In 2023, GLAAD released their annual Studio Responsibility Index, which tracks the metrics of LGBTQ+ representation in films released by Hollywood’s 10 biggest film distributors.
The study revealed that 28.5% of tracked films in 2022 featured a character that identified as queer. Additionally, 12 films included transgender characters, and 10 featured non-binary characters — both record highs.
As representation in media expands across gender, race, sexuality, and more, here are six iconic stars who are paving the way in the world of film, TV, music, comedy, and more.
Elliott Page
Elliott Page is entering a new chapter in his acting career. Prior to coming out as transgender in 2020, Page had starred in nearly 50 projects and was no stranger to the silver screen. But the 2023 unscripted drama “Close To You” marked Page’s first time playing a trans man, and he says he has never felt more “liberated” as an actor.
“The way I get to feel working now is far more embodied coming from that foundation, versus entering [a set] and not feeling that way. It's a huge shift,” he told People. “Doing something like this, complete improv, before, would've been close to impossible.”
Jasmin Savoy Brown
Jasmin Savoy Brown currently stars as Taissa Turner in “Yellowjackets,” a high-octane series that centers on a girl’s soccer team struggling to survive in the wild after a plane crash. Amidst wolf attacks and infighting, Taissa finds unexpected love with her teammate Van Palmer (Liv Hewson).
After “Yellowjackets” received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Drama Series in March, Brown praised the show’s queer, interracial love — and expressed the relief of starring in a horror series that doesn’t glorify or exploit queer trauma.
“The trauma of our show isn’t the queerness,” Brown told GLAAD backstage. “It happens to be one of the only pockets of joy.”
Janelle Monáe
Janelle Monáe is a Grammy-award winning singer, actor, and staunch supporter of LGBTQ+ rights, women’s rights, and racial justice. In 2023, the Soul Train Awards degendered the “Lady of Soul” category in Monáe’s honor when they bestowed the non-binary icon with the “Spirit of Soul” accolade.
In recent years, when their gender identity was questioned, Monáe responded with warmth and grace.
“Allow yourself to discover something new about yourself,” Monae said in an interview with Jess Cagle. “Open up your mind to different possibilities, and listen to folks who are saying ‘hey, this is who I am. This is how I feel inside and outside.’”
Tom Allen
Tom Allen is out, proud, and loud about gay rights. In March 2024, in celebration of the 10th anniversary of same-sex marriage passing in England and Wales, the British comedian starred in “Big Gay Wedding with Tom Allen,” pulling out all the stops for a couple planning their dream wedding.
Throughout the documentary, Allen also interviews politicians behind the landmark same-sex bill, highlights LGBTQ+ trailblazers, and celebrates the queer community as a whole.
“Why do I talk about being gay all the time?” Allen told I News. “Because I wasn’t allowed for half of my life!”
Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart is known for her roles in everything from “Panic Room” to “Twilight.” But the actor recently turned heads for her role opposite Katy O’Brian in “Love Lies Bleeding,” a propulsive crime drama filled with bloody knuckles and high-wire tension.
It’s also a lesbian love story, adding to a growing catalog of unabashedly queer characters in wide-release epics.
“We just functioned from a place of pure curiosity and desire and just went, like, well, I don't know. What do you think? What do you want? … What I want is so gay and queer,” Stewart told NPR. “And here we are being gay and queer, like, unapologetically.”
Hannah Gadsby
Hannah Gadsby played double duty as both comedian and curator in their latest Netflix special, “Gender Agenda,” by sharing the stage with genderqueer comics Alok, Mx. Dahlia Belle, Krishna Istha, DeAnne Smith, Jes Tom, Asha Ward, and Chloe Petts.
For Gadsby, inclusion is not a lecture; it’s a way to introduce viewers to lesser-known comedians who have been waiting in the wings.
“We all know that representation of one is not gonna do anything. But when you get a group of us together, the diversity is just apparent, and it’s not forced,” Gadsby told the LA Times. “It’s just a bunch of individuals with such distinct individual lives.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2024 Pride Edition of the Goodnewspaper
Header image via Showtime
