲ Guests at the

Twilight T-Dance

A Vine Affair

Hundreds of LGBTQ+ wine enthusiasts joined Gay Wine Weekend in sunny Sonoma County for cabs and community

november | december 2024

BY TRACY E. GILCHRIST

78

I t wa s d ay 3 of Gay Wine Weekend in California’s balmy Sonoma County this July when a whisper rippled through the dining room at Vintners Resort during a set by Oregon-based drag queen Fertile Liza. President Joe Biden announced he would not run for reelection. Among the queer-heavy crowd, there was a renewed sense of possibility mixing with floral and oak notes.

A wine auction following that Sunday’s drag brunch raised $30K for Face to Face, a Sonoma-based nonprofit dedicated to ending HIV and AIDS (a portion of proceeds from Gay Wine Weekend benefit the organization). By the time attendees began heading to the closing pool soiree at a private estate, the news was out that Biden had endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The crowd buzzed, and not just from the wine. Gay Wine Weekend, from Out in the Vineyard founder Gary Saperstein, is for reveling and enjoying delicious food and wine with like-minded queer people, but it is also about being a part of a community. That sentiment was front-and-center for this year’s event, held on the outskirts of Healdsburg and the Russian River Valley, the queer-friendly vacation enclave.

The weekend kicked off two days earlier with a VIP reception at the host hotel, Vintners Resort, in Santa Rosa. It’s billed as a outtraveler.com

luxury resort on a working vineyard, and with its rooms housed in mini villas dotting the landscape, it does not disappoint. Santa Rosa, host to the lively Sonoma County Pride in June, was especially queer that weekend, given the LGBTQ+ folks who’d flown in from around the world to enjoy the only gay wine weekend of its kind. Even the tiny Santa Rosa airport, an hour via plane from Los Angeles, feels very gay. The canonically lesbian Peanuts characters, Peppermint Patty and Marcie, are painted on the wall of the airport along with other figures created by Santa Rosa native Charles M. Schultz.

Oenophiles headed off to various winemaker dinners following the Friday kick-off.

Gay vintner Mike Kobler of Kobler Estate Winery held a first-class wine pairing dinner a stone’s throw from his family’s Graton, Calif., estate vineyard with its expansive vistas of Sonoma wine country. Next up was Sparkle, a rollicking dance party at Little Saint in Healdsburg, where the recommended dress code was to (you guessed it!) sparkle.

Saturday had a full day of wine tasting.

Attendees hopped on air-conditioned mini buses (the temp bordered on 100 degrees) to visit a few pre-selected wineries. Paradise Ridge Winery was a standout with its sculpture garden and a stroll through the vineyard where a guide had pre-stashed varietals. Later, a bus tour of the expansive La Crema Estate at Saralee’s Vineyard featured a visit to a chicken coop. The winery’s historic barn and multilayered tasting room was the venue for that evening’s VIP reception. La Crema Estate also hosted a Twilight T-Dance under the stars where DJ Blacklow spun queer faves from the ’70s to the present.

Gay Wi ne Weekend cu rates a r ich experience that has generations of LGBTQ+ people communing over wine, food, and this year, a pour of politics. outinthevineyard.com

ARYK COPLE Y PHOTOGR APHY FOR OUT IN THE VINE YARD

Alex Cooper, and Wine Weekend reveler

SCAN FOR FREE TRIP PLANNER

HISTORY EXPLORECHARLESTON.COM

COMPANY.

STATEMENT OF OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT & CIRCULATION 1.

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SPECIAL THANKS

Equalpride salutes Joe Biden, the most pro-LGBTQ+ president in American history. He signed the Respect for Marriage Act and issued executive orders that protect our community from discrimination in the workplace, military, and beyond. Advocating for trans people in his State of the Union, freeing Brittney Griner from Russian detention, passing the baton to Kamala Harris for the sake of democracy and marginalized communities...we could go on! Thanks for everything, Joe. You made us proud.

We’d like to thank every ally who helped make the Out100 reach its milestone 30th anniversary. This includes our advertising partners (and phenomenal sales team). Out survives and thrives because of them, so please keep that in mind when spending your pink dollar.

Cheers to every member of the equalpride team for leading us to the finish line of another fabulous final issue of the year. And thanks to every creative — models, photographers, stylists, hair and makeup artists, and assistants — who help create the stunning spreads seen in every issue of Out. We’d also like acknowledge everyone who voted online in our Out100 Readers’ Choice poll. This year, we opened 10 slots of this list to honorees of your choosing.

Every finalist was fabulous. Find them at the new Out100 Vault (Out.com/ Out100), an online archive of every Out100 inductee over the past three decades.

This issue is dedicated to these changemakers who helped pave the way, as well as to the future of our movement, LGBTQ+ young people.

As always, thanks to you, our reader, who for over 30 years have supported us as a magazine. There would be no Out100 without you. Consider yourself an honorary member in this mission toward greater LGBTQ+ visibility and equality.

Making Out for you? That’s been our honor.

