OUT November/December 2021

When I was a teenager, and still in the closet to most of my friends and family members, I would sometimes sneak off to the local Barnes & Noble to peruse its magazine section. There, I would find a copy of Out and read it in the aisle with both apprehension and joy. This strange mixture was due to the fact that in my hands was a physical declaration of my queerness. Would one of my mother’s friends, seeking out a copy of Redbook, spot me holding the bold-faced “OUT” letters with a rugby stud posing underneath? Or would it be, as I had hoped, a cute guy to connect with — someone like me? I never did pick up a boy at the bookstore. But those pages opened up a…

It’s no secret that Ariana DeBose is the Bullet. In the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton, she became the first actor to infamously embody the projectile that would eventually take out Alexander Hamilton. A pivotal role for the equally gifted dancer, vocalist, and actor, it may not have been afforded a show-stopping solo, but its significance has been deconstructed by Hamilton enthusiasts for years. If DeBose was a bullet in 2015, she’s a firework in 2021. The triple threat, now 30, recently had breakout roles as the popular girl who grapples with coming out in The Prom and as the progressive schoolmarm with killer tap moves in Schmigadoon!. At this year’s Kennedy Center Honors, she performed a high-kicking tribute to Debbie Allen. Next, she is poised to become a household name by…

Law Roach As he’s said before, “image architect” Law Roach didn’t come from any lineage within the fashion industry. “Unfortunately, I didn’t really have the opportunity to study under anyone or be mentored,” he says. “There was never a time when anybody took me under their wing, but I’ve always had that ‘speak it into existence, fake it till you make it’ mentality.” That mindset has, in the span of a decade, seen the stylist and judge on HBO Max’s Legendary build a multimillion-dollar global business with a portfolio of clients that has included Zendaya, Kerry Washington, Celine Dion, Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Mary J. Blige, Ariana Grande, Priyanka Chopra, and more. And it’s seen him start a bloodline all his own. As the story goes, back in 2011 Roach had his own…

The character of Callie Torres from ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy has garnered legions of fans throughout the years for bringing much-needed bisexual representation to the TV landscape. Among them is the actor who gave life to her, Sara Ramirez. “Prior to Callie Torres, I’d never seen myself represented on television,” remarks Ramirez, who uses she/they pronouns. Ramirez won a Tony Award for Spamalot on Broadway in 2005, long before most Americans knew her name. But since then, the Mexican-Irish American actor has become a leading force in visibility. In fact, Callie — who appeared in 11 seasons and 239 episodes of the Shonda Rhimes series — is the longest-running LGBTQ+ character in TV history. Callie’s influence can’t be overstated, and Ramirez credits her with their own growth toward self-understanding. “There was so much…

Wilde Child While a number of out transmasculine people have helped pave a path politically (from Lou Sullivan to Jamison Green) and on the TV screen (from Scott Turner Schofield to Chaz Bono), it’s not hyperbole to say that no actor has done as much for visibility as Elliot Page — simply by coming out publicly. The Nova Scotia-born actor, now 34, practically came of age in front of our eyes, beginning in the TV show Pit Pony in 1997, through a recurring role in Trailer Park Boys, and later in the hotly debated feminist thriller Hard Candy in 2005 and in Juno two years later. After that came a bevy of award nominations and film roles, including (among others) Whip It, Inception, two X-Men films, and the riveting lesbian drama Freeheld…

Gov. Jared Polis is more than a politician. He is a public servant, father, son, and most recently, a husband — hats he wears while navigating Colorado through a pandemic. And for many in the LGBTQ+ community, he is a role model as the first out gay man in the nation to win a gubernatorial election, a feat he accomplished in 2018. So where did Polis’s journey as a groundbreaking out figure begin? “I think it was when I was 21-ish,” says the 46-year-old about his coming-out story. “I actually came out to my sister first.” In the not-so-distant past, it seemed almost inconceivable for a politician to be publicly out and win an election. For this writer, having a conversation with a sitting gay governor in his office seemed surreal. But…