The Advocate's 2020 Champions of Pride Come to Life in AR Experience

Each year, The Advocate's "Champions of Pride" issue profiles LGBTQ+ activists, artists, politicians, and more from each state who are changing the world for the better. Each Champion is a fine example of how LGBTQ+ people can make a difference in local communities and beyond. But this year, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Pride, we've taken the "Champions" to another level -- virtual reality to be exact.

For the first time in The Advocate's history, we're spotlighting diverse, queer-identifying change makers with the help of Snapchat's stunning Augmented Reality and Lens creator community.

The AR experiences occur via Portal Lenses. These Lenses allow Snapchat users to enter a portal or doorway into another world by being able to move freely around the entire scene as they get to know our Champions -- like Kim Jackson, a Black Episcopal priest who's running to become Georgia's first out state senator; or Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham, Black trans politicians who made history after being voted to the Minneapolis City Council; or Brandon Wolf, one of the LGBTQ+ community's leading gun control activists and the first survivor of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando to testify before Congress.

For this unique example of AR activism, Snapchat tapped LGBTQ+ or ally creators to design each official Lens representing various regions in the U.S. All Lens creators have a special connection with their respective region: Brielle Garcia (Pacific West), Alie Jackson (Mountain), Cyrene Quiamco (South), and Joshua Keeney (North Atlantic).

How to view the "Champions" through Snapchat's custom Portal Lenses:

First, download Snapchat by clicking HERE.

Desktop: Open Snapchat on your mobile device and point your phone's camera to the Snapcode (the special images for each region found on the left) on your computer screen. Then, press and hold on the Snapcode on your phone's screen to scan it. Finally, follow the pop-up prompts to view the Lens!

Mobile: If you're reading this article on a mobile device that you're also signed into Snapchat on, simply tap the region links below and you will immediately be directed to the Snapchat Lens. From there, feel free to snap away and send to friends.

* Pacific West
* Midwest
* Mountain
* South
* North Atlantic

Circle back to Advocate.com throughout the month of June as we profile each Lens creator and roll out longer versions of our Champions of Pride.

ALABAMA: Kimberly McKeand

Kimberly McKeand helped topple Alabama's same-sex marriage ban as a plaintiff in the state's landmark 2015 ruling. Now, the activist is fighting to pass a non-discrimination ordinance in Mobile and helping young people access HIV care at AIDS Alabama South. "It's never been about inspiring others, because I'm doing what feels right in my soul."--Daniel Reynolds

ALABAMA: Jose Vazquez

In Montgomery, Ala., Jose Vazquez feels like he's "taken a master class from organizers that have been doing the work since the 1950s." The young queer man is digital marketing manager at the Equal Justice Initiative, which works for racial justice and against mass incarceration. He is also president of the local LGBTQ rights group Montgomery Pride United.--Trudy Ring

ALASKA: Julie Schmidt

Julie Schmidt (right) is the director of SAGE, a program for seniors at Identity, Inc., the Gay and Lesbian Center of Anchorage. Schmidt and her wife Gayle Schuh (left) were the plaintiffs behind a 2014 decision that ruled that the had state acted unconstitutionally by refusing to grant same-sex couples a special property tax exemption afforded senior citizens and disabled veterans living with their spouse in their home. She's now inspiring the next generation with her activism.--David Artavia

ALASKA: Will Kusiq Bean

"I take great pride in being an indigenous queer person," says Will Kusiq Bean, who identifies as gay, nonbinary, and indigiqueer.Bean works for economic, environmental, and gender justice as a community organizer at Native Movement. Bean cofounded Aurora Pride, a private Facebook group for LGBTQ and two-spirit indigenous youth, among many other activist efforts. --TR

ARIZONA: Karla Bautista

Karla Bautista, a transgender woman and descendent of the indigenous Cakchiquel women who survived the U.S.-backed Guatemalan genocide in the 1970s and '80s, immigrated to the U.S. to escape rampant transphobic and homophobic violence. Today, she is a prominent advocate and activist, and is the liberation coordinator at Trans Queer Pueblo, where she organizes to free LGBTQ migrants from ICE detention. Bautista says she draws inspiration and power from her Cakchiquel ancestors' resistance.--Desiree Guererro

ARIZONA: Andrés Cano

Democratic State Representative Andres Cano, 28, Arizona's youngest LGBTQ lawmaker, recently made headlines when he called for his Republican colleague Anthony Kern to resign after the latter made offensive remarks about queer rights. "If Representative Kern is openly willing to suggest that LGBTQ rights are harmful to our state's progress, then he is out of touch with Arizona's business community, our civil rights leaders, and all Arizonans who seek equity and inclusion, rather than division, from our state lawmakers," Cano stated.--DG