C. D.

E. F. G. H. I.

Title of Publication: Out ISSN: 1062-7928 Date of Filing: 09-06-24 Frequency of Issue: Bi-monthly Number of issues published annually: 6 Annual Subscription Price: $ 19.95 Complete Mailing Address of Known Office of Publication: Out, Equalpride, PO Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Complete Address of the Headquarters of General Business Offices of the Publisher: Out, Equalpride, PO Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Full Names and Complete Mailing Address of Publisher, Editor and Managing Editor: Publisher: Mark Isom, Equalpride, PO Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Editor-in-Chief: Daniel Reynolds, Equalpride, PO Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024. Managing Editor: Desirée Guerrero, Equalpride, PO Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Owner: Equalpride, PO Box 241579, Los Angeles, CA 90024.

Known Bondholders, Mortgages, and Other Security Holders Owning or Holding 1 Percent or More of Total Amount of Bonds, Mortgages, or Other Securities: None Has not changed during the preceding 12 months.

Out Issue Date for Circulation Shown Below: Sept/Oct 2024 Extent and Nature of Circulation: Average No. Copies Each Issue During Preceding 12 Months: Total No. Copies (net press run): 193,033 Paid Circulation: 1. Mailed Outside County Paid Subscriptions: 167,768 2. Mailed in County Paid Subscriptions: 0 3. Paid distribution outside the mail including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other paid distribution outside USPS: 1,168 4. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0 Total Paid Distribution: 168,936 Free or Nominal Rate Distribution 1. Outside-County: 19,554 2. In-County: 0 3. Other Classes Mailed through USPS: 0 4. Outside the Mail: 0 Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 19,554 Total Distribution: 188,490 Copies Not Distributed: 4,543 Total: 193,033 Percent Paid: 89.63%

Actual No. Copies of Single Issue Published Nearest to Filing Date: A. Total No. Copies (net press run): 190,514 B. Paid and/or Requested Circulation: 1. Mailed Outside County Paid Subscriptions: 164,725 2. Mailed in County Paid Subscriptions: 0 3. Paid distribution outside the mail including sales through dealers and carriers, street vendors, counter sales and other paid distribution outside USPS: 1,170 4. Paid distribution by other classes of mail through the USPS: 0 C. Total Paid Distribution: 165,895 D. Free or Nominal Rate Distribution 1. Outside-County: 19,379 2. In-County: 0 3. Other Classes Mailed Through the USPS: 0 4. Outside the Mail: 0 E. Total Free or Nominal Rate Distribution: 19,379 F. Total Distribution: 185,274 G. Copies Not Distributed: 5,240 H. Total: 190,514 I. Percent Paid: 89.54% 16. This Statement of Ownership will be printed in Nov/Dec 2024 Issue.

17. I certify that all information furnished on this form is true and complete. Mark Isom, VP & Publisher of Out.

81

Advocating for a better YOU. Meet champions of diversity, equality, women, consumers, health, hope, earth and animals.

WATCH ON

DIGITAL SUBCHANNELS :

Visit AdvocateChannel.com/TheAdvocates for listings

LGBTQ+ SINCE 1967

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

ADVOCATING FOR ALL OF US

MEET THE GENDERCOOL PROJECT CHAMPIONS

10 OTHER INSPIRING YOUNG LGBTQ+ HEROES

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY® This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY® and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.

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MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY

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No matter where life takes you,

Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.

BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.

Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. *This information is an estimate derived from the use of information under license from the following IQVIA information service: IQVI , for the period week ending 04/19/2019 through week ending 05/19/2023. IQVIA expressly reserves all rights, including rights of copying, distribution, and republication.

Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and at BIKTARVY.com.

CONTENTS

6

On the Cover The Coolest Generation

After you read about these amazing and inspiring young people from the GenderCool Project, you’re going to feel a lot better about our future.

Features 4 Harris Has Our Vote

Here’s why The Advocate wants Kamala Harris to lead our country forward.

16 No More Apologies

Celebrating 10 young LGBTQ+ heroes who are making great strides in visibility and equality.

2 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024

#SeeHer 20 Giving Darling Her Due

A new book and biopic bring overdue attention to a beloved transgender icon.

ON COVER & ABOVE The GenderCool Project Champions photographed by Carl Rickard

EDITOR’S LETTER

A Brighter Future

A NOTE FROM OUR CEO

B E I N G A K I D isn’t always easy. Then add the experience of

Dear Advocate Readers,

being queer, trans, or nonbinary to one’s adolescent years. For many it can be downright awful, especially considering the anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric from the far right that continues to add toxicity, hate, and division to our nation and world.

While this is a harsh reality that we must continue to fight, there are also many, many LGBTQ+ young people who are deeply loved and supported by their families, schools, and communities. They are thriving, and we need to hear their stories too.

Meet a few of these inspiring individuals in our cover story celebrating trans youth (starting on page 6). The Advocate’s Ryan Adamczeski recently got a chance to chat with some of the Champions of the GenderCool Project, an organization founded by the families of trans and gender-nonconforming children focused on bringing positive stories about them to the world.

In this issue we also highlight 10 other LGBTQ+ young people who are dominating their respective fields and unapologetically using their platforms to create change, understanding, and visibility (page 16). From actors to athletes to activists, these amazing individuals will surely have you feeling at least a tad bit more optimistic about the future of our world.

Sometimes to change the course of history, it’s important to look back, too. Which is why we wanted to honor the memory of a young trans trailblazer from the past. Check out our story on page 20 about actress and Andy Warhol muse Candy Darling, who tragically passed away at 29. However, a recent book and upcoming biopic (starring trans Barbie breakout star Hari Nef in the lead role) are breathing new life into the icon’s legacy.

