Courtesy of Fabian Nelson
Groundbreakers
Fabian Nelson
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Fabian Nelson is not here to make anyone feel like an underachiever, but a description of his past year may inadvertently elicit such feelings. “I have two accomplishments this year,” he says. “The first one is finalizing the adoption of my son; the second one is fulfilling a lifelong goal of being elected to the Mississippi House of Representatives.”
For a gay Black man living in the South, both life moments are especially impressive — the latter even more so since Nelson made history as the first openly queer person ever elected to public office in Mississippi. Even though he owns and operates a successful real estate firm, he had to embark on an ambitious campaign to educate voters of his credentials as a Mississippi-born professional and philanthropist — the latter of which involved talking about his work with Capital City Pride and numerous HIV organizations.
“Once I started running for office, I had six months to become a household name,” Nelson says. “I accomplished this by being actively involved in my community and knocking on doors in my community.”
Nelson will take office in January, likely to much fanfare, but he’s focused on helping Mississippi’s oft-neglected residents and fulfilling his campaign promises to “fully fund education, push for affordable health care by expanding Medicaid, and influence economic development.” @fabiannelson4housedistrict66
Photo by Patrick Randak
Janelle Rodriguez
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 Patrick Randak
Janelle Rodriguez is the executive vice president of programming at NBC News, in which capacity she manages NBC Nightly News, NBC News NOW, as well as breaking news specials. It’s a notable year for the country’s longest-running evening newscast, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.
In addition to upholding the gold standard of this time-honored brand, the out Puerto Rican executive is breaking new ground by building NBC News NOW, the fasting-growing U.S. streaming news network. Under her oversight last year, NBC News NOW had an impressive 50 percent year-over-year growth and broadened into national and international linear distribution.
As the world gears up for an action-packed 2024 that includes the Paris Olympics and a U.S. presidential election, Rodriguez is more than prepared to lead her teams in their coverage. It’s a responsibility she doesn’t take lightly.
“I get a front row seat to history every day and have the honor of working with the best journalists in the world to bring the news to our audiences everywhere,” Rodriguez says.
Previously, Rodriguez served as CNN’s vice president of programming. During her career, she’s won several Peabody Awards and five Emmy Awards for election night coverage and beyond. Her CNN team took home the prestigious Alfred I. DuPont Award for its reporting on the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. And she’s routinely honored for her work by media outlets, being recognized by Variety’s Women’s Impact Report, Fast Company’s Queer 50, and CableFax’s Pride List.
Despite all her professional accomplishments, Rodriguez takes her greatest pride in her family. “Being a mom to my 10-year-old daughter is the greatest gift and hardest work of my life. I’m truly blessed,” she says.