Jon Stars
Artists
Auli'i Cravalho
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
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, m.h., 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.” @auliicravalho
Daniel Prakopcyk
Stacey YvonneStacey Yvonne is a critic and entertainment journalist who can be found in Los Angeles eating snacks at events. She loves to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically highlight Black and female members. She can be found at SYvonneCreative.com
Stacey Yvonne is a critic and entertainment journalist who can be found in Los Angeles eating snacks at events. She loves to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically highlight Black and female members. She can be found at SYvonneCreative.com
Stacey Yvonne is a critic and entertainment journalist who can be found in Los Angeles eating snacks at events. She loves to uplift the LGBTQIA+ community and specifically highlight Black and female members. She can be found at SYvonneCreative.com
Katy O'Brian
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Daniel Prakopcyk
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. @thekatyo