Preston Meneses
Artists
Sasha Colby
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
From the moment Sasha Colby sashayed into the Werk Room of RuPaul’s Drag Race dressed like a Hawaiian warrior, it was clear that the reality drag competition would never be the same. The former Miss Continental winner raised the bar for season 15, slaying challenge after challenge with charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent. And today, she is the first America’s Drag Superstar of Polynesian descent (and the second trans woman of color in the franchise) to wear the crown.
Colby called winning Drag Race her “biggest blessing this year.” And there have been many blessings, including the privilege of emceeing Vice President Kamala Harris’s Pride reception. Colby, who electrifies sold-out crowds in her live shows, also draws a line between “the work I do” and “what I do for work.” She explains, “What I do for work is I’m an entertainer, a creative, and a performer. The work I do is, through my art, I allow people to find empowerment in themselves.”
Through it all, Colby is proud to have slain her inner saboteur. “I’ve overcome this by getting out of my own way, being kinder to myself,” she notes.
Beyond Drag Race, Colby has emerged as a prominent voice for trans rights in a time of aggressive political attacks from the far right. Her message to the world is simple: “Our similarities outnumber our differences as human beings. With compassion, education, action, and practice on a daily basis, we can achieve equality.”
What’s next for the self-identifying Native Hawaiian witch and goddess? “The freedom to create art and immerse myself in what I love to do.” @sashacolby
Photo by Stuart Winecoff
Troye Sivan
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Photo by Stuart Winecoff
It’s been five years since Troye Sivan’s second studio album, Bloom, was released to much acclaim. And Something to Give Each Other, which came out this October, was well worth the wait.
Sivan and his art routinely spark conversation in pop and LGBTQ+ culture. “Rush,” the album’s lead single that dropped in July, is no exception. It became (along with Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam”) the queer song of the summer. The steamy music video, an explosion of dancing, abs, and hedonism, unleashed its own rush of think pieces about popper use and body diversity in queer spaces.
Sivan, who as an actor had a role this year on The Idol — Max’s much-skewered scripted show on pop stardom— also made headlines for his candor this year. He revealed on the High Low podcast that, despite the reputation he received from 2018’s “Bloom,” which was widely received as a bottom anthem, he is, in fact, not a “power bottom.”
Whatever his preferences, Sivan has proven himself a versatile artist. The release of Something to Give Each Other was Troye’s proudest accomplishment of 2023 — along with the launch of Tsu Lange Yor. The Australian lifestyle and homeware brand, for which Sivan serves as creative director, sells candles and scents as well as home objects. “My brother and I started it together, had to trust our guts, find incredible people to work with, and have learnt so much along the way,” the 28-year-old says.
In art and in life, Sivan remains inspired by his community. “Through so much adversity, the LGBTQ+ community pushes to be a safe space for all — pulled together by pillars of love, support, chosen family, and freedom,” he says. “Queer people everywhere need to be protected and be able to celebrate themselves as loudly as they want.” @troyesivan