Ben Jethro Pierre
Storytellers
Marley Dias
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
At 19, Marley Dias already has an astonishing résumé of achievements.
Nearly a decade ago, Dias, who is of Jamaican and Cape Verdean descent, founded the global campaign #1000BlackGirlBooks, which collected and donated over 15,000 books featuring Black girls as protagonists. When she was 14, she published the book Marley Dias Gets It Done: And So Can You! with an introduction by filmmaker Ava DuVernay. Now Dias, who is bisexual, is set to graduate from Harvard University in 2026 with a degree in Sociology and African American Studies.
Dias is open about the challenge of managing anxiety and depression: “I’ve worked hard to bring more balance to my life.” Her proudest 2024 accomplishment was working with the nonprofit Art School Africa in Cape Town. The opportunity came to fruition via an internship with the Harvard Center for African Studies, which allowed her to travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe for a month.
“Telling stories of LGBTQ+ folks through books, television, film, and intergenerational exchange is the key to moving from an ideology of ‘tolerance’ into a world of consciousness and liberation,” Dias says. @iammarleydias
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