Thank you for your continued readership — and remember, a brighter future lies ahead! I can feel it.

COURTESY (GUERRER0); ROLAND FITZ (BERRYHILL)

Yours in the fight,

Desirée Guerrero Editor in Chief, The Advocate

As we close the year, I am immensely proud of The Advocate team for producing such awardwinning work. And I’m not the only one to share those thoughts: At this year’s national conference of the NJGLA, the nation’s association of LGBTQIA+ journalists, in Los Angeles, The Advocate received the prestigious Legacy Award. Given to a news organization rather than an individual, the Legacy Award recognizes excellent news coverage of the LGBTQIA+ community, providing sustained, accurate, and fair coverage.

Since 1967, The Advocate remains the nation’s most trusted source of LGBTQIA+ news. Editors and writers shared this sentiment as they spent time together in Los Angeles in early September.

While highlighting the importance of our past, the team also looked forward to the future, discussing ways to celebrate our esteemed legacy further and carry the torch into 2025.

With our new show, The Advocates with Sonia Baghdady, launching on ABC’s Localish Network, we are proud to expand our storytelling on television and streaming. This half-hour show from our award-winning host and producers brings together champions of diversity and equality whose voices are silenced and those who fight against the odds. We hope you’ll join us by watching on ABC’s Localish Network. Visit advocatechannel.com/theadvocates for your show listings. Also please reach out via email at advocatemarkb@equalpride.com, or on Instagram at @advocatemarkb.

As you read through the pages, I hope this issue inspires and challenges you to make a difference this and every new year.

With Pride,

SUPPORT QUEER MEDIA Scan this QR code to subscribe to The Advocate & Out today!

Mark Berryhill CEO, equalpride ADVOCATE.COM

3

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4 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

Why We Endorse Kamala Harris for President

Harris has brought a long and strong record of LGBTQ+ rights support to the White House, and promises to do even more.

B Y T H E A DVO C AT E E D I T O R S

SUNDRY PHOTOGRAPHY/SHUTTERSTOCK

BY THE TIME this issue reaches

m a i l b oxe s a nd n ew s s t a nd s , t h e presidential election will be mere days away. The Advocate editors officially express our support of Kamala Harris for president of the United States.

Harris, the Democratic nominee, is exponentially better on every issue than her Republican opponent, Donald Trump — issues including reproductive freedom, the economy, and climate change. But our endorsement focuses on her LGBTQ+ rights record, which is stellar, and what she promises to do in that realm as president. Her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, is a strong LGBTQ+ ally too, something that certainly cannot be said of Trump’s vice-presidential pick, U.S. Sen. JD Vance.

Harris, originally a prosecuting attorney, first held public office as district attorney for San Francisco City and County, to which she was elected in 2003. The following year, when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declared same-sex marriage legal in the city, Harris conducted marriages for same-sex couples (the marriages were later nullified, however). “One of the most joyful [moments of my career] was performing the marriages in 2004. Truly joyful,” Harris told The Advocate in 2023.

She also established a hate-crimes unit in the DA’s office.

In 2010, she was elected California attorney general, and in that post she helped restore marriage equality in the Golden State. One of the signature issues in her campaign was her opposition to Proposition 8, the voter-approved ballot initiative that revoked marriage equality in California in 2008, undoing the state

Supreme Court decision that allowed same-sex couples to marry. She said she would not defend Prop. 8 in court. When the proposition was finally struck down, Harris officiated the first post-Prop. 8 same-sex marriage in California, between Kris Perry and Sandy Stier, who had been part of the court case. As AG, Harris additionally led efforts to abolish gay and transgender “panic” defenses in criminal trials.

She was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2016. She received perfect 100 scores on the Human Rights Campaign Congressional Scorecard, which measures support for LGBTQ+ equality, before leaving the Senate to become vice president. As a senator, she introduced a bill to mandate insurance coverage of pre-exposure prophylaxis, an HIV prevention method, and she notably stumped Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh with a question on marriage equality during his confirmation hearings.

During her vice presidency, Harris has spoken out against the rash of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation in conservative states around the country, such as “don’t say gay” laws affecting education and bans on gender-affirming care for transgender youth. “I hate bullies,” she told The Advocate in the 2023 interview.

As VP, she has hosted Pride Month receptions and visited New York City’s Stonewall Inn, where an uprising against police harassment of gay bars in 1969 jump-started the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. She met with WNBA star Brittney Griner and her wife, Cherelle Griner, before Brittney’s first game after her release from captivity in Russia. She also welcomed current and former cast members and creators of Queer Eye to a White House reception in June.

President Biden honored her work on marriage equality by gifting her with the pen he used to sign the Respect for Marriage Act in December 2022. The act wrote marriage equality into federal law, protecting it against future negative Supreme Court action.

If she does become president, she has vowed to fight to pass the Equality Act, which would outlaw anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination nationwide. She also strongly opposes Project 2025, a plan meant to guide the next conservative president, as it would roll back many federal government protections for LGBTQ+ people and others. While Trump has tried to distance himself from Project 2025, he undoubtedly would try to implement many of its provisions.

“The fight for equal rights is patriotic,” Harris said at a 2023 Pride reception, strongly reiterating why she has our support. “We believe in the foundational principles of our country; we believe in the promise of freedom and equality and justice. And so the fight for equal rights is an expression of our love of our country.”

