Every year, TIME honors 100 individuals who are artists, phenoms, innovators, leaders, and advocates that are shaping the future. This list would not be complete without the members of the LGBTQ+ community that are fighting for visibility and equal rights by simply existing as their authentic selves. Here, we are highlighting the queer women and non-binary honorees that are changing the world for the next generation.
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Queer actress Stephanie Hsu is best known for her portrayal of Joy Wang/Jobu Tupaki in Everything Everywhere All At Once. She has taken Hollywood by storm, representing both the AAPI community and LGBTQ+ community. In a tribute written by Natasha Lyonne, she states that Hsu believes “No one but me gets to define my future or limitations.” After the success of EEAAO and her starring role in the comedy Joy Ride, we can’t wait to see what she does next.
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Non-binary actor Emma Corrin has taken on the role of a lifetime playing Princess Diana in The Crown which has earned them a Golden Globe win and Emmy nomination, but their accomplishments don’t stop there. They also have put on Olivier-nominated theater performances in London. Their mind-blowing acting on-screen and on-stage is just as impactful as their advocacy for genderless award categories and support for more nonbinary, queer, and trans people to have roles on screen.
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Lily Gladstone proudly represents her queer and indigenous communities in all of her powerful performances. Under The Bridge co-star Riley Keough wrote a tribute to Gladstone for TIME’s Next 100 list, stating “What I got to see was not only her talent, incredible work ethic, and intellect on set, but also her thoughtfulness, kindness, deep empathy, and elegance outside of work. She is a star onscreen and a real light in the world off-screen.”
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Alex Newell (a former GO Mag 100 WWL Honoree!) started out on Glee, but they graduated from William McKinley High School to become a Tony-award winning Broadway superstar. In their Tony acceptance speech, they said “I should not be up here as a queer, nonbinary, fat, Black little baby from Massachusetts. And to anyone that thinks that they can’t do it, I’m going to look you dead in your face [and tell you] that you can do anything you put your mind to.”
Lauren Halsey, an artist and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, centers her home of South Central LA in her art and her advocacy, including food drives, public installations, and community organizing. Fellow artist Mark Bradford says, “Lauren’s ground-up approach to collaboration untangles complicated questions around representation and context, broadening the definition of the artist.”
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Non-binary artist WangShui has been making waves in the art world with their unconventional tools and mediums. Most recently, their AI artwork has caught the attention of artists everywhere, including Andrew R. Chow who says WangShui is a “pioneer of artificial-intelligence art at a time when many artists abhor its advances.”
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You probably recognize Bella Ramsey from their breakout roles in Game of Thrones and The Last Of Us, but this non-binary actor is doing a lot more behind the scenes advocating for non-binary actors and genderless award categories. Emma D’Arcy, a fellow non-binary actor, says, “I feared there wasn’t space for me in the mainstream industry. Young trans and gender-nonconforming people coming into film and TV today will know that there is indeed space, in no small part because of Bella.”
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Non-binary comedian and actor Mae Martin has made their mark with their poignantly written and performed television series and their stand-up specials. Close friend Elliot Page is always singing their praises, stating, “They step forward gracefully but unapologetically, with confidence and undeniable brilliance, to remind us what being alive is all about: being our full, authentic selves. Mae has certainly done that for me.”
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Season 10 winner of Top Chef Kristen Kish (a former GO Mag 100 WWL Honoree!) is stepping up to become the host of the show after opening the much-hyped Arlo Grey in Austin, publishing a cookbook, and hosting food shows. Kish, a gay Korean adoptee, is a representation of the next wave of celebrity chefs.
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Acting as the first transgender state representative for Montana, Zooey Zephyr (a former GO Mag 100 WWL Honoree!) has been battling the record-breaking anti-trans bills that have been proposed this year. The Republican-dominant body banned her from participating in in-person debates and only allowing her to vote remotely, but she continued to show up at the capitol to represent her district, fighting for a seat in the hallway, even as her access to entrances, bathrooms, and workspaces was deactivated. She has solidified herself as a fearless leader in trans rights and acts as a beacon of hope for the future.
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Elly Schlein is Italy’s youngest, first female and out LGBTQ+ center-left Democratic leader. She is seen as the progressive answer to Italy’s current nationalist leader Giorgia Meloni. “It’s going to take time,” she says, “but we’re working on it.”
Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert
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Honored together, Erika Hilton and Duda Salabert are the first transgender women in Brazil’s National Congress. Salabert is passionate about tackling homelessness and improving public transit, while Hilton is an advocate for education to reduce the trans communities’ reliance on prostitution, as she was a sex worker herself. “A higher education diploma can make the dream of leaving the streets come true for many of us, and, for the younger ones, the possibility of never entering that life,” she tweeted. “It’s not just trans people who will benefit. It will be all of Brazil.”