ARKANSAS: Allen Thomas

Allen Thomas says he seeks "to do and be better." He is academic director at one of the University of Central Arkansas's residential colleges and advises UCA's PRISM Alliance, a group for LGBTQ students, faculty, staff, and alumni. He's also a board member at Lucie's Place, which serves homeless LGBTQ youth. As a Black queer man, he adds, he sees beauty in intersections.--TR

ARKANSAS: William Campillo Terrazas

William Campillo Terrazas is the co-founder of Latinx Revolucion LGBTQ in Arkansas, a queer- and trans-led, community-based organization in Little Rock focusing on the health and well-being of Latinx immigrants. The Mexican-born Terrazas is currently attending the University of Texas at El Paso School of Pharmacy's doctoral program.--DA

CALIFORNIA: Jasmyne Cannick

Political consultant Jasmyne Cannick, 42, was elected in March to the Democratic Party's Los Angeles County Central Committee. This was after Cannick was credited with applying the public pressure needed to finally bring Ed Buck--who faces trial for his part in the drug-related deaths of two Black men at his home -- to justice. "I'm looking forward to finishing my book...and of course seeing Ed Buck sent to prison for the rest of his life," says the lesbian activist.--Neal Broverman

CALIFORNIA: Ditchi Manley

When Ditchi Manley and her wife Claire moved to Riverside County from San Diego's Hillside gayborhood to accommodate their growing family, they noticed one thing lacking from their new suburban surroundings -- any hint of an LGBTQ community. So, the already-busy Chinese-American mother of six (two adopted sets of three siblings) founded the first LGBTQ Center of Riverside County in the heavily right-wing Inland Empire.

COLORADO: Aaron Marcus

Colorado made history in February when it hired Aaron Marcus -- the state's first official curator of LGBTQ history, a two-year position funded in partnership with the Gill Foundation. "As a historian, I feel a responsibility to find and preserve the stories of all members of the LGBTQ+ community and make those stories -- the successes, the failures, and everything in between -- available for everyone to learn from," he says.--DG

COLORADO: Sunnivie Brydum

Activist, journalist, and editorial director at Yes! magazine, Sunnivie Brydum's award-winning reporting continues to elevate the voices of those underrepresented in mainstream media. A Denver native, she is also the former managing editor at The Advocate and has used her experience to ensure readers get well-rounded coverage about the politics of inequality.--DA

CONNECTICUT: Deborah A. Simmons

At 62, Deborah A. Simmons, a Black bisexual woman who created an accredited music program at one of Connecticut's community colleges, has also become a master craftsperson. She has built two boats and restored the Mayflower II (a replica of the original). "Receiving a gift of Iroko wood from the construction of the replica slave ship La Amistad, also at the shipyard, I built another boat, Mende Liberte," says Simmons. "I researched and incorporated images on my second vessel to pay honor to those who were enslaved on the schooner."--Tracy E. Gilchrist

CONNECTICUT: Evelyn Mantilla

A former representative in the Connecticut State House of Representatives for 10 years, Evelyn Mantilla became the country's first out bisexual state official in 1997, and later served as that body's Deputy Majority Leader. The 57-year-old Latina currently works at the public affairs firm Grossman Solutions, LLC. "The work of advocacy and visibility for the LGBTQ+ community never ends, especially for the least represented," says Mantilla.--TEG

DELAWARE: Christian Williams

At the University of Delaware, Christian Williams manages a program for students interning in Washington, D.C., and serves as the chair of the Pride Faculty and Staff Caucus. "I am proud to say that we have reinvigorated queer life for our faculty and staff community," says Williams."--Jeffrey Masters

FLORIDA: Brandon Wolf

Four years after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla., Brandon Wolf has become one of the LGBTQ community's leading gun reform activists. The first Pulse survivor to testify before Congress, Wolf is hopeful his testimony will be a turning point and points to big victories that shouldn't be ignored. Presidential candidates are now able to campaign on strict gun control measures. Over 40 candidates backed by the NRA lost in the 2018 midterms, and gun reform has become a generational issue. Wolf says these young people "will create sweeping change sooner than people think."--JM

FLORIDA: Glen Weinzimer

In 2003, Glen Weinzimer founded Florida's The SMART Ride, a two-day, 165-mile bicycle trek from Miami to Key West that raises money for those living with HIV and AIDS. Now 59, Weinzimer began the SMART Ride to help change the paradigm of how funds were used. Since its inception, the ride has raised close to $12 million through the hard work of committed riders, roadies, and crew. "The SMART Ride means so much because it honors those who have passed from AIDS, recognizes those who currently are at the highest risk for HIV, and raises money to help those [affected] and education for those at risk," says Weinzimer, who received an AIDS diagnosis in the early '90s.--TEG

