Martin Sigal
Innovators
Juan Carlos Cruz
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
This year, Pope Francis declared that “being homosexual isn’t a crime” and that laws criminalizing gay and bisexual people are “unjust.” Juan Carlos Cruz, a gay man, is partly responsible for this incredible course correction from the Roman Catholic Church. For the past two years, Cruz has served as a trusted adviser to Pope Francis, who appointed him in 2021 to the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors. For Cruz, a D.C.-based communications executive at the Livent Corporation, his appointment by the Vatican is a recent accomplishment in a life full of them.
Cruz, hailing from Santiago, Chile, is a clerical abuse survivor. While he cut his teeth as a young journalist, he also found his voice as an advocate for others like him, calling on the church to root out abuse, especially of minors. Cruz moved to the U.S. two decades ago, entered the corporate sphere, authored two books about sexual abuse, and made a name for himself as an activist willing to challenge the Catholic Church. After years of describing the horrors committed by powerful Chilean priest Fernando Karadima, Cruz convinced Pope Francis in 2018 to launch an investigation. Eventually the Chilean bishops — those who committed the abuses and the ones who allowed them — were forced out.
Cruz realized Francis has the ability to listen and evolve. The respect was reciprocal between the two men, with Francis appointing Cruz to the commission, which proposes “initiatives to the Roman Pontiff…for the purposes of promoting local responsibility in the particular churches for the protection of all minors and vulnerable adults,” according to the Vatican. Cruz considers the Holy See a friend and is ebullient over the announcement Francis made in January.
“One of my biggest achievements this year was collaborating with Pope Francis to publicly denounce the criminalization of homosexuality globally,” Cruz says. “This landmark statement, unprecedented in history, has been echoed by other world leaders, potentially saving lives in the process.”
Cruz somehow finds time to advocate for humanitarian causes in Ukraine, fighting for civilians and soldiers suffering under the Russian invasion. He’s received two medals from the Ukrainian government for his contributions. Closer to home, Cruz serves on the board of directors for GLAAD.
“Equality is nonnegotiable,” Cruz says. “It’s crucial that we not only challenge discriminatory laws within the U.S. but also condemn inhumane legislation globally, such as Uganda’s criminalization of the LGBTQ+ community that carries the death penalty. It’s unacceptable.”
GLAAD
Michael Anderson
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
GLAAD
It feels like all our lives changed on November 19, 2022, when an anti-LGBTQ+ shooter took the lives of five people and injured scores more at Colorado Springs’ Club Q. But for Michael Anderson, the nightclub’s only bartender to survive the attack, the mental wounds of that day will never heal. Still, Anderson is rebuilding his life, working to finish his degree in political science and journalism, and sharpening his skills as an activist for gun control and LGBTQ+ equality.
“I am a political advocate,” Anderson says. “However, I never set out to become one. It was through the horror and trauma of surviving the mass shooting attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs, which was my employer, and watching my friends and patrons die, that led me down this path. I knew after the shooting occurred, that I would never allow someone else to tell my story for me. While it has not been easy at times, I have used my voice to advocate for change as I refuse to have such violence have happened in vain.”
Just weeks after the massacre, Anderson gave testimony to the U.S. House Oversight Committee, describing how attacks like Club Q are meant to deter queer people from living our authentic lives. He insists the community needs to go in the opposite direction. “With the increased attacks on our community by politicians and on social media…we must remain confident in who we are, for who we are is exactly who we are meant to be,” Anderson says.
Anderson could never have imagined that months after the shooting, his hero, Christina Aguilera, would ask him to present her with GLAAD’s Advocate for Change Award at the organization’s awards ceremony in Los Angeles. “Christina has been my hero since I was young, it was her music that helped me accept myself,” he says. “It was truly surreal to present her with such a well-deserved honor, and to be able to sit with her during the awards show.”
Anderson is concentrating on finishing college and perhaps starting a political career.
“I remain focused on ensuring that the future of Club Q is one inspired by resilience, strength and persistence,” he says. “I believe it is time the younger generations rise up and take our place in the halls of government. It is the youth that will save our climate, create a safe country through gun reform, and ensure equality for all.” @michaelanders0n