Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2021 i The Advocate

THERE’S A PHOTO a friend took of me on New Year’s Day 2021 that I recently came across while scrolling my Instagram page. In it, I’m on the deck of the mid-century modern house my friend and his husband rented in the Hollywood Hills for New Year’s Eve. They live just 17 miles away but wanted to begin the year with a different view than from the home they’d barely left for 10 months during lockdowns. In the photo, the downtown Los Angeles skyline in the distance frames my head on one side and the San Gabriel Mountains on the other, and I look content, though just barely grinning. Most importantly, I’m proudly sporting a sweatshirt that reads “Pro Science, Pro Dolly” from Phenomenal, an apparel and advocacy company that centers…

“When I first received my HIV diagnosis, it felt like all possibilities had come to an end, and I was sentenced to inevitable doom,” Tony Enos explains. “However, 15 years later, just the opposite has been the case. I’d like for people to be able to look at my work, what I do, and how I conduct my spirit, and say to themselves, ‘Hey, Tony’s doing it, that means I can do it too.’ Harvey Milk used to say, ‘You gotta give ‘em hope.’ I pray that I can be hope for people when they feel abandoned by hope.” While Enos has been living with HIV for 15 years, it wasn’t until 2020 that the pop artist felt ready to share his status with the public. When the time was…

Reggie Greer has worked for two presidents he calls “transformational” — Barack Obama and Joe Biden — and he couldn’t be happier about it. “It’s an honor to be in this role,” says Greer, the gay man who is Biden’s senior adviser on LGBTQ+ issues and director of priority placement in the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office. He was deputy director of public engagement at the U.S. Department of Transportation during Obama’s administration, and in Biden’s presidential campaign he led efforts to get out the LGBTQ+ vote. He always feels free to bring up issues with Biden, and Obama displayed the same type of openness, Greer says. As an adviser, Greer brings the president not only his own thoughts on LGBTQ+ concerns but what he and his colleagues have gleaned…

“I was a sick kid who needed a lot of care growing up, and I think that was difficult for my family to handle,” says A. Andrews, a 34-year-old nonbinary activist. “I was also the only queer person, disabled person, artist person in the mix, so there was definitely a lot of friction in navigating identity with a home life that I found challenging.” Those early years were formative for Andrews, and the hardscrabble upbringing in their self-described “very small and hard family” still factors into their work. “Why autobiographical work has been so crucial to me in my creative life has really stemmed from the more unique circumstances I grew up with. That eagerness to really process and look at my life in an authentic way and to connect…

Celia Israel, a member of the Texas House of Representatives, stood for her principles this year even though it meant personal sacrifice. She was set to marry her partner of 26 years, Celinda Garza, on the House floor July 15, but she ended up leaving Texas for Washington, D.C., three days earlier with more than 50 other House Democrats so there would not be the number of representatives required to vote on a Republican-backed voter suppression bill. They returned eventually, though, and a later version of the bill passed. But Israel doesn’t regret her action one bit. “This summer, I was part of something larger than myself when my colleagues and I broke quorum in defense of voting rights and took the fight to Washington, D.C.,” she says. “During a…

Making a splash in an acclaimed series five seasons in, particularly one that’s a spin-off of an Emmy-winning show, is a feat. The Good Fight returned this summer following a fourth season truncated by the pandemic and with beloved original cast members Delroy Lindo and Cush Jumbo having departed the series. It felt like a pivotal time for the show from the creators of The Good Wife, Michelle and Robert King (who spun The Good Fight off from that acclaimed drama). Yet, within moments of meeting Carmen Moyo, a new associate at the show’s central firm, Reddick Lockhart, who dives straight into representing a feared drug kingpin, it was clear that The Good Fight had an enigmatic new star. Charmaine Bingwa, the Australian-Zimbabwean lesbian actor who plays Carmen, brings her…