Kamala Harris at a Pride parade in San Francisco, California, in 2019

ADVOCATE.COM

5

IN TH IS SPECIAL issue, we’re celebrating 15 young LGBTQ+ individuals — from artists to athletes to activists to influencers — who are unapologetically using their platforms to create change, visibility, and a brighter future for all. Topping our list are the inspiring Champions of the GenderCool Project, an organization dedicated to bringing positive stories of transgender, nonbinary, and other gendernonconforming youth to the world.

CARL RICK ARD

GENERATION GO!

LEFT TO RIGHT GenderCool Champions Max, Lily, Jonathan, Adelyn, Chazzie, and Eve

ADVOCATE.COM

7

WE’RE JUST KIDS These inspiring young people from the GenderCool Project just want to be themselves and live their lives happily in peace. So why does our world continue to make that difficult for them?

BY RYAN ADAMCZESKI T H E Y ’ R E F I E L D H O C K E Y players and aspiring

journalists; they’re public speakers and published authors. And their existence has become a right-wing political punching bag — gender-affirming care for trans minors is banned in 24 states.

But the trans youth fighting to change narratives about their lives want you to know one important thing: they’re just kids.

When Jen Grosshandler’s daughter, Chazzie, came out as trans, she and her husband wanted to do everything in their power to support their child and others like her. But they were disheartened when they “could not find relatable, human, positivity-forward stories about who these young people were,” says Grosshandler, who founded the GenderCool Project.

Today, a coalition of families with trans children is working to correct misinformation and showcase just how joyful and successful trans lives can be. GCP, a public engagement campaign, is represented by dozens of “Champions” — trans youth in the next generation of leaders — who are proving that the future is already here, and it’s bright.

8 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

CINDY ORD/GETTY IMAGES FOR GLA AD

LEFT TO RIGHT GenderCool Champions Sivan, Daniel, Kai, Ashton, Gia, Chazzie, and Hayden attend the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards ADVOCATE.COM

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When Ashton came out at the age of 12, there “weren’t many resources accessible to a kid, especially someone who wasn’t on social media.” Before finding the word “transgender,” he searched phrases like “girl who feels like boy” or “stuck in the wrong body.”

“It wasn’t necessarily something that I grew up being aware of. I just grew up feeling different than my peers and feeling like I didn’t fit the mold I was supposed to,” Ashton says.

After joining the Human Rights Campaign as a Youth Ambassador and even introducing President Joe Biden at a White House Pride event, the 20-year-old now attends Yale, where he studies political science. He’s learned that he’s “passionate about storytelling” and would like to continue doing it “in whatever capacity that may be.” One of the ways he’s pursued this is through his coauthorship of A Kids Book About Being Inclusive.

“At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about: inclusivity,” Ashton says. “I see my advocacy not just for the LGBTQ community but a bigger initiative of young people who are passionate about creating change in the world.”

10 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

COURTESY GENDERCOOL PROJECT

ASHTON

IMAGINE BEING

GOOD TO GO

WITHOUT HIV PILLS CABENUVA is the only complete long-acting HIV treatment you can get every other month to replace daily HIV pills in people who meet certain requirements. It’s 2 injections from a healthcare provider–– as few as 6 times a year.*

ASK YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT CABENUVA

Ashton On CABENUVA

Important Facts About CABENUVA (KAB-en-ew-vah) This is only a brief summary of important information about CABENUVA and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and treatment.

ABOUT CABENUVA

BEFORE RECEIVING CABENUVA

CABENUVA is a complete prescription regimen used to treat HIV-1 infection in people 12 years and older who weigh at least 77 lbs (35 kg), to replace their current HIV-1 medicines when their healthcare provider determines that they meet certain requirements.

HIV-1 is the virus that causes Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). CABENUVA contains 2 different medicines: • cabotegravir • rilpivirine It is not known if CABENUVA is safe and effective in children younger than 12 years of age or weighing less than 77 lbs (35 kg).

Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: • have ever had a skin rash or an allergic reaction to medicines that contain cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

• have ever had liver problems, including hepatitis B or C infection.

• have or ever had kidney problems.

• have ever had mental health problems.

• are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if CABENUVA will harm your unborn baby. CABENUVA can remain in your body for up to 12 months or longer after the last injection.

DO NOT RECEIVE CABENUVA IF YOU • have ever had an allergic reaction to cabotegravir or rilpivirine.

• are taking the following medicines: rifampin carbamazepine rifapentine oxcarbazepine dexamethasone (more than a single-dose phenobarbital treatment) phenytoin St John’s wort (Hypericum perforatum) rifabutin

Please see additional Important Facts About CABENUVA on the following page.

*Your every-other-month regimen begins after 2 once-monthly starter doses. It’s important to receive CABENUVA as scheduled and attend all treatment appointments.

CABENUVA.com

Important Facts About CABENUVA (cont’d) BEFORE RECEIVING CABENUVA (cont’d)

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF CABENUVA (cont’d)

Tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you: (cont’d) • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. CABENUVA may pass into your breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about risks to your baby from breastfeeding during or after treatment with CABENUVA. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some medicines interact with CABENUVA. Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist when you get a new medicine. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for a list of medicines that interact with CABENUVA. Do not start taking a new medicine without telling your healthcare provider. Your healthcare provider can tell you if it is safe to take CABENUVA with other medicines.

