Michael Hull
From Ariana DeBose to Troye Sivan, queer dance is in its golden age. Add Jennifer Weber to that list of movers and shakers. The queer multihyphenate received two Tony nominations this year in the Best Choreography category — for & Juliet and KPOP. Weber says opening two Broadway shows in the same week was her most thrilling (and challenging) accomplishment of 2023.
As a choreographer, Weber is still very busy with & Juliet, a queer-themed, feminist take on the Shakespeare classic (where the leading lady lives!). The jukebox musical is especially brought to life by its dancers and is still rocking Broadway as well as Australia. It’s soon heading out for U.S. and U.K. tours.
Weber, who’s choreographed everything from Broadway’s Cruel Intentions to the TV movie Disney Zombies 2, is expanding her creative reach, finding her groove at the center of a new project. “This holiday season you can also see my work as the director, choreographer, and co-creator of The Hip Hop Nutcracker, which will be on tour across the U.S., featuring hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow,” Weber says.
For Weber, dance is freedom: “My art is inspired by finding new ways of using movement to find your power and tell your story.” @jenniferwebernyc
Innovators
Michael Anderson
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
GLAAD
It feels like all our lives changed on November 19, 2022, when an anti-LGBTQ+ shooter took the lives of five people and injured scores more at Colorado Springs’ Club Q. But for Michael Anderson, the nightclub’s only bartender to survive the attack, the mental wounds of that day will never heal. Still, Anderson is rebuilding his life, working to finish his degree in political science and journalism, and sharpening his skills as an activist for gun control and LGBTQ+ equality.
“I am a political advocate,” Anderson says. “However, I never set out to become one. It was through the horror and trauma of surviving the mass shooting attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs, which was my employer, and watching my friends and patrons die, that led me down this path. I knew after the shooting occurred, that I would never allow someone else to tell my story for me. While it has not been easy at times, I have used my voice to advocate for change as I refuse to have such violence have happened in vain.”
Just weeks after the massacre, Anderson gave testimony to the U.S. House Oversight Committee, describing how attacks like Club Q are meant to deter queer people from living our authentic lives. He insists the community needs to go in the opposite direction. “With the increased attacks on our community by politicians and on social media…we must remain confident in who we are, for who we are is exactly who we are meant to be,” Anderson says.
Anderson could never have imagined that months after the shooting, his hero, Christina Aguilera, would ask him to present her with GLAAD’s Advocate for Change Award at the organization’s awards ceremony in Los Angeles. “Christina has been my hero since I was young, it was her music that helped me accept myself,” he says. “It was truly surreal to present her with such a well-deserved honor, and to be able to sit with her during the awards show.”
Anderson is concentrating on finishing college and perhaps starting a political career.
“I remain focused on ensuring that the future of Club Q is one inspired by resilience, strength and persistence,” he says. “I believe it is time the younger generations rise up and take our place in the halls of government. It is the youth that will save our climate, create a safe country through gun reform, and ensure equality for all.” @michaelanders0n