Variety's Power of Pride 2020 List (original) (raw)
Rex/shutterstock
Matthew López wrote the most ambitious gay play since “Angels in America.” Céline Sciamma directed “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” one of the best lesbian dramas ever. And Janet Mock went from writing and directing on “Pose” to helping steer Netflix’s “Hollywood.” The following artists, executives and storytellers make up Variety’s annual Power of Pride list, which honors those in the LGBTQ community who use their spotlight to foster understanding and promote inclusion in the entertainment industry. We salute these 38 honorees.
Tim Cook
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Shutterstock
iBoss
The Apple chief was the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to come out as gay. Cook guards his private life, but he did release a moving message in 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, expressing gratitude for the activists who came before him while urging younger generations to “carry their work forward.”
Lil Nas X
Image Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Rap superstar
When a song you spent less than 100torecordblowsuponTikTokandscoresyoua100 to record blows up on TikTok and scores you a 100torecordblowsuponTikTokandscoresyoua1.5 million record deal, what have you got to lose? Plenty — but this Atlanta rapper took the chance, and came out publicly last summer just as “Old Town Road” was becoming a global smash. The move only accelerated his rise. After winning two Grammy Awards, he’s working on his debut full-length album.
Cindy Holland
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Shutterstock
Streaming leader
The VP of content for Netflix has seen two big-deal partnerships begin, with first entries from Kenya Barris and Ryan Murphy dropping this spring as Netflix’s binge-at-home model grew even more relevant. Next up: the launch of the streamer’s first Shonda Rhimes show and Emmy runs for new seasons of “The Crown” and “Ozark.”
Jeremy O. Harris
Image Credit: Taylor Jewell/Invision/AP/Shutte
Broadway wunderkind
The 31-year-old playwright took the Great White Way by storm last fall with “Slave Play,” a corrosive look at sex, race and power. Everyone from Gloria Steinem to Rihanna made the pilgrimage to the must-see Broadway event. At this year’s Sundance, he premiered “Zola,” a buzzy A24 release that he co-wrote, which cemented his status as a voice of his generation.
Robert Greenblatt
Image Credit: WarnerMedia
TV titan
Formerly the head of NBC, Greenblatt serves as chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment, placing him at the helm of a colossus that includes HBO and HBO Max, as well as TNT and TBS. The theater lover and amateur pianist now finds himself responsible for both the most burnished of legacy brands and a new player in the streaming wars.
Anderson Cooper
Image Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Silver fox
Every weeknight, the CNN anchor pulls back the curtain on the latest controversies and catastrophes spilling out of the Trump White House. In between covering global disasters, Cooper also found time to become a father. In April, he announced on air the birth of his son Wyatt Morgan by a surrogate.
Kiersey Clemons
Image Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Leading lady
The refreshingly honest actor has become a go-to in Hollywood, notably playing many nuanced queer characters in films like “Dope” and “Hearts Beat Loud,” as well as Joanne in Fox’s live production of “RENT.”
Rachel Maddow
Image Credit: © 2010 NBC Universal, Inc.
Cable newsmaker
Throughout the Democratic primary season, Maddow’s MSNBC show was the necessary stop for candidates seeking to speak directly to voters. And in the era of COVID-19 denialism and delusion, she provides a nightly blast of realism with her trademark analytical monologues.
Wanda Sykes
Image Credit: Rob Latour/Variety/Shutterstock
“Visible” producer and comedian
The writer, comedian and actor came out in 2008, and she’s used her platform to champion LGBTQ voices. She recently executive produced the Apple TV Plus docu-series “Visible: Out on Television,” which chronicles the representation of queer characters on TV.
Andy Cohen
Image Credit: Brian To/Variety/Shutterstock
Face of Bravo
Cohen has gone from Bravo executive and “Real Housewives” wrangler to on-air talent, becoming the face of the network in the process. After himself recovering from the coronavirus, he now hosts “Watch What Happens Live “ — seamlessly — from his New York City apartment, offering house-bound viewers much-needed entertainment. All this while overseeing his SiriusXM channel, RadioAndy, and parenting his toddler son, Benjamin.