It’s been 20 months since Locke & Key’s first season premiered on Netflix, but out actor Connor Jessup is excited for viewers to see how things have changed for the eponymous family at the center of this fantasy adaptation. “Season 2 is a lot darker than season 1,” Jessup teases, comparing the narrative progression to another well-loved literary series: Harry Potter. What does this mean for Jessup’s Tyler, the eldest Locke sibling? “In season 1, Tyler was not doing great because he carried around a lot of guilt regarding his father’s death,” Jessup says. “But he was able to work through that. In season 2, he’s able to have a bit more fun with his new girlfriend.” Viewers familiar with Locke & Key will remember Tyler’s crush on his new…

Asiahn Asiahn is redefining R&B with her music. The singer-songwriter sings openly about her attraction to women and says, “It’s important for me to be authentic because I can’t heal myself or help anyone get through anything if I’m being fake. Staying true to who I am despite backlash or any issues I may face shows them that it’s possible for a person like us to thrive here.” One of her latest songs, “Fall Back,” is an honest callout of a partner who wants a serious relationship while Asiahn has made it clear that she’s just wants to have some fun. Outside of music, Asiahn is leading Netflix’s upcoming animated series Karma’s World, a kids’ show created by rapper Ludacris. Dan Bowskill Not reggae, but reg-gay! Queer dancehall musician Dan…

Activist Edafe Okporo did not wait long after arriving in the United States to make an impact. Okporo, who’s gay, came to the country in 2016 seeking asylum from anti-LGBTQ+ oppression in his native Nigeria. When the newly arrived Okporo had difficulty locating shelter in New York City, he took matters into his own hands. He sought out available space and created the landmark RDJ Refugee Shelter for LGBTQ+ asylum seekers. “To be a refugee, a gay person, and a Black man in America is not an easy task. You are always fighting for an opportunity to have a seat at the table,” says Okporo, 31. “When you do get a seat, it becomes your responsibility to build a longer table for others and not a fence. That is what…

Even among a cast stacked with legends like Jean Smart — and legends-in-the-making including Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, and Megan Stalter — Poppy Liu managed to steal every scene of hers in HBO’s hit series Hacks. That’s because for Liu, a nonbinary (they/them, she/her), first-generation Chinese-American actor from New York, it’s exactly where they’re supposed to be: on our screens, representing the complex and beautiful matrix of identities that make them distinctly them. Despite her gifts as a performer, for most of her life, Liu never considered acting to be a viable career. In part, Liu says her parents, who immigrated from China when she was just 2, set an example of hard work and sensible choices that kept her from thinking of the arts as a career. But also,…

It’s been a life-changing year for Los Angeles-based artist Lauren Ys. Not only did Ys paint two murals in L.A. for the “Queer to Stay” initiative created by the Human Rights Campaign and Showtime and open a solo show, “Eidolon Vessel,” at Heron Arts in San Francisco, but they also opened up to the world about who they are. “I came out this year! As nonbinary!” Ys shares. As with so many people, being in lockdown for 18 months led to a lot of self-reflection for Ys. “I was forced to interrogate a lot of my identity that had been sort of frozen in a premature state while I was pursuing my career, and once I slowed down and gave time to my personal relationships, my writing, my community involvement,…

“Am I going to be in the greatest show ever written?” is the question Kevin Daniels asked himself when reading the pilot script for Fox’s new dramedy The Big Leap. The out actor was indeed cast in the novel series, set in a “reality” dance competition and encompassing all the backstage intrigue that entails. Television fans will no doubt recognize Daniels among The Big Leap’s ensemble cast — from starring in USA’s Sirens to recurring in ABC’s Modern Family, Daniels has been a standout performer in all of his roles. When looking back at his work, Daniels sees the parts of his identity that are in his previous characters, all of which have led to Wayne, an accomplished gay choreographer and judge of the reality competition at the center of…