CABENUVA may cause serious side effects, including: (cont’d) • Liver problems. Liver problems have happened in people with or without history of liver problems or other risk factors. Your healthcare provider may do blood tests to check your liver function. People with a history of liver problems or people who have certain liver function test changes may have an increased risk of developing new or worsening changes in certain liver tests during treatment with CABENUVA. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop any of the following signs or symptoms of liver problems: your skin or the white part of nausea or vomiting your eyes turns yellow (jaundice) loss of appetite dark or “tea-colored” urine pain, aching, or tenderness light-colored stools on the right side of your (bowel movements) stomach area itching • Depression or mood changes. Call your healthcare provider or get emergency medical help right away if you develop any of the following symptoms: feeling sad or hopeless have thoughts of hurting yourself (suicide) or have feeling anxious or restless tried to hurt yourself The most common side effects of CABENUVA include: • pain, tenderness, hardened • headache mass or lump, swelling, • muscle or bone pain redness, itching, bruising, and • nausea warmth at the injection site • sleep problems • fever • dizziness • tiredness • rash These are not all the possible side effects of CABENUVA. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF CABENUVA CABENUVA may cause serious side effects, including: • Allergic reactions. Call your healthcare provider right away if you develop a rash with CABENUVA. Stop receiving CABENUVA and get medical help right away if you develop a rash with any of the following signs or symptoms: fever blisters or sores in mouth generally ill feeling blisters tiredness redness or swelling of the eyes muscle or joint aches swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue trouble breathing • Post-injection reactions have happened within minutes in some people after receiving their rilpivirine injection. Most symptoms resolved within minutes after the injection. Symptoms may include: trouble breathing feeling anxious narrowing of airways feeling warm stomach cramps rash sweating feeling light-headed or feeling like you are going to pass out (faint) numbness of your mouth blood pressure changes pain (e.g., back and chest)

GET MORE INFORMATION • Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist.

• Go to CABENUVA.com or call 1-877-844-8872, where you can also get FDA-approved labeling.

December 2023 CBN:6PIL Trademarks are property of their respective owners.

0

Most People $ Are Paying †

©2024 ViiV Healthcare or licensor.

CBRADVR240003 February 2024 Produced in USA.

for CABENUVA through a Specialty Pharmacy after coverage and assistance options

Individuals may be responsible for varying out-of-pocket costs based on an individual’s plan and its benefits design. Additional costs may be incurred for product administration. Based on Feb 2022 to Jan 2023 data only from Specialty Pharmacies (on file with ViiV Healthcare).

COURTESY GENDERCOOL PROJECT

REBEKAH The coauthor of A Kids Book About Being Inclusive isn’t just passionate about writing — she’s also a field hockey player for her school, which has embraced her talents.

“New Jersey has some really awesome policies around trans kids in school, but especially in sports,” Rebekah says. “I have been really lucky with my coaches being willing to work with me. … My peers are some of the biggest supporters that I have.”

The 17-year-old is thinking about pursuing a political science degree in college to continue her advocacy work. While Rebekah doesn’t have a specific school chosen, she’s “looking northeast because of safeties” — specifically because of that region’s more supportive LGBTQ+ laws.

She wants to emphasize that “there’s no one size fits all” when it comes to trans youth, which is something she wishes the adults talking about them understood.

“We’re thriving in our communities. I think so much of the narrative isn’t around that,” Rebekah says. “We don’t think about being trans every second of every day. We don’t think about being LGBTQ every single second. We’re just kids, and we just want to have fun. We want to play on our sports teams.”

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Though only 16, Adelyn is currently dual enrolled in community college classes on a prelaw track. The high school student eventually wants to focus on civil rights law, which she was drawn to by all the “social injustices going on” around her.

“In my community, not only as a trans person, not only [as] part of the LGBTQ community, but also here where I live, so close to the border, I see injustices being made towards immigrants,” Adelyn says.

When she was younger, Adelyn gave a speech at the Texas legislature in defense of trans youth. The intimidating task didn’t faze her even then.

“I have a voice, and I get to defend myself in front of whoever it is because my parents taught me to stand up for myself,” Adelyn says.

Adelyn doesn’t give speeches anymore because of concerns about her safety, but she believes even more strongly today that being trans isn’t “what most people would think it is,” explaining, “I live a pretty normal life.” If she could speak to her lawmakers now, she would tell them again to get their priorities in line.

“There are so many more issues going on in Texas, so many other things that need our legislators’ focus,” Adelyn says. “Re-address your focus to the issues that are actually affecting Texans day-to-day. Don’t target us for your gain.”

14 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

COURTESY GENDERCOOL PROJECT

ADELYN

CHAZZIE

Daniel has been in tune with his identity since early childhood and was even featured in the PBS documentary Growing Up Trans at age 9. He knew early on that he wanted to cut his hair and wear boys’ clothes, which his parents were “extremely supportive of.”

“At that age, I didn’t really even have words for what it was I was going through. I just knew that I didn’t feel right living as a girl,” Daniel says. “And my parents, with their support, I was able to really become who I was meant to be.”

Now 19, Daniel is a student at University of Connecticut majoring in human rights and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. He is an honors diversity, equity, and inclusion student specialist, helping to give students the foundation to “understand one another, understand how intersectionality plays into our lives, and how biases may play into our lives and our understandings of others.”