Emily Hampshire
Image Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
“Schitt’s” BFF
For six seasons on “Schitt’s Creek,” Hampshire appeared as the sarcastic, vulnerable Stevie Budd, who became the best friend and confidant of David (Daniel Levy). Along the way, Hampshire came out as pansexual. Eventually she’ll co-star with Adrien Brody in Epix’s Stephen King project, “Chapelwaite.” For now, she raises money for The Actors Fund with her weekly quarantine talk show, “Humpday With Hampshire.”
Tommy Dorfman
Image Credit: Stewart Cook/Shutterstock
“13 Reasons Why” breakout
Dorfman came out as nonbinary in 2017 and is using their platform, and Netflix credit on “13 Reasons Why,” to champion the rights of LGBT and genderqueer people. After receiving GLAAD’s Rising Star Award, they made their New York theatrical debut last year in Jeremy O. Harris’ “Daddy.”
Indya Moore
Image Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
Actress and activist
Indya Moore has been a breakout star of “Pose,” FX’s landmark series; they are also a consciousness-raising activist on social media, leveraging nearly a million Instagram followers to raise money and awareness throughout the COVID crisis and the ongoing struggle against police brutality. Read _Variety_‘s full feature on Moore here.
Nicole Maines
Image Credit: Andrew H. Walker/Variety/Shutter
Superhero activist
Maines made headlines after suing, successfully, to ensure her right to use female restrooms in her school. Six years later, her activism takes the form of raising visibility, most recently as the first trans superhero on TV — fighting villains as well as transphobic prejudice — on The CW’s “Supergirl.”
Brian Michael Smith
Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Variety/Shutterst
“Lone Star” star
Smith had already guest-starred on “Girls” and “Blue Bloods” as cisgender characters when in 2017 he used his recurring role on Ava DuVernay’s “Queen Sugar” to come out as trans. Smith’s career has thrived since: He appeared in an arc on “The L Word: Generation Q,” and became a series regular on Fox’s new hit drama “9-1-1: Lone Star” — the first time a black transgender man has starred on a network TV show.
Janet Mock
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Deadline/Shutter
From “Pose” to “Hollywood”
After becoming the first out trans woman of color to sign a mega-streaming deal, in 2019 writer-director-producer Mock took on the role as one of Ryan Murphy’s lieutenants on Netflix’s “Hollywood.” Prior to that, she collaborated with Murphy as a writer and director on “Pose,” the groundbreaking FX show about transgender women and gay men in New York.
Tim Gunn
Image Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock
Still making it work
After 16 seasons on “Project Runway,” Gunn transplanted his infectious, can-do optimism to Amazon Prime Video’s globe-trotting “Making the Cut.” But it’s Gunn’s frank honesty about how he emerged from a painful youth — including a suicide attempt and hospitalization — that reaffirm why he’s become such a singular gay role model.
Da Brat
Image Credit: Moses Robinson/Shutterstock
Radio personality
Da Brat became the first female rapper to go platinum with her 1994 album “Funkdafied.” More recently, the actress and radio personality (who can be heard on the nationally syndicated “Rickey Smiley Morning Show”) made headlines for coming out at the age of 46. This fall, she’s set to portray the lesbian character Cleo in a stage production of “Set It Off.” Read _Variety_‘s full feature with Da Brat here.
Clea Duvall
Image Credit: Mike Nelson/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Actor-turned-director
DuVall, a familiar face on-screen since the late ‘90s (“The Faculty”), has of late turned her talents to writing and directing. Her debut feature, 2016’s “The Intervention,” had “Big Chill” vibes, and her next movie, TriStar’s “Happiest Season,” stars Kristen Stewart in a lesbian rom-com set during the holidays. And Duvall still acts, appearing in “The Handmaid’s Tale” and as Selina Meyer’s seemingly emotionless daughter-in-law, Marjorie, on “Veep.”
