Augie Blancas
Storytellers
Kathleen Arambula-Reyna
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
As board president for the Fresno Reel Pride LGBTQ Film Festival, Kathleen Arambula-Reyna assures that there is positive LGBTQ+ representation in Fresno County, “one of the most conservative parts of Central California,” she says. The festival, one of the oldest in the nation, celebrated its 35th anniversary this year. It was dedicated to the memory of Michael S. Reyna, Arambula-Reyna’s younger brother and a former festival board member, who died in August.
In 2024, Fresno Reel Pride named Arambula-Reyna as its community liaison to the Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission’s board, and the fest received a $180,000 grant from the city of Fresno and the Fresno Arts Council to expand outreach to marginalized rural communities.
“Fresno Reel Pride has brought to the silver screen joy, laughter, tears, and hope — most importantly, Fresno Reel Pride has brought a place for community and partnership as it continues to uplift those stories and use those as medium for change,” says Arambula-Reyna, a political science professor at Fresno City College. She will help the fest continue its work in 2025 as well as mothering her son, Sebastian Michael. @k_arambulareyna
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