Vince Aung
Storytellers
Ben Platt
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
This was a landmark year for self-described “actor, singer, writer, songwriter, producer, and homosexual” Ben Platt, who was nominated for a Grammy (for Parade’s 2023 revival soundtrack) and an Independent Spirit Award (for the comedic film Theater Camp). The Tony winner for Dear Evan Hansen released his third studio album, Honeymind, in May just ahead of hosting a three-week Pride Month residency at Broadway’s legendary Palace Theatre. Special guests included Cynthia Erivo, Sam Smith, Jennifer Hudson, and Kacey Musgraves. Adding more queer joy, he married “the love of my life,” Noah Galvin, in September.
“I want queer people to reserve time and space to celebrate the fact that their queerness is not only equal and worthy, it makes them extraordinary,” Platt declares. “It manifests in different ways, but it inevitably informs who we all are and how we approach the world. It is something to be reveled in and bragged about, not just accepted or tolerated.”
Looking ahead, Platt wants to explore “an assortment of writing, acting, producing, singing, and performing until I kick the bucket.” @bensplatt
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