Casey Mcquiston
Image Credit: Valerie Mosley
Best-selling author
McQuiston’s wildly popular debut novel, “Red, White & Royal Blue,” is a scorching romance between Henry, prince of England, and Alex, son of the (female) U.S. president — and the rare bisexual man cast as a mainstream romantic hero. McQuiston, herself bi, is following up with “One Last Stop,” a time-travel romance between two women, to be published in 2021.
Celine Sciamma
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/Variety/Shutters
“Portrait” painter
Sciamma’s fourth feature, “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” a passionate depiction of a late-18th-century love affair between two women, positioned her as a standard-bearer for world cinema. And she’s unafraid to lead, as when she and star Adèle Haenel walked out of the Césars when Roman Polanski won a top prize.
Joel Kim Booster
Image Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock
Comic about town
Booster’s pithy, profane, very gay comedy has gained him thousands of fans online, but now he’s getting more of the on-screen spotlight. After NBC’s “Sunnyside,” Booster co-hosted Quibi’s “Singled Out” reboot with Keke Palmer and is developing a “Pride and Prejudice”-meets-Fire Island comedy for the service.
Landon Cider
King Drag
Drag’s never been a bigger part of the mainstream, but watching “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” you’d never understand the full breadth of it. The Boulet Brothers’ gloriously twisted “Dragula” doesn’t have that problem — a fact proved by Cider, a glam rock drag king who won Season 3 and countless hearts.
Jacqueline Toboni
Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
“Generation Q” star
When “The L Word” returned to Showtime this year, Toboni’s Finley immediately stood out as “Generation Q’s” shaggy, neurotic answer to Shane McCutcheon, the original show’s infamous player. Toboni’s loose charm stole every scene she was in, bringing fresh humor and unexpected pathos to the iconic series.
Jonathan Van Ness
Image Credit: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP/Shutte
More than “Queer Eye”
The hairdresser and miracle worker on Netflix’s “Queer Eye” has had a banner year. His 2019 memoir, “Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love,” hit The New York Times best-seller list, and he was a surrogate for Elizabeth Warren’s presidential run, proving that he has a promising career beyond reality TV.
Roberta Colindrez
Image Credit: Jim Smeal/Shutterstock
“Vida” scene stealer
Need to tempt a character with an irresistible queer woman? Look no further than Colindrez, a magnetic actor who’s been making people swoon for years. You may know her from Broadway’s original “Fun Home” run, “I Love Dick” or, more recently, charming women on “Vida” and “Mrs. America.”
Kenny Ortega
Image Credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/Shu
The man behind “Newsies”
Most queer kids could relate to one of Ortega’s movies, even if they didn’t know they were queer while watching them. In the ‘90s, Ortega directed “Newsies” (starring Christian Bale) and “Hocus Pocus” (with Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker), and in 2006, he made the Disney Channel’s “High School Musical,” discovering Zac Efron. More recently, he produced “The Disney Family Singalong,” where he had a cameo with the “HSM” cast.
Justin Tranter
Image Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock
Hitmaker
It’s one thing to be out when you’ve got hits by Justin Bieber, DNCE, Halsey and Janelle Monáe under your belt, but it wasn’t easy when this now 39-year-old hitmaker started out as frontperson of Lady Gaga co-signed group Semi Precious Weapons. Then, Tranter’s flamboyance was met with opposition — although not from Sam Smith, who’s cited Tranter as a huge inspiration. Now the star has turned the tables and become a prominent advocate for the community.
Nicola Formichetti
Image Credit: WWD/Shutterstock
Lady Gaga’s stylist
Formichetti first met Lady Gaga in 2009 at a cover shoot for V Magazine. Since then, he’s styled many of her iconic costumes in music videos ranging from ”Bad Romance” to “Telephone.” Most recently, Formichetti was involved in Gaga’s Las Vegas residency, curating the Haus of Gaga experience — and perfecting her look for her latest album, “Chromatica.”