GEORGIA: Kim Jackson

Kim Jackson, running to become Georgia's first out state senator, is an Episcopal priest with a congregation that's largely homeless. Jackson, a lesbian and a Democrat, is an advocate for public education, criminal justice reform, ending the death penalty, and of course, LGBTQ equality. "I felt really early that I wanted to make a difference in the world," she says.--TR

Photo by Eley

GEORGIA: Erika Shields

When the then-mayor of Atlanta, Kasim Reed, appointed Erika Shields to the job of "top cop" in December 2016, it was history making. The 24th chief of police of the 1,850-member force, Shields was only the second woman to fill the position and the first out gay person to be the city's chief of police. A police officer since 1995, she quickly rose through the ranks in roles as a Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Major, and Deputy Chief before landing her current position. Her ethos focuses on reducing crime while also building trust and collaboration with communities.--TEG

Photo: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

HAWAII: Jack Law

A pillar of Honolulu's queer community, Jack Law, 73, has worked for visibility and representation for LGBTQ people there since the late '80s. He founded the Honolulu Rainbow Film Festival and the famed gathering spot Hula's Bar & Lei Stand in Waikiki. "It is important to me to tell the truth about the past and to keep the memories and the stories of those LGBTQ+ [people] who have come before and who have passed," says Law. "I want to remind young LGBTQ+ people to realize they are standing on the shoulders of giants so that they do not take their equal rights for granted."--TEG

Photo by Anthony Tomayo

HAWAII: Kaleo Ramos

Kaleo Ramos, a teacher, activist, father, and trans man, is working hard to promote equality for people of transgender experience in his home state of Hawaii. Ramos serves on the boards of multiple LGBTQ organizations including the Hawaii LGBT Legacy Foundation and the Imperial Court of Hawaii. He has spent much of the last few years heavily advocating for state legislation that would allow transgender people to change their gender markers on official documentation without hassle, and prohibit insurance companies from discriminating against trans people.--DG

IDAHO: Layla Bagwell and Jessica Hernandez-Garcia

Teen Activists Layla Bagwell (above right), Charlotte "Roy" Iradukunda, and Jessica Hernandez-Garcia (left) -- Idaho Coalition Against Sexual & Domestic Violence's teen activists -- made headlines for penning a letter supporting Christine Blasey Ford for coming forward about Brett Kavanaugh. Bagwell hopes she "can inspire other queer folx to live and lead authentically." And Hernandez-Garcia wants them "to live their life as their whole selves and nothing less!"--DR

IDAHO: Tom Nestor and Kevin Lish

In 2012, Tom Nestor (right) and his partner, Kevin Lish, founded All Under One Roof LGBTQ Advocates of Southeastern Idaho, and opened an LGBTQ youth center in the back of their Pocatello coffee shop. The couple are also HIV-prevention activists. When Main Steam Coffee And Desserts was shuttered for the pandemic, the couple continued giving back by launching a food drive helping those in the local LGBTQ community.--Diane Anderson-Minshall

ILLINOIS: State Rep. Kelly Cassidy

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy was the second lesbian and the first queer parent in the Illinois legislature, which she joined in 2011 after years in direct action and advocacy. The Chicago Democrat says she takes pride in being involved in "every legislative achievement impacting the LGBTQ community at the state and local level here as an activist, advocate, or legislator."--TR

ILLINOIS: Jill Rose Quinn

In November, Chicago attorney Jill Rose Quinn is expected to become the first out transgender elected official in Illinois, as a judge on the Cook County Circuit Court (she's an unopposed Democrat). This comes after a long career as a lawyer, in which she says she "helped people solve problems that threatened their families, their liberty, their homes."--TR

INDIANA: Janae Cummings

Janae Cummings joined forces with Bloomington Pride in 2016 and was promoted to chair the following year due to her fresh and innovative ideas. Under her leadership, the LGBTQ org has quickly evolved from a "party organization" that planned the area's annual Pride festivals into a socially-conscious advocacy nonprofit. Cummings says the town's reputation as a liberal, queer-friendly mecca of the Midwest depends highly upon who you happen to be. "I think that if you're brown or Black, if you're trans, if you're nonbinary," says Cummings, "it's not the same town." She focuses on balancing fun with progress by injecting doses of diversity into the area's mostly white, cis queer community.--DG

