Ashley Osborn
Artists
Maren Morris
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Maren Morris (she/they) is a music superstar, with hit albums like Hero, Girl, and Humble Quest. Beyond hitmaking, the Grammy winner challenges the industry’s gatekeeping against women, LGBTQ+ people, and artists of color.
Morris is “making the conscious effort to reset a lot of the ‘comfortable’ elements in my life that were getting very stale the last few years…. It’s scary to admit that things aren’t fulfilling you anymore for fear of seeming ungrateful or problematic.”
The bisexual singer sees coming-out as their year’s greatest accomplishment: “It was sort of the last domino of me holding my true self back. You can say it to yourself for decades, but saying it to the world is a choice. I just didn’t want any piece of myself locked in a corridor.”
“I think the bravery of having so many people against you and choosing happiness regardless is what is so inspiring to me about that [LGBTQ+] community,” they add. @marenmorris
Bernardo Sim
Deputy Editor
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
Bernardo Sim is the deputy editor of Out, as well as a writer and content creator. Born in Brazil, he currently lives in South Florida. You can follow him on Instagram at @bernardosim.
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