Theo Tennant
Artists
Jessica Gunning
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
There was a lot going on in Netflix's critical and commercial hit Baby Reindeer. But Emmy winner Jessica Gunning was a scene stealer as the obsessed stalker Martha.
"The response has just been incredible,” Gunning says. “People come up to me all the time and say how much the show meant to them, or how episode four moved them, or how gripped they were by it. It’s been amazing to be part of something that seems to have affected so many people."
Gunning, 38, has been acting for over 17 years now, mostly in U.K. based projects. In her career and personal life, she knows that sometimes, things take time. "It took me a while to realize I was gay," Gunning says. "Looking back, all the signs were there, but it just took me a bit of time to 'find myself,' as it were."
"There’s no rush, so don’t feel like you have to define yourself in a hurry,” she advises. “It might take a bit of time to figure all that out, and that’s okay."
Raffy Ermac
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, and critic.
Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, and critic.
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