Eric Magnussen
Storytellers
Angeria Paris VanMicheals
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Hailing from Georgia, the ever-charming Angeria Paris VanMicheals was crowned the champion of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars season 9 this year. “From the country to the silver screen, I’m officially the All Stars queen!” she declared. Also a winner? The National Black Justice Coalition, which received a $200,000 donation as VanMicheals’s charity of choice.
VanMicheals describes herself as a “fabulous international drag performer” with an aesthetic that’s “polished, glamorous, and Southern charm at its absolute finest.” However, the drag star also contended with her inner saboteur this year. “The largest obstacle that I faced was getting out of my own head. I can be so indecisive sometimes, and I overthink everything, which always works against me.”
VanMicheals is grateful to have found support from the LGBTQ+ community. “Our community is all about love and accepting one another,” she says. “We are not here to harm, but to inspire people of all walks of life.” Looking ahead, Angeria has been working on her first one-woman show and teases a potential return to that “silver screen” very soon. @angeriavm
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.
Charlotte Drury
Mey RudeMey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Mey Rude is a journalist and cultural critic who has been covering queer news for a decade. The transgender, Latina lesbian lives in Los Angeles with her fiancée.
Laurie Hernandez
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Charlotte Drury
The nation rooted for Laurie Hernandez as a part of the “Final Five” USA gymnastics team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won the team gold and silver in balance beam. That was when she was a teen. Now the next stage of her life has begun.
Hernandez, who has been dating her partner Charlotte Drury since 2020, is currently a full-time NYU student. This summer, she provided commentary for NBC’s coverage of women’s gymnastics at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she quickly became a fan-favorite announcer. She even dropped a clever “and they were roommates…” Sapphic reference!
The future is bright for Hernandez, who next plans on acting and writing (both novels and screenplays) and is looking forward to graduation, after which she hopes to continue to make the world a better place. “In a world often weighted with shame and judgment, be the person that makes a space welcoming for all,” she says. “It’s a conscious thought, but a worthy one.” @lauriehernandez