“In my college experience so far, I’ve seen a lack of understanding.

People come from different backgrounds, and it’s much more diverse in college than it may have been in their high schools,” he says. “I don’t feel like our schools are doing enough to educate people about these topics, so that’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

The importance of being the “voice for people who feel like they don’t have a voice” isn’t lost on Chazzie, the inspiration behind GCP. To hone that voice, the 18-year-old will be studying broadcast journalism at the University of Arizona.

“I hope to be one of the first transgender on-air news anchors of my generation, because there isn’t a whole lot of representation of that now,” Chazzie says. “There’s a lot of people behind the camera, but not in front of the camera. And I’m the kind of person who wants to put herself out there.”

Chazzie has done just that, with stories about her life being featured in several national outlets, one of which won a GLAAD Media Award. Chazzie also spoke alongside other families of trans youth on Transgender Day of Visibility 2022 at the White House, where she “hope[s] to be back soon.” The message she would send to officials is simple.

“Seeing these high people of power use their voice to knock us down and pin that little label on is really upsetting,” Chazzie says. “I want people to realize that I am just a teenage girl. I’m a daughter, I’m a sister, I’m a friend. And there’s so much [more] about me than a little label.”

COURTESY GENDERCOOL PROJECT

DANIEL

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THRIVING UNDER THIRTY These 10 young LGBTQ+ go-getters aren’t waiting around for change. They’re making it happen.

SHUTTERSTOCK

BY DESIRÉE GUERRERO

16 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

Chella Man

Nikki Hiltz

IG @chellaman

IG @nikkihiltz

25, they/them

Mu lti hy phenate a nd mu ltit a lented a r tist , director, and educator Chella Man has continued to wow us with their work in various mediums — including p a i nt i n g , s c u lpt u r e, writing, performance, f i l m, tattooi ng, and curati ng. A s a deaf, nonbi na r y, Ch i nese Jew ish person, Man has experienced being othered for much of their life and seeks to help change attitudes through their work.

In addition to their critically acclaimed performance piece Autonomy, which aims to shatter “the constraints of binary thinking” and celebrate “queer, disabled, and trans bodies,” the Jewish Museum in NYC featured an art installation by Man this year. The Frieze New York also recently featured their art film, The Device That Turned Me Into a Cyborg Was Born the Same Year I Was.

Mia Kaplan 22, she/they

IG @mia_kaplan

30, they/them

Three years before they competed in the 2024 Paris Games, Olympian runner Nikki H i ltz , or ig i na l ly from Aptos, Calif., came out as trans/ nonbinary on International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021. In an Instagram post Hiltz wrote, “Hi I’m Nikki and I’m transgender.

That means I don’t identify with the gender I was assigned at birth. The word I use currently to describe my gender is non-binary.”

During this year’s Games, Hiltz, who just turned 30 i n O c t o b e r, e x p r e s s e d gratitude toward the LGBTQ+ com mu n it y for bei ng a key source of support and motivation when competing.

JANE BARLOW/PA IMAGES/ GETTY IMAGES (HILTZ); COURTESY (CHELLA MAN); TOMMY FLANAGAN (K APLAN); COURTESY (BUTLER)

How do you become a Holly wood ingenue and body-positivity champion while also being a college student? Ask Mia Kaplan. The Southern California native is currently attending Texas State University and stars in the new uplifting teen dramedy Empire Waist. Kaplan says she relates in many ways to their character in the film, Lenore, explaining that she’s “who I would have been if I did not find myself or find acceptance for my body when I did. ... I got to realize how much that I have grown over the years through her as well as how much strength it took to do that. I would be lying if I said that I consistently love my body every day of the Armonté Butler 29, he/him

advocatesforyouth.org

Armonté Butler, MPH, is an accomplished health expert with a strong focus on advocating for marginalized communities such as youth, POC, and LGBTQ+ people. Butler, who lives in Washington D.C., is the associate director of LGBTQ health and rights at Advocates for Youth, an organization dedicated to promoting effective reproductive and sexual health programs and policies for young people in the U.S. and Global South.

As head of the Queer and Gender Equity Project, Butler helps provide communitybased health care organizations with education, research, training, and technical assistance to increase support for queer youth of color

“I feel like no matter what, like before the gun goes off, I know that I’m loved and supported and that just allows me to run free,” Hiltz told the San Francisco Chronicle in August. “It doesn’t matter what the result is. I have so much love for my community, I just want to give that love back and thank them and try to advocate and use my platform as much as possible.”

year, but I sure have come a long way since I was Lenore’s age.”

Kaplan, who identifies as genderqueer, says they’re “dying to play a queer character.

Someone who is unapologetically fat and queer and yet that fact has very little to do with the storyline. I wanna be a lover, a superhero, a detective, a human that is so much more than facts on a page.”

To LGBTQ+ young people who may understandably be struggling in our country right now, Kaplan says, “There are so many people that love you and are rooting for you. I am. It can be really difficult to believe that it will get better, but trust me, it will.” and young people living with HIV. He also manages the All Students Count Coalition and the National Youth HIV and AIDS Awareness Day project.

Butler says that it was simply the lack of adequate sexual health education available when he was younger that led him to this current career.