ICONIC DC COMICS superhero Wonder Woman has always stood for truth, justice, equality, and — for LGBTQ+ fans who’ve seen the demographics of Themyscira, the mythical all-women island of Amazon warriors Wonder Woman hails from — queerness as well. As part of her monumental 80th birthday, DC released the book Wonderful Women of the World, edited by Laurie Halse Anderson with a cover by acclaimed artist Nicola Scott. The book highlights the work of 23 true superheroines — pioneering women around the world, including Malala Yousafzai, Beyoncé, Marsha P. Johnson, and marriage equality warrior Edith Windsor. That story follows Windsor from meeting her partner, Thea Spyer, through their marriage and Windsor’s ultimate victory in the Supreme Court that paved the way for nationwide marriage equality. Windsor’s tale is juxtaposed with another…

IF 2021 WAS THE YEAR OF Mj Rodriguez, it’s about to be the era of Michaela Jaé. The actress, singer, and Emmy-nominated star of Pose recently began going by her full name, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and the change is more than superficial. She says it’s about introducing the world to her full and true self. And the world is about to learn, because she’s taking over. In a year of amazing TV performances (The Crown, Mare of Easttown, Hacks), Rodriguez stood above her peers. Not only did she deliver one of the most moving and powerful performances of the last decade as Blanca Evangelista in the final season of the groundbreaking drama Pose, but she personally broke ground when she became the first out trans person nominated for an Emmy in…

2021 belonged to Lil Nas X. Nas X, like many other musical artists, had a low-key 2020, trying to keep safe, sound, and fairly calm during the height of the ongoing global pandemic. But the 22-year-old rapper came out guns a-blazing in the first half of the year with the spring release of his track “Montero (Call Me by Your Name),” which became his second Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper. Little did we know that he was preparing to set the pop world up for one of the most epic, unforgettable, and queer eras in mainstream music. A reference to his birth name, Montero Lamar Hill, as well as the Oscar-winning gay coming-of-age romance starring Timothée Chalamet and directed by Luca Guadagnino, “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” is an unapologetic…

Describing the situation of transgender people in 2021, Tori Cooper invokes a line from Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” There is currently unprecedented visibility of trans people and, in some corners, unprecedented acceptance. But the violence against the community remains at epidemic proportions — violent deaths of trans Americans this year may exceed 2020’s record total — and more anti-trans legislation than ever has been introduced at the state level. “The irony of that is absolutely astounding,” says Cooper, director of community engagement for the Human Rights Campaign’s Transgender Justice Initiative. Having been brought in to lead the initiative when it was created at the beginning of 2020, she’s working to better the lives of trans…

Leyna Bloom’s career really blossomed in 2021, and it appears likely to flourish for some time. The model and actress became the first out transgender woman of color to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue, had two films open, and appeared in the final season of Pose. Bloom feels a responsibility to make her voice heard at a time when trans people are more visible than ever but still face high rates of crime, poverty, and right-wing attacks. “This is a moment for me to constantly say, ‘Hey, I’m going to do something about this, I’m going to change some perspectives around this,’” she says. “If I can do this, we can do it together.” Bloom, 31, who is African-American and Filipina, was one of three women of…

TV audiences know Natalie Morales from indelible roles in beloved series like Parks and Recreation and Dead to Me; in the latter she played the charming love interest to Linda Cardellini’s leading character. In 2019, she made history as a Latinx bisexual actor playing a lead bisexual role on a network sitcom in the sweet but short-lived Abby’s. In 2021, with a handful of short films and a couple of episodes of Room 104 to her name, she directed two very different and impactful feature films that explore the value of platonic love, queer identity, connection, and the timely subject of reproductive freedom. Language Lessons, a two-hander in which she costars with Mark Duplass, captures the earliest days of lockdown and will hold up as a time capsule of that…

Many political observers are bemoaning the lack of civil discourse between opposing factions these days, but there are some surprising examples of polite disagreement. Case in point: Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, a liberal lesbian, says civility marks her relationship with anti-LGBTQ+ religious right activist Tony Perkins, with whom she serves on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom. “You can be sitting around a table with people with whom you have deep disagreements, even Tony Perkins…and still be civil,” Kleinbaum says. President Joe Biden named Kleinbaum to the commission this year for a term that extends to May 2023. She sat on the commission for part of 2020, having been nominated by Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, but stepped down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which hit her hometown of New…

