Search form

Scroll To Top
Mark Whitley
Courtesy
Educators

Mark Whitley

Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.

Intersectionality is at the heart of Mark Whitley’s work as president and CEO of Easterseals Southern California, the largest Easterseals Disability Services affiliate organization, which serves nearly 20,000 people every day. It provides autism therapy, adult/senior day services, child development/early education, residential/independent living services, employment services, and more.

Easterseals recently launched the “D1$@B1L*tY Is Not a Dirty Word” multimedia campaign, one of its efforts to change the way the world defines and views disability. “It’s important to note how critical a role LGBTQ+ creators, talent, writers, filmmakers, and more [have played]. Many also disabled themselves, [they] have actively supported and been fully included within these efforts,” says Whitley, who is gay.“

The sheer notion of ‘Disability Pride’ is inspired by the example established by our long-fought LGBTQ+ equality efforts and one that Easterseals is proud to amplify and celebrate,” he says, adding, “The LGBTQ+ community is part of our disability community and vice versa.… Together, the LGBTQ+ and disability communities have so much to offer the nation and our world. Our intersectionality is our power and pride.” @eastersealssocal

Trudy Ring

Read Full Bio
Jaymes Black
Erik Carter

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.

Read Full Bio
Educators

Jaymes Black

Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.

Erik Carter

The Trevor Project — a national suicide prevention and crisis intervention nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth — tapped Jaymes Black this year to helm the group’s vital work.

Black (he/she/they) is Trevor’s first Black and first nonbinary CEO. A former CEO of Family Equality who grew up in the rural South, they bring both an impressive résumé and lived experience to tackling the daunting challenges faced by today’s queer and trans kids. “To be in this role, to be who I needed when I was [a] young queer Black awkward kid in Texas, is…another dream come true,” they say.

Bullies manifest on the playground and in the political world. But through it all, Black is inspired by how many young people live openly and proudly, a resilience that comes with being part of the LGBTQ+ community.

“The way that we view the world is very different. And because of that, I think we come with…this innate strength that others don’t understand,” they say. “We’ll never give up. We’ll never give up the fight. We’ll never give up fighting for equality. We’ll never give up being ourselves.” @thejaymesblack