By Pip
Storytellers
Richard Gadd
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Scottish comedian, actor, and writer Richard Gadd shot to international fame this year with the release of Baby Reindeer, a Netflix dramedy inspired by Gadd’s real-life relationship with a woman who became his stalker. Gadd portrayed the lead, Donny Dunn, as he grappled with this stalker, his bisexual identity, and his repressed history of sexual assault.
Baby Reindeer won six Emmys, including Best Limited Series and Best Actor for Gadd. But beyond awards, Gadd appreciates that his story has resonated with and inspired LBGTQ+ people.
“I get messages and letters from people saying, ‘Oh, this show allowed me to finally come out to my parents.’ And, ‘This show allowed me to finally speak to my wife about the fact that I’m bisexual,’” Gadd shares. “That’s really, really powerful stuff, because I know…what it’s like to carry that weight around with you all the time…[thinking] you need to be a certain way so the world can accept you. And so the fact that it’s moving people to make this positive change in their lives is incredible.” @mrrichardgadd
Daniel Reynolds
Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.
Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.
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