40 Under 40

By bringing unconventional LGBT heroes to the forefront, Steve Orlando is changing the landscape of comic books for a new generation. 

The blogger turned TV writer is preparing to embark on a journey to turn his story of growing up gay and disabled into a sitcom with the help of Jim Parsons. 

DeRay Mckesson wasn't planning to be on the front lines of a movement. But the educator-turned-activist says there's no turning back in the fight for life, liberation, and justice. 

The fight against Islamophobia is part of a quest for the "movable middle" that LGBT people have long sought, argues activist Omar Sharif Jr.

The wildly popular YouTube couple use their vast social media influence for good.

Black, gay, and in a wheelchair, D'Arcee Charington Neal wants everyone like him to not be shortchanged on experiences.

Subhi Nahas fled antigay persecution in Syria to become an advocate for refugees everywhere.

The director for sexual health and advocacy at Kink.com is a kinky leatherman from Germany, ready to (consensually) beat the internalized shame out of America. 

The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist focuses his energy on the intersections of race, immigration, and identity —  and doesn't care who he makes uncomfortable in the process. 

The HIV-positive rapper is proud to loudly fight the fearmongering.

She may sleep in mansions, but the pansexual, gender-fluid singer and actress refuses to turn a blind eye to the millions shivering in the streets.

No one is ever safe from a bully, even when they're not being picked on, says Angelo Carusone.

Black Lives Matter has always been intended to be a declaration that includes transgender people, says one queer woman who helped create the movement. 

The queer cofounder of Black Lives Matter has a plan to dismantle the prison system that has disenfranchised so many.

Brian Sims, Pennsylvania's first out state legislator and current candidate for Congress, doesn't understand why all gay and bi men aren't advocating for reproductive rights and pay equity.