INDIANA: Abby Henkel

Prominent local LGBTQ activist, environmentalist, and classically trained singer Abby Henkel currently serves as the communication director for the Sycamore Land Trust, a nonprofit conservation organization. Henkel does a beautiful job of consistently weaving her activism with her many talents and passions. In November (postponed from May due to the health crisis), along with her fellow Bloomington Chamber Singers, Henkel will use her stunning soprano voice to honor Matthew Shephard in a moving memorial piece, "Considering Matthew Shepard," written by Craig Hella Johnson. --DG

IOWA: Liz Bennett

In 2014, Iowa State Rep. Liz Bennett, who is bisexual, became the first queer woman elected to the state's legislature. "I want every person in Iowa to know that there's someone in their State House who might know how they feel and who is fighting for them," says Bennett, who has worked for a tech firm and as a political organizer focused on LGBTQ rights.--TR

IOWA: Nate Monson

As executive director of Iowa Safe Schools, which works for safe and supportive environments for LGBTQ youth, Nate Monson, a queer man, is public enemy number one to the state's far right. "It is really an amazing job to come to every day and see the difference we make, all while being total badasses," he says, praising his colleagues and LGBTQ Iowa students.--TR

KANSAS: Calvin Arsenia

Raised in Olathe, Kansas, Calvin Arsenia worked at the evangelical International House of Prayer until a 2012 move to Scotland awakened his love for performance. Today, the Black gay millennial artist--known for his 6'6" stature, Celtic harp, and gender-nonconforming style--is an internationally touring musician whose new record, LA Sessions, continues to make noise for marginalized people everywhere.--DR

KANSAS: Thomas Witt

Thomas Witt has served as Equality Kansas's executive director since 2012. The grassroots organization stops bigoted bills in the Kansas state legislature, helped pass 22 local nondiscrimination ordinances, and supports community centers and out officials. "I'm proud of the work we've done, and am humbled and grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a great team."--DR

KENTUCKY: Omar Salinas Chacón

At 24, Omar Salinas Chacon is a graduate student at Eastern Kentucky University, as well as a nationally respected instructor to higher education representatives on supporting immigrant students. "In our past, people walked so that we could run today," says the gay DACA recipient. "However, we don't settle for running. We run today so that the future generations can fly."--DR

KENTUCKY: Natalie Skipworth

Natalie Skipworth has used her voice to give heat to anti-discrimination measures in Henderson, Ky. In 1991, the city became the smallest in Kentucky to pass an ordinance protecting LGBTQ people from employment discrimination, but a year later, commissioners reversed the decision. Skipworth spoke to local media outlets last year about her experience being discriminated against at work as a trans woman, reigniting the dialogue about the future of equality in the rural town.--DA

LOUISIANA: Big Freedia

The undisputed Queen of Bounce, New Orleans' Big Freedia--who's collaborated with cultural icons like Beyonce and Lizzo--has started her own nonprofit foundation, BounceUp! dedicated to improving the well-being of the children of NOLA. She is also releasing "Chasing Rainbows," a new song she collaborated on with Kesha. "This song is about chasing your dreams and living your loudest truth," she says. "No matter what anyone tells you, love will always conquer hate!"--DAM

LOUISIANA: Toni Duplechain-Jones

New Orleans native Toni Duplechain-Jones, an at-large board member of Louisiana Trans Advocates and a visual artist, recently found herself unemployed due to the health crisis. As a Black trans woman, Duplechain-Jones knows the struggle many trans people face when it comes to financial independence. She's since joined forces with the Greater New Orleans Fair Hospitality Fund (#FairFundNow), a coalition dedicated to supporting local unemployed hospitality workers in NOLA.--DG

MAINE: Sebastiane Ravenscroft

Sebastiane Sacerdoti-Ravenscroft, a nonbinary lesbian activist born in San Francisco and raised in England, is now chair of Portland Pride. "As a foreign transplant to Maine, one of the least racially diverse states in the nation, I wanted to work to bring all corners of the community together for the singular purpose of celebrating, advocating, and fighting to be counted."--DR

MAINE: Syd Sanders

The Belfast Area High School senior is Maine's first transgender valedictorian and possibly the first in the U.S. He was also the first trans representative to Maine's Boys State program, where young people learn about government. Sanders's superintendent calls him a "rock star." The youth is bound for Harvard University and aims to become U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.--TR

MARYLAND: Jumel Howard

Jumel Howard is only 24, but the young gay man from Maryland has already made his community a more welcoming and affirming place by organizing the first Howard County Pride event in 2019. He's also taking leadership roles in local LGBTQ causes and Democratic politics. "Not everyone wants to have to go to a big city to celebrate and see their existence acknowledged. This is my home and it is high time we showed our Pride."--DP