PETE BUTTIGIEG wasn’t sworn in as the first out gay U.S. president this year, but he racked up several achievements that he once thought were beyond his reach — including a cabinet position and fatherhood. The former mayor of South Bend, Ind., who sought the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination before throwing his support to Joe Biden, was nominated by President Biden and confirmed by the U.S. Senate as secretary of the Department of Transportation. This made Buttigieg the first out member of the LGBTQ+ community to hold a Senate-confirmed cabinet post. At his confirmation hearing in January, he introduced his husband, Chasten Glezman Buttigieg, to the chamber, and thanked Chasten for his sacrifices and support. A couple weeks later, Pete Buttigieg was easily confirmed to the position, by a vote of…

For Alice Kremelberg, her queer identity shapes the acting roles she takes on. “As an actor, my job is to imbue aspects of myself in my work, and my queerness is inherently a part of me and my lived experience,” Kremelberg says. “A lot of things I’ve been through as a queer person have given me a multitude of experiences to pull from in my work.” For Kremelberg, that extends to her work on The Sinner. The fourth season of the police procedural starring Bill Pullman revolves around Kremelberg’s Percy Muldoon, the daughter of a prominent family that has the town in its grip. Percy goes missing, running away from something sinister. “Being queer, I am hyper-aware of the male gaze and how my body/identity is being consumed in media,”…

Having brought nuanced emotion and resilience to their breakout role of Jerrie on Big Sky, actor Jesse James Keitel has become the type of performer celebrated and embraced by not only an audience but the entertainment industry itself. And Keitel’s star will only continue to rise in the upcoming Queer as Folk reboot. “Every few minutes one of us is breaking new ground,” Keitel says about being a nonbinary performer in Hollywood. “But I’ve found my own voice and have found myself even while in the public eye, which is a very vulnerable experience.” Keitel adds that they have been lovingly embraced throughout a scary but exhilarating process of coming into their voice. While Keitel’s talents are on full display in Big Sky, there’s also a lot to look forward…

CODY ALAN IS often called “the Ryan Seacrest of country music.” He’s done it all, hosting television and radio shows, award shows, and podcasts. Alan never quits working and, according to his new book, never stops listening. That’s one of the premises of Hear’s the Thing; note the use of the word “hear.” Alan feels that listening to others is the most crucial part of his job — and of his personal life, since it took years for Alan to say the words “I’m gay,” after finally giving in to his most inner and honest voice. Alan has been on a journey of self-discovery and embracing his authentic self, in addition to strengthening his family, career, and community relationships. “I came out in 2017, and I wanted to tell the whole…

TO MANY TV viewers, it may seem inconsequential that BD Wong’s regular guy character Wally in the Comedy Central series Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens engages in a courtship/relationship with a woman. But for the renowned stage and screen actor, Nora’s dad Wally having a girlfriend is a signal of progress. Wong is a pioneer of Asian and gay representation, having played queer roles in M. Butterfly on Broadway, in the movies And the Band Played On and The Normal Heart, and in the USA series Mr. Robot. But he’s never truly been given a character with a love story, and it matters “After a long line of playing very clinical doctors and scientists and stuff like that, that I’ve also enjoyed doing, [the Nora From Queens character] is something…

As we reflect on World AIDS Day, it’s more imperative than ever that people living with HIV have the same rights and opportunities as those living without it. As one of the most prominent rappers in the U.S., DaBaby, proved this year with his offensive comments about HIV and the LGBTQ+ community, we still have a long way to go when it comes to defeating anti-HIV stigma. People living with HIV are not hindering progress; rather they’re part of it. The recent ArtPositive exhibition in Paris — featuring artists who are all living with HIV — is just one example of the contributions of PLWH. This is how the artists described the exhibit and why it’s so necessary: “Although science has made great strides, discrimination against people living with HIV…