Chad Griffith, Myesha Evon, Emilio Madrid, Nathan Lane
Artists
The Gilded Age
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Amid the world’s troubles, a bright light for LGBTQ+ viewers is HBO’s The Gilded Age. This isn’t due to essential LGBTQ+ representation per se (although there’s some of that with Oscar, a closeted heiress-chaser whose old-money mother is Christine Baranski). It’s more that the Julian Fellowes historical drama centers on a very queer topic: upwardly mobile women scheming to penetrate New York’s high society. It’s all great fun. And cast members like Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, and Baranski are the stuff gay memes are made of.
Vitally, The Gilded Age has prominent LGBTQ+ stars bringing soap-operatic history to life: Louisa Jacobson, Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton, and Nathan Lane. The importance of inclusive entertainment is not lost on them.
“I love everything about our show, including how many queer people of vastly different ages we have working on it, both in front of the camera and behind it,” says Nixon, who plays Ada, a spinster who found love this season. “I personally love to see the ways our younger folks are charting their own individual journeys, ways that would have been unimaginable even a few short years ago.”
Jacobson, who portrays Ada’s niece Marian, is among those on a journey, having come out this past June. “It was a bit rattling to publicize my queerness on Instagram, but I overcame the anxiety by reminding myself that maybe — hopefully — by being open and celebratory, I had helped someone who was struggling or questioning their own identity,” she says.
Benton — whose character Peggy Scott stares down significant barriers as a Black woman in 19th-century America — is proud that The Gilded Age has sparked such a devoted LGBTQ+ following. That feeling of belonging reminds the Tony nominee of the “gay mecca” that is the theater world. “It feels like home and pride…. When my work makes queer folks proud and Black folks proud, I know I’m on to something with soul.”
However, these cast members remind fans not to forget 21st-century stakes. “My message to the world about LGBTQ+ equality is that in order to hold on to that and all our other freedoms, we have to vote for the people who care about those issues and their protection. In other words, Kamala Harris and Tim Walz,” Lane says.
“Vote for Kamala to protect LGBTQ+ and trans rights!” Jacobson urges.
@louisa_jacobson @deneebenton @cynthiaenixon @gildedagehbo
Daniel Reynolds
Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.
Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.
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