Actor-Director

DuVall grew up loving Christmas movies, but there was always a problem with them: Her experience as a queer woman was never onscreen. So after more than two decades as an actress, including a career-defining performance in the LGBTQ cult comedy But I’m a Cheerleader, she decided to stop waiting around for someone else to make the film she desperately wanted to see. With last winter’s Happiest Season, which she co-wrote and directed, DuVall made history by creating the first holiday rom-com about a same-sex couple to hail from a major studio (Sony’s TriStar Pictures and eOne sold the feature to Hulu). A semiautobiographical take on DuVall’s own experiences with her family, the coming-out story stars Mackenzie Davis and Kristen Stewart as a couple navigating a Christmas break with conservative parents. It struck a chord with audiences, breaking premiere records for the streamer with the most viewership for any original film during its debut weekend. Her voice can currently be heard on the animated Fox sitcom Housebroken, about a group of neighborhood pets, a show that she co-created and executive produces.

Actor-Writer 

With her subversive, deadpan comedy and her compelling career choices, Harrison is having a quietly revolutionary moment in entertainment. The trans actor and Big Mouth writer, whose early on-camera appearances include bit parts in the cult comedies High Maintenance, I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson and Broad City, currently appears as a leading lady opposite Ed Helms in the Sundance darling Together Together. What makes her role especially significant, outside of the overwhelmingly positive response she’s received from critics, is that Harrison was cast in the decidedly cisgender part of a surrogate when the vast majority of trans actors in Hollywood are so often offered only trans parts. Harrison, who was kicked off Twitter in January for impersonating the Nilla Wafers account with a clever send-up of corporate lip service to LGBTQ concerns, recently recurred in the Showtime breakout Ziwe and next appears alongside Brad Pitt, Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum in Lost City of D.

Analyst-Journalist 

During MSNBC’s 2020 election coverage, Kornacki garnered acclaim and online stans for his enthusiastic, detailed analysis on a large touch screen. With his distinctive look (those Gap khakis!) and infectious energy, Kornacki became cable news’ breakout star and one of the few openly gay on-air reporters to chronicle the election. His parent company rewarded him, making Kornacki impossible to miss. The avid sports fan brought his touch screen to Sunday Night Football and applied his analytical touch to the recent awards season, including a breakdown of likely Oscar winners for Today. A new overall deal with NBCUniversal will see him join coverage of Super Bowl LV and analyze the next two Olympics. Meanwhile, NBC Entertainment is working with him on developing a game show concept for him to host. His omnipresence became clear Nov. 7, after NBC News officially called the election for Joe Biden: “I’m gonna make [NBC] pay more for Steve Kornacki,” colleague Joe Scarborough quipped on-air that morning.

Rapper-Songwriter 

No one has leaned into their queerness more fearlessly in 2021 than Lil Nas X. The 22-year-old pop wunderkind behind “Old Town Road” debuted his campy, scandalous, gorgeous video for “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” back in March. An unabashedly homoerotic journey through heaven and hell that climaxes in a Satanic lap dance, the visual fantasy was a potent throwback to the days when LGBTQ+ artists were less interested in fitting in than they were in shocking the mainstream. It was a big risk, but the controversy paid off, resulting in his second No. 1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and nearly 240 million YouTube views. The Rhinestone Cowboy then capped things off with a sultry pole dance on Saturday Night Live, surrounded by a chorus of shirtless male dancers — a display intended to inspire young, queer viewers who are often told they’re going to hell. It’s hard to believe all of that happened before his debut album even dropped. Montero, the LP, is expected to arrive sometime this summer.

Actor-TV Host 

The three-time Emmy-nominated Nash, who shines in everything from improv (Reno 911) to black comedy (Claws) to historical drama (When They See Us, Mrs. America) surprised just about everyone — herself included — when she announced she was getting married for a third time to singer Jessica Betts, 38, in August. “I loved men until I didn’t,” is how Nash, 51, describes her entry into the LGBTQ+ community. “I was the first lady of a church. I was married to an engineer. And now I’m married to a musician who just happens to have a different gender from the first two.” Outside of their bubble of wedded bliss — she calls Betts her “hersband” — the adjustment has taken a little getting used to. “People want me to know their sexual orientation: ‘I just wanted you to know that I’m a lesbian,’ ” Nash says. “Well, that’s great. But are you a good person?” Next up for Nash, she appears in Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, Ryan Murphy’s miniseries about one of history’s most notorious serial killers.

