Luke Fontana
Storytellers
Wayne Brady
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
We’re loving the new era of Wayne Brady. Known for comedy, acting, and a mastery of TV hosting, he rose to fame on the improv show Whose Line Is It Anyway? He went on to host The Wayne Brady Show, Don’t Forget the Lyrics!, and Let’s Make a Deal, winning five Emmys throughout his career. He’s even a talented musical performer, starring in Kinky Boots on Broadway and receiving a Grammy nomination in 2009. These collective skills helped him win The Masked Singer reality singing competition in 2019.
This year, Brady came out as pansexual, and he released a rainbow-filled video in which he lip-synched to Celine Dion in a wig to celebrate the moment. He says his coming-out checks off an item on “the bucket list that I didn’t knew that I had.”
“The accomplishment that I’m most proud of this year, I think is taking steps towards self-love and towards happiness,” he says. “Being able to share your truth, it’s a very undervalued thing…. [which] has completely turned on a light bulb of all these possibilities that I have.”
Looking back on his biggest obstacle, Brady points to himself. “I didn’t realize that I was standing in my own way of being happy,” he shares. “And it makes complete sense now. How am I supposed to walk onstage and make people laugh if I can’t laugh? How am I supposed to make you feel good if I can’t feel good? It sounds very simple, but it’s really huge.”
And Brady has a message for the haters out there. “Just let people love who they’re going to love. In fact, I’m going to make a T-shirt up: None of your damn business, because it’s none of mine.” @mrbradybaby
Storytellers
Randy Wicker
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 Brendan Fay
Over the last 65 years, LGBTQ+ advocate, journalist, and archivist Randy Wicker has achieved many firsts. In 1962 he organized a radio broadcast that caused the Federal Communications Commission to rule that homosexuality was a legitimate topic for on-air discussion. In 1964 Wicker organized the first public demonstration for gay civil rights in the United States, which took place in front of the U.S. Army Induction Center in New York City. Also in 1964, he was the first out gay person to participate in a live television show when he answered calls on The Les Crane Show.
“I’ve always been a truth-telling journalist willing to confront power and champion unpopular causes,” says Wicker. “That is what motivated me to join the New York Mattachine Society in 1958 and be the first self-identified homosexual to speak out on radio in 1962.”
Now 85 years old, Wicker shows no signs of slowing down. This year Wicker launched a petition to remove the statue of Gen. Phil Sheridan from Stonewall National Park — because of Sheridan’s massacre of Indigenous people. He also served as a grand marshal at this year’s NYC Pride March.
Recently, he donated his archives to the National LGBTQ+ Archives. “My archives are titled ‘The Randy Wicker & Marsha P. Johnson’ archives since Marsha P. Johnson lived with me for over a decade and was the house mother of my extended gay family,” says Wicker. “Twenty-five years of my Christmas letters contain many stories about her.”
Though much progress has been made thanks to Wicker’s work, he is adamant that the fight continues, especially in other parts of the world. He notes that “genocidal hatred and religious intolerance” run rampant in many societies. “We must help LGBTQ+ people overseas improve their circumstances!” @randolfewicker