Erik Carter
Artists
Cynthia Erivo
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
While Cynthia Erivo’s road to Wicked has been decades in the making, her starring role as Elphaba on the big screen feels pre-ordained. With her with her outsized artistry and embrace of the intersections of her identity as a Black queer woman, she was also destined to be Out’s Icon of the Year and cover star.
The London-born actor and musical artist has worked steadily since winning the Tony for The Color Purple in 2016 in films including Harriet (2019) and on TV in Genius: Aretha (2021). She released her debut album Ch. 1 Vs. 1 in 2021.
Erivo immersed herself in Wicked’s music years before she took herself on a birthday date at 25 to see the Stephen Schwartz musical in the West End — a pivotal moment, she says.
Now she stars as the misunderstood, verdant witch Elphaba in John Chu’s film adaptation of the beloved musical, which she says, “intrinsically wants to be a queer canon.” When she accepted the Human Rights Campaign’s National Equality Award earlier this year, she spoke openly about loving her queer identity. With Elphaba, her art and identity are a supernova assured to inspire others.
“People haven't seen it yet, and I’m still getting young Black girls messaging me about the braids in their hair and the nails that they see, and they never saw themselves as an Elphaba or felt like an Elphaba. To be able to just open the door a little wider for everyone feels really special,” Erivo says. @cynthiaerivo
Tracy E. Gilchrist
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
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