Mihkel Vanager
Disruptors
David Lauterstein & Fred Kearney
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
“At its heart, Nasty Pig is a love story,” says CEO David Lauterstein. The hugely successful fashion brand was founded 30 years ago by two men who fell in love at a $1 margarita night in NYC’s Chelsea neighborhood, with a mission to create unapologetically queer clothing.
Lauterstein and his partner, Fred Kearney, started out selling leather gear and other sportswear, then expanded into selling jockstraps, underwear, swimsuits, and more. They credit late French fashion icon Thierry Mugler as both a mentor and customer. This summer, Nasty Pig was honored by the Ali Forney Center for 10 years of fundraising to help feed, house, and educate homeless queer youth.And it’s only the beginning for Nasty Pig.
Lauterstein has written his first book, Sodomy Gods, which tells the story of how he and Kearney met, fell in love, and started Nasty Pig together. “As a gay man who lost so many of my ancestors to AIDS, I never had the opportunity to hear their stories and learn from their experiences,” Lauterstein says. “This book makes good on a promise I made to myself to do for young queer people what my queer ancestors couldn’t do for me.” @nastypig
Stacey Yvonne
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
Anonymous
Bernardo SimBernardo 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.
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.
Natalie Wynn
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Anonymous
Known to fans as ContraPoints, Natalie Wynn amassed 1.83 million YouTube subscribers by creating what she says are “video essays about politics and social issues, from online hate movements to the madness of J.K. Rowling.”
The transgender lesbian influencer makes epic, hours-long video essays that approach topics with academic rigor while creating hilarious and profound pieces of media that involve sets, costumes, ambient lighting, and the intellectual threading of philosophy with pop culture. This year, Wynn released a three-hour-long video where she “mapped the intricate depravities of heterosexual fantasy by studying The Twilight Saga.” In six months, the video amassed 4.5 million views.
However, being continually online has its pitfalls. “My biggest obstacle is the mental illness that afflicts anyone with an online reputation,” she says. “The love and the hate are equally dangerous. Narcissism and paranoia go together. The only cure is knowing when to step away.”
Wynn, an essential voice for her generation, wants the world to know that “LGBTQ+ people are just like everybody else, except more gay.” @contrapoints