“Mean Girls premiered in 2004 and remains a landmark in pop culture,” he says. “The gym teacher’s exaggerated, ‘Don’t have sex, because you will get pregnant and die!’ mirrored too close to the sexual health education I received growing up,” which he explains was filled with unrealistic and unhelpful sex-shaming. “I decided I no longer wanted a dishonest and stigmatized portion attached to sex education, and my passion for sexual health awareness grew.”

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Hannah Einbinder 29, she/her

IG @hannaheinbinder

2024 has been another great year for this young star of HBO’s Emmy-winning series Hacks.

Hannah Einbinder further proved her comedic chops with her hilarious first stand-up special this year, Everything Must Go. While most have gotten to know Einbinder for her critically acclaimed portrayal of her Hacks character, bisexual comedy writer Ava Daniels, she says stand-up was her first passion.

Einbinder, who identifies as bisexual in real life too, says she first tried stand-up while she was majoring in broadcast journalism at Chapman University but never thought it could be a viable career choice for her. That is, until she met fellow female comedian Nicole Byer, who ended up recruiting Einbinder to open for her.

“That was when it became very clear to me,” she told the Los Angeles Times in June. “I didn’t really view it as ‘This is my career.’ I just maybe naively viewed it as like ‘I’m obsessed with this and I’m going to pursue this, and I can’t stop doing it.’”

Blu del Barrio 27, he/they/elle IG @bludelb

Cameron Bartosiewicz 29, he/him

X @cambart_

Cameron Bartosiewicz of Los Angeles founded Youth Pride Association in 2020 based on “his own experiences growing up LGBTQ, in the hopes that future generations will grow up in a society that accepts them for who they are,” as YPA’s website states. The young social entrepreneur continues to lead the organization as its president and CEO. Bartosiewicz’s achievements are too numerous to list, but he’s received the President’s Award for Student Innovation and the Newman Civic Fellowship, among many other honors and accolades.

“My drive really comes from serving my community,” he says. “I didn’t go into this work with a particular end goal or vision; I just wanted to help folks have a better experience in school than I had. I could have never imagined I would be the CEO of a national LGBTQ nonprofit, with the potential for having an even greater positive impact — that keeps me excited.”

In terms of the amount of anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment happening in our country right now, Bartosiewicz says, “I have found that no matter how tolerant or accepting an area is, almost every LGBTQ person has struggled with isolation at some point in their lives. ... Whether it be online or in person, small or large, local or international, I have seen firsthand the power positive and authentic community support can have. Find your people.”

YPA is working to expand its Peer Support program to reach LGBTQ+ students from across the world. Visit ypapride.org/support-us to learn how you can help.

18 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

FILM MAGIC/ GETTY IMAGES (EINBINDER); COREY NICKOLS/ GETTY IMAGES (BARRIO); COURTESY (BARTOSIEWICZ)

Blu del Barrio made history in 2020 when the nonbinary actor joined the Star Trek: Discovery cast, playing its first nonbinary character. And since the popular sci-fi series concluded this past May, Del Barrio has snagged several new lead roles.

They’re starring in several upcoming feature films — including the horror-comedy Blue Balls, the queer heist drama Pink Moon, and the Dave Bautista-led action flick Trap House.

Del Barrio also voices the titular character of Max in Nickelodeon’s new animated series Max and the Midknights. Del Barrio confessed that they connected so deeply with their queer character in Pink Moon, they were initially fearful of not getting the part.

“Only a quarter of the way into reading this script I was heartbroken at the possibility of not getting to play K,” they told Deadline. “It is one of those projects you cling onto immediately.

This story is beautiful and so necessary. K is very special to me, and I’m so honored to step into this role.”

Luke Prokop 22, he/him

IG @lukeprokop

To date, very few professional gay male athletes have come out while active in their sport.

However, Canadian hockey player Luke Prokop made history in 2021 when he became the first out gay player with an NHL contract. Since then, he’s continued to be a proud and inspiring example for queer athletes and many others.

“Today I am proud to publicly tell everyone that I am gay,” Prokop wrote on Instagram in 2021. “It has been quite the journey to get to this point in my life. From a young age I have dreamed of being an NHL player, and I believe that living my authentic life will allow me to bring my whole self to the rink and improve my chances of fulfilling my dreams.”

In an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation this year, Prokop reflected on the decision to come out publicly and admits it wasn’t easy.

“Coming out, thinking about what might happen — acceptance, the reaction to it — I didn’t want to hinder my chances of making my dreams a reality,” he said. “So that was really something I struggled with for a long time.”

Fortunately, the NHL and his fellow players, not to mention legions of fans, have been overwhelmingly supportive so that Prokop can continue to fulfill his dreams and be his authentic self.

Daniel Kyri 30, he/him

IG @danielkyri

PATRICK MCDERMOTT/ GETTY IMAGES (PROKOP); COURTESY NBC UNIVERSAL (KYRI); COURTESY(GORDON)

Daniel Kyri, a classically trained actor born and raised on the south side of Chicago, coincidentally ended up becoming well known for playing a firefighter from the Windy City.

Kyri, who celebrated his 30th birthday in October, has played the character Darren Ritter on the NBC drama Chicago Fire since 2018. Ritter was the first gay character on the show, something that Kyri, who is queer, says helped him feel more comfortable with himself and his identity in real life.