Actor-Producer 

After a long career on camera, starring in the features Juno and Inception and on TV in The Umbrella Academy, Page came out as transgender in December — announcing on social media that he would now go by Elliot Page and couldn’t “begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self.” Page instantly became one of the biggest transgender stars in Hollywood. Since the announcement, Page has moved into an activist role — one he has previously occupied as an environmental advocate — appearing as the first openly trans man on the cover of Time, sharing his transition milestones online and fighting for trans rights in the political sphere. “I will offer whatever support I can and continue to strive for a more loving and equal society,” he said in December. Page next returns to the small screen for the third season of Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy, which is currently filming in Canada.

Civil Rights Leader 

As president of Color of Change, a civil rights advocacy organization focused on bettering the lives of Black Americans, Robinson leads dozens of campaigns pursuing criminal justice, voting rights and economic reform. But, in the wake of the 2020 police killing of George Floyd and the unrest that followed, it was his renewed efforts to make the entertainment industry confront its portrayals of cops that had the biggest impact on Hollywood. Reality shows COPS and Live PD were canceled, and more than a dozen TV shows brought on Color of Change to rethink depictions of policing, the justice system and racism. Robinson, who previously held a leadership role at GLAAD, next wants to see people of color get their due in LGBTQ stories. “I would love to see Stonewall told through the eyes of Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera and the other Black and brown gay, trans and nonconforming liberation luminaries who made that moment possible,” he says, “to see a story in which they are the protagonists and fully portrayed.”

Dancer-Singer 

If there’s a human embodiment of a rainbow, it’s 18-year-old JoJo Siwa. The always bright, usually glitter-clad singer took the tween world by storm in recent years, breaking out from her Dance Mom days to land an overall deal at Nickelodeon (at just 13), launch merch lines and sell out arenas. After dropping hints via social media, Siwa officially confirmed that she’s a member of the LGBTQ community during a 15-minute Instagram video in January — a big moment and a huge risk for a performer whose fan base is largely children and teens. No matter the gender, “I always believed that my person was going to be my person,” she said in the post, since viewed nearly 9 million times. She didn’t put a label on her sexuality in the video and told fans that she’ll keep her love life largely private, but she wanted them to know that “no matter who you love that it’s OK.” The response has been overwhelmingly supportive, among fans and corporate partners alike — she recently launched an anti-bullying campaign with Walmart and GLSEN to support LGBTQ+ youth.

Actor-Singer 

Breaking out as the comic relief in 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Smith segued to leading-man status this year with Generation — HBO’s Gen Z drama about sexuality and identity. In June 2020, amid last summer’s racial justice protests, Smith went public with his own sexuality, coming out as queer on Instagram after participating in a Black Lives Matter protest in New Orleans. “As a Black queer man myself, I was disappointed to see certain people eager to say Black Lives Matter but hold their tongue when Trans/Queer was added. … If your revolution does not include Black queer voices, it is anti-Black.” On top of his activism, Smith has continued to grow his résumé, starting with the second part of Generation and a dinosaur return in Jurassic World: Dominion. In March, he moved into the music space with his debut single, “Bed.” He’s also in production on Paramount and eOne’s Dungeons & Dragons feature adaptation alongside Chris Pine, Hugh Grant and Regé-Jean Page.

Comedian-Podcaster

Recently wrapping his second season on Saturday Night Live, Yang has achieved undisputed scene-stealer status (and a bit of Emmy buzz as well), with his impressions running a wide gamut covering Fran Lebowitz, Kim Jong-un and, perhaps most viral, the iceberg that sank the Titanic. Since becoming the show’s first Chinese American star and one of its few openly gay castmembers, Yang has landed roles in Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens and Girls5eva and maintained the pop culture podcast Las Culturistas. An activist for the Asian community during the past year’s rise in hate crimes, he brought the issue to “Weekend Update.” As his SNL star continues to rise, the comedian has plenty to keep him busy in the off-weeks: He’s headlining Audible scripted podcast Hot White Heist, a queer action comedy directed by Alan Cumming set to debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. Alongside Henry Golding and Sandra Oh, Yang also is lending his voice to Paramount Animation’s upcoming adaptation of The Tiger’s Apprentice.