Ryan Greenleaf
Innovators
Sunitha Menon
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Sunitha Menon made history this year as the first executive director of the Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission, selected by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors. In this role, she works with a team of 15 commissioners to address gaps in policies and services affecting the LGBTQ+ community.
One of her proudest achievements so far in her new role was supporting queer kids facing bigotry from their school boards and extremist groups like the Proud Boys. “Being with those students, helping create a space for them to stand in their power, own their voices, and stand up for themselves and the LGBTQ+ youth in their community was inspiring in a way I won’t ever forget,” Menon says.
Menon previously worked at Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ+ civil rights organization, and at RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. As a queer woman of color, her dedication to advocating for marginalized communities is personal and powerful.
“We all deserve to live fully equal lives, and until we do, I’ll be in the fight alongside our incredible and powerful community,” Menon says. @sunitha.menon1
Gabriella Angelina
inKind
Daniel ReynoldsDaniel 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 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.
Johann Moonesinghe
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
inKind
Johann Moonesinghe is the CEO and founder of inKind, an ingenious app that rewards diners with credit for supporting their favorite restaurants (inKind gives businesses funding in exchange for food and beverage credits for users).
The app has marked a milestone year, exceeding 1 million users — 1.4 million at the time of this reporting. Moonesinghe, a foodie, personally owns and operates restaurants in order to improve his business model. One establishment, the Guest House, is currently the top-rated restaurant in the company’s base city of Austin. The entrepreneur and angel investor (Uber, Allbirds) grew up in a working-class family with parents who emigrated from Sri Lanka. Today, he is a successful, proudly gay man with a loving husband. But he knows the fight for LGBTQ+ equality in the U.S. and abroad is far from over.
“We’ve come a long way, but we’re still far from the finish line. I encourage our community and our allies not to take anything for granted, but also to recognize and celebrate the progress being made every day — whether big or small.” @johannmoon