Being an out actor “means an expansion of possibility for … little queer kids, as I once was, to see a version of themselves being represented and reflected back to them,” Kyri told Out magazine earlier this year. “It’s all about possibility. And when I think of the content or the media that I was met with when I was younger, it left a lot to be desired.”

In addition to Chicago Fire, Kyri has amassed an impressive roster of roles on television, film, and the stage. He also directed, produced, and starred in the online miniseries The T, which follows the story of a trans woman and a Black queer man (played by Kyri) who discovers he is living with HIV.

Lee Gordon 20, they/them

IG @fuzzylogiclee

Lee Gordon, an undergraduate at Harvard College, is an LGBTQ+ community organizer, activist, Black feminist researcher, and criminal justice reform advocate who’s worked extensively with various national nonprofits. Among their many roles, they’re currently serving as the head of racial justice for Queer Youth Assemble.

“The hate and harassment I faced within my school growing up as a queer person pushed me to fight for the lives of other queer and trans youth,” says Gordon. “No child should have to fight for the right to exist and express themselves openly like so many of us do. This is an uncompromising need that must be met in the movement, and that has driven my passion for LGBTQ+ organizing.”

Gordon says they are “so grateful” for their role at QYA and “to find such an amazing, strong community of LGBTQ+ leaders and activists. ... Serving as their head of justice has been such a joy, and we are working on a ton of campaigns relating to racial, economic, and disability justice in the queer and trans movement.”

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#SEEHER

Fifty years after her death, trans pioneer and legendary Andy Warhol muse Candy Darling is having a moment. And we’re so here for it.

BY D E S I R É E G U E R R E R O, W I T H A D D I T I O N A L R E P O R T I N G BY M E Y R U D E

20 THE ADVOCATE NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2024

JACK MITCHELL/GETTY IMAGES

Candy Gets Her Flowers

BETTMAN COLLECTION/GETTY IMAGES

IF CA NDY DA R LING were still with us, she would celebrate

her 80th birthday this November. But the trailblazing actress died of lymphoma at age 29 in March 1974. Now, 50 years after her death, there’s renewed interest in this trans changemaker’s story with a new book and an upcoming biopic.

Darling, who was born in Queens, N.Y., became one of Andy Warhol’s most notable “Superstars,” the name for his entourage of artists and performers, many of whom were queer and/or gendernonconforming. She met the renowned pop artist Warhol in 1967 and is immortalized in his art films Flesh and Women in Revolt.

Warhol wasn’t the only one who saw Darling as a muse. The blond beauty was a mainstay in the New York art scene and inspired many other popular artists of the time. She’s the subject of the Velvet Underground song “Candy Says” and is mentioned in the Rolling Stones’ “Citadel” and Lou Reed’s “Walk on the Wild Side.”

Like many trans pioneers of yesterday and today, Darling had a rocky road to fame, and she never truly achieved the mainstream stardom she so deeply desired. A difficult childhood led Darling to immerse herself in Hollywood fantasy at a young age, yearning for the spotlight. She idolized and studied silver screen goddesses like Kim Novak and Marilyn Monroe, whose manner of speaking she appeared to emulate. Still, Darling worked hard to create her own signature brand of glamour and beauty.

“Her obsession with her appearance was not rooted in narcissism,” author Cynthia Carr writes in her book Candy Darling: Dreamer, Icon, Superstar, which was released this year.

“It was how she affirmed her female identity in a world where there was very little support for even the idea of gender fluidity.”

Until recently, the most that was publicly known about Darling came from the 2010 documentary Beautiful Darling, produced by her dear friend and longtime roommate Jeremiah Newton.

While that tribute gave viewers an intimate glimpse via interviews

and archival film footage, Carr’s book delves even deeper into Darling’s inner life, accessing previously unreleased diaries and personal papers. The author also conducted nearly 100 interviews with Darling’s friends and associates to assemble an accurate and complete picture of her life and story.

Producer and directory Zackary Drucker (Transparent, The Lady and the Dale) is set to direct a biopic about Darling with John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch) attached as an executive producer.

Barbie’s Hari Nef is set to star as Darling.

That Drucker and Nef are both trans adds exciting new layers of authenticity and humanity to Darling’s story.

“I’ve dedicated my life and career to amplifying the history of trans and queer icons, and their impact in shaping art and culture for everyone,” Drucker said in a statement. “Candy Darling is at the top of this list.

“She was one of the first trans people I encountered as a young film cinephile, and her presence has continued to capture my imagination ever since,” Drucker continued. “Candy’s indelible impact as a fierce and glamorous silver screen goddess forged a path for trans people to exist in cinema. It is an absolute honor to direct Candy’s life story.”

Candy Darling, Andy Warhol, and Sylvia Miles in New York, 1971

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U=U and you What does U=U stand for?

U=U means undetectable=untransmittable Today, a major goal for HIV treatment is helping you reach an undetectable viral load. When your viral load is undetectable, there is so little virus in your blood that a lab test can’t measure it.

Current research shows that taking HIV treatment as prescribed and getting to an undetectable viral load and staying undetectable prevents the transmission of HIV to others through sex. Reaching and staying undetectable is only possible by sticking with your treatment.

There are many resources for education and information to help you get to and stay undetectable, including the link below.

And always remember, speak openly and honestly with your healthcare provider to learn about HIV and what is best for you.

Find helpful information about U=U and much more at HelpStopTheVirus.com

Model Portrayal