Matt Rogers and Dave Mizzoni
Image Credit: Courtesy of Dave Mizzoni/Matt Rogers
“Gay as f—“
Dua Lipa everyone! Rogers and Mizzoni are the co-creators of “Gayme Show,” a competition series that pits the straights against each other in order to find out who is honorarily gay as fuck. The pair parlayed
their live show into a Quibi series that has an arsenal of queer icons behind it, including showrunner Genevieve Aniello and writers Jill Gutowitz and George Civeris.
Silas Howard
Image Credit: Scott Kirkland/FX/Picturegroup/S
Prolific TV director
The past few years, Howard’s name has been seen more and more in TV directing credits. From FX’s “Pose” extravaganza to Freeform’s delightful “Everything’s Gonna Be Okay” and Apple TV Plus’ arresting “Dickinson,” Howard is making his mark.
Andrew Scott
Image Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Hot Priest
The Irish actor garnered international attention as the Hot Priest on Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s “Fleabag.” Up next: He gets top billing starring as the sexually ambiguous star of “Ripley,” Showtime’s series adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels.
Beanie Feldstein
Image Credit: Matt Baron/Shutterstock
“Booksmart” star
An “it” girl in the making since 2017, Feldstein has starred in “Lady Bird,” “Booksmart” and this year’s coming-of-age film “How to Build a Girl.” She’s had frank and heartwarming discussions about identifying as queer and falling for her girlfriend, Bonnie Chance Roberts.
Matthew Lopez
Image Credit: Gregory Pace/Shutterstock
The next Tony Kushner
Lopez’s “The Inheritance,” a two-part, nearly seven-hour play inspired by “Howards End,” earned rave reviews on Broadway last winter. It also drew comparisons to a modern-day “Angels in America,” an epic production about what it means to live as a gay man — and in the shadow of tragedy — in New York City.
Kara Swisher
Image Credit: Charles Sykes/Invision/AP/Shutte
Tech scoopster
The co-founder of Recode and New York Times columnist may be the most feared and admired journalist in Silicon Valley. From Elon Musk to Jeff Bezos, Swisher has them all on speed dial, and she’s
unafraid to hold Big Tech to account for its monopolistic tendencies and shoddy privacy practices.
Ira Madison III
Image Credit: AFF-USA/Shutterstock
TV writer and podcaster
On his Crooked Media podcast “Keep It,” Madison holds court with fellow queer hosts Louis Virtel and Aida Osman about all things pop culture, from the merits of “Angel” over “Buffy” to talking with Jane Fonda about climate change. He also penned an episode of the Netflix series “Daybreak” about a gay football jock, and he’s a writer on Netflix’s upcoming animated series “Q-Force,” about a team of LGBTQ spies.
Wendy Armitage
Proud executive
As a senior vice president in marketing at the Sony Motion Picture Group, Armitage co-created Reel Her In, a festival of short films that spotlights female-identified voices. Additionally, she manages entries in the LA Pride Parade of Sony films, TV shows and PlayStation properties, and she’s helped raise funds for the Outfest film festival.
James Longman
News breaker
The ABC News foreign correspondent, who lives in London, is known for parachuting across the globe for breaking news stories. This year, he’s distinguished himself for his coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, giving viewers nightly dispatches from Italy while its citizens were in lockdown and from the quiet streets of Greece in late May.
More from Variety
More From Our Brands
- Rolling Stone Shawn Mendes Delays Forthcoming LP, ‘Shawn,’ to Nov. 15
- Robb Report It Feels Like You’re Floating on the Ocean at This $10 Million Malibu Beach House
- Sportico MLB Wants Answers as Diamond Bankruptcy Case Rounds Home
- SPY The Best Loofahs and Body Scrubbers, According to Dermatologists
- TVLine Grotesquerie Episode 6 Sets the Stage for a Killer Reveal — Here’s Our Crazy Little Theory
