GO Staff

LIZELLE JACKSON Growing up, Lizelle Jackson was surrounded by nature-loving family members who instilled a love for the outdoors in her from a young age. After spending years as an […]

MARY CONNELLY While working as a bartender in New York City in the early 1990s, Mary Connelly was approached with a life-changing offer: to be on the launch team for […]

MELISSA LI “I write stuff. And eat hotpot,” is the subhed of Melissa Li’s website, followed by a photo of Li in a palm tree-printed shirt reclining on a hot […]

MARIA-ELENA GRANT “I think society is always trying to push lesbians aside or silence us,” says Maria-Elena Grant. “I have found it necessary to spend my entire life being out, […]

MEY RUDE Mey Rude is a fat, trans, Latina, and lesbian writer, speaker, entertainment journalist, and cultural critic. She is known for her powerful voice and inspiring messages that challenge […]

MIMI GONZALEZ For Mimi Gonzalez, “Comedy gave me a way out of living as a Midwest Latina, stuck in a state of perpetual misidentification,” the legendary comedian recalls. It’s also […]

NADINE SMITH Few people have been busier this year in Ron DeSantis country than Nadine Smith, executive director of Equality Florida. “Most of our organizations were in big, progressive cities […]

NEEMA AVASHIA Having grown up in Appalachia, teacher and author Neema Avashia knows that people often have a singular understanding of what being ‘Appalachian’ means. “One book in particular,” Avashia […]

NICKY CLICK “I’ve always been a performative Miss Piggy-type person on the outside, with a need to scream my experiences of what I perceive to be injustices towards women’s rights, […]

RACHEL SHATTO When Rachel Shatto chose to pursue a career in queer media, she looked to her passions: “queerness, pop culture, social justice, sex, and their intersections,” she says. “I […]

RUTH MCFARLANE Growing up, Ruth McFarlane wanted to make a difference—as her fully realized self. As a closeted teen from a conservative family in the Midwest, “I used to follow […]

REMEICE With a talent and passion for bringing people together through music, Remeice is a rising star in the DJing world. Born and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Remeice […]

SELESTE DIAZ AND JOANA RUBIO Looking at Little Barn Coffee House’s cheerful Instagram feed, you’d never know that its co-owners and chefs caulked the cafe’s drywall, painted its walls, and […]

SELESTE DIAZ AND JOANA RUBIO Looking at Little Barn Coffee House’s cheerful Instagram feed, you’d never know that its co-owners and chefs caulked the cafe’s drywall, painted its walls, and […]

SELINA “CVGEBIRD” CARRERA For Selina “Cvgebird” Carrera, music has always provided a safe space. “I remember being homeless as a teen after being outed as LGBTQIA, going through some serious […]

SHAKIRA REFOS “I’ve always been active in the arts in some way,” arts educator, organizer, and activist Shakira Refos says. Her mother, a dance performer, instilled in her a love […]

SHALEY HOWARD Community organizer, fundraiser, volunteer, writer, and social media personality Shaley Howard has overcome homophobia, bullying, and addiction. After hitting rock bottom in 2006, she came out of rehab […]

SHAMIM SARIF Shamim Sarif is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and feature film director whose work is rooted in diversity, feminism, social impact, and humanism. As an individual of South Asian […]

SILVIA A. CANALES Since childhood, Silvia A. Canales has had an innate passion for helping her community. Her parents, both immigrants, believed in the transformative power of education, and while […]

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS Sophie B. Hawkins is a Grammy-nominated, platinum-selling artist known for her emotionally powerful material and eclectic musical style. With her breakout mainstream hit, “Damn, I Wish I […]

ZOOEY ZEPHYR “For me the question has always been, ‘What room can my voice do the most good in?’” Montana State Representative Zooey Zephyr says. “Now that I find myself […]

T KIRA MADDEN T Kira Māhealani Madden is a writer, photographer, and amateur magician who has made a name for herself as a prolific writer and advocate for diverse voices. […]

TIFFANY DOCKERY “As the granddaughter of a sharecropper who picked cotton for half her life and the daughter of a lifelong civil servant who spent her working life doing data […]

ZURIEL HOOKS At the age of 19, Zuriel Hooks is already a powerful woman. As leader of the Youth Ambassador Program at The Knights and Orchids, a non-profit specializing in […]

RABBI DENISE EGER AND RABBI ELEANOR STEINMAN We are both rabbis, so we met doing rabbi things in Los Angeles,” Denise Eger (left) and Eleanor Steinman both recall. Now happily […]

CHRISTINA HULEN Photo by Connie Kurtew I’ve always been a storyteller,” says Christina Hulen. Before moving into filmmaking, the award-winning screenwriter, director, and producer worked in theatrical design, then in […]

RABBI DENISE EGER AND RABBI ELEANOR STEINMAN We are both rabbis, so we met doing rabbi things in Los Angeles,” Denise Eger (left) and Eleanor Steinman both recall. Now happily […]

PEPPERMINT “Performing comes naturally to me,” Peppermint says. Growing up in Delaware, the RuPaul’s Drag Race runner-up, actress and recording artist performed in youth theater and was a high school […]

LIANNA CARRERA “I experienced life as the gay daughter of a Southern Baptist minister and my mother is deaf,” comedian Lianna Carrera says. “So there’s a lot of comedy baked […]

FIONA DAWSON Fiona Dawson was inspired to start her own production company after seeing Oprah launch OWN Network in 2010. “This opportunity spoke to my soul,” the award-winning director recalls. […]

ONEITA PARKER “Being a woman, Black, and gay isn’t easy,” says Oneita Parker. “Life in general is not easy. But if it were easy, what would be the point?” The […]

NAOMI BENNETT Naomi Bennett has a vision for the future: a sapphic utopia in which community members come together to collaborate, empower, and support one another’s endeavors and dreams. Bennett, […]

ANDREA BREANNA Growing up in Silicon Valley in the 1980s, Andrea Breanna had access to computers and technology before home computers became mainstream. By the time she was 10, she’d […]

ANGELIQUE ROCHE As a child, Angelique Roche fell in love with the many ways one can tell stories. She wrote poetry, performed, acted in movies and TV shows, took photos, […]

CHARLIE AMÁYÁ SCOTT “I love who I am becoming, and I know that I am a brilliant and a powerful trans femme, and my womanhood defies and exists beyond the […]

ROBIN BURDULIS “I was playing pots, pans, alarm clocks, and garbage cans as a child,” recalls Robin Burdulis (pictured on right, with Edie Windsor). “When I got a ‘Susie Homemaker’ […]