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Nina West
Jennifer Englert
Educators

Nina West

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

Nina West was a celebrated drag performer long before she was crowned Miss Congeniality on RuPaul’s Drag Race season 11. Today, she remains booked and busy. Around the time she competed on All Stars 9 to raise money for the Trevor Project, the Ohio native was starring in Hairspray’s national tour, working with Tina Romero on the queer zombie film Queens of the Dead, and touring a new show called The Very Queen.

“I think the largest obstacle I faced this year was the urge to say yes to everything and realizing there is only so much I can do,” West says. “I recognized this year — and this time on Drag Race — that I [could] be more intentional in the work I was doing. It’s tough to manage it all, but I overcame it by taking it one day at a time and letting some things go.”

West tells fans to “hold on to their wigs” for 2025, as she’s currently writing for a Harper Collins project, recording new music, and continuing to perform around the world. @ninawest

Bernardo Sim

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.

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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.

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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