Sarah M Lee
Disruptors
Ncuti Gatwa
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Ncuti Gatwa is a bright light in the entertainment world. He shone in his breakout role as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, which recently ended its four-season run. And 2024 saw Gatwa break barriers in Doctor Who, as he became the first queer man and first person of color to take the lead in the long-running British sci-fi series. (Gatwa came out as queer in a 2023 Elle interview.)
In Barbie, Gatwa shared the screen with a star-studded cast, and even performed at the Oscars alongside the other Kens, a 2024 highlight. “It felt like such a celebration of a film we all had a really special time making,” Gatwa says.
Gatwa’s biggest challenge remains being away from loved ones, but he finds peace in “practicing gratitude” and going on walks. “I've discovered how much I love being in nature.” Gatwa is set to star in The Roses, a remake of The War of the Roses featuring Oliva Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, and he’s taking the stage in London as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. @ncutigatwa
Gabriella Angelina
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