Charlotte Drury
Storytellers
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.
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
Mey Rude
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.
Ron Amato
Mark Cortale
Meet some of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Ron Amato
Broadway has long been home to many great LGBTQ+ artists and businesspeople throughout the years, and producer Mark Cortale is proud to be a part of that legacy. The producer of the three-time Tony-nominated new musical Days of Wine and Roses by Craig Lucas and Adam Guettel served as producing artistic director at the Art House in Provincetown before moving to Broadway last year, and he’s not slowing down.
In September, he produced Table 17 by Douglas Lyons off-Broadway, and coming up in April, he’s partnering with Lincoln Center to produce Tina Landau and Adam Guettel’s musical Floyd Collins. “The LGBTQ+ community is comprised of incredibly compassionate, intelligent, and talented people,” Cortale says. “We are your sons, your daughters, your brothers, and your sisters. Embrace us — we are here to stay.” @cortalemark