MARYLAND: Tim Gillham

Founded in 1985, the New Wave Singers of Baltimore -- Maryland's LGTBQ and straight mixed chorus -- led by artistic director Tim Gillham (left, with John Knapp), celebrates humanity in its infinite variations and challenges communities to embrace equality, harmony, and understanding.--JM

MARYLAND: Ben Spangenberg

As fellows director with RespectAbility, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowerment and self-advocacy for those with disabilities, Ben Spangenberg (left) has recruited, trained, and placed dozens of disabled LGBTQ youth, who served in the Obama administration or now work with Capitol Hill, Hollywood, and nonprofit leaders. "Young LGBTQ people with disabilities need to engage in the political process because, as disability rights leader Justin Dart said, 'Get into politics as if your life depends on it, because it does.'"--DA

MASSACHUSETTS: Andrea Lawlor

An assistant professor of English and Creative Writing at Mount Holyoke College, Andrea Lawlor, 49, shook the LGBTQ literary world with their 2017 novel Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl, about a queer shapeshifter who is a sexually unapologetic force of nature plumbing the depths of LGBTQ life circa 1993. This year, Lawlor was awarded the Whiting Award for emerging authors. "For years I've followed the Whiting Awards announcement with anticipation, as they've recognized so many writers I admire and introduced me to new favorites," Lawlor says. "I never in a million years expected to get that call myself!"--TEG

MASSACHUSETTS: Sandy Ho

Sandy Ho is a formidable disability justice activist with a bevy of trailblazing accomplishments. She began in 2012 as founder of the Thrive mentoring program. The first of its kind, Thrive matches young disabled women with their elder counterparts in Massachusetts. In 2016, Ho cofounded the Disability and Intersectionality Summit, a "for us, by us" conference that centers accessibility. This queer activist has engaged in amazing research and demanding civic engagement for disabled people. -- Denarii Grace

MICHIGAN: Aimee Stephens

Aimee Stephens took her fight all the way to the Supreme Court. The 59-year-old was fired as a funeral director in 2013 after coming out as a trans woman (with her wife's support). The ACLU got behind her and a series of court decisions led to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that her former employer engaged in unlawful sex discrimination when they fired her. The old boss appealed. Now the Supreme Court could decide the case with broad implications. Unfortunately, the battle took a toll on her health (kidney failure) and she died in May. She told The Advocate last year, "If I'm going to commit to this, we'll be in it to the end, and hopefully, if for some reason I don't live long enough to see the end, somebody will keep going."--DAM

MICHIGAN: Trevor Thomas

Trevor Thomas is Board Chair of Equality Michigan where he is leading the Fair and Equal Michigan campaign to amend the state's 1976 Elliott-Larsen Civil Rights Act to include "gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression." Thomas is also on the Board of Directors for the Urban League of Detroit and was awarded for his work on youth suicide prevention with The Trevor Project.--DP

MINNESOTA: Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham

Andrea Jenkins and Phillipe Cunningham made history in 2017 when both Black trans politicians were elected to the Minneapolis City Council. Cunningham has directed efforts to create more affirming spaces for youth. Jenkins is also an accomplished poet, performance artist, and veteran activist.
--DP

MINNESOTA: Rick Gomez

Rick Gomez is executive vice president and chief marketing, digital, and strategy officer for Target Corporation. The proud gay Latino continues to use his position to make the world a better place for LGBTQ people, despite periodic threats of boycotts from right-wing religious groups. Under his leadership, Target has recently vowed to donate $100,000 to the queer youth advocacy nonprofit GLSEN as it begins its #TakePride campaign.--DG

MISSISSIPPI: Linn Wotring

When Linn Wotring realized her adopted home of Tupelo, Miss., lacked safe LGBTQ spaces, the long-time activist created the Pride Resource Center of North Mississippi. The 71-year-old warrior grandmother was also instrumental in bringing the first Pride event to Tupelo as well as ushering in new generations of activists.--DP

MISSISSIPPI: Sarah Heying

The University of Mississippi, or, as it's more commonly known, Ole Miss, conjures up images of football, frats, and debutante balls. In reality, there's a rich cultural and literary scene there, where lesbian author Sarah Heying is flourishing. The PhD student (and published novelist, essayist, and poet) is studying queer and trans aesthetics in Southern literature, and could end up being our next Fannie Flagg, Alice Walker, or Tennessee Williams.--NB

MISSOURI: Jay-Marie Hill

Jay-Marie Hill is an activist and musician whose work ascends beyond gendered and racialized norms. Together with the ACLU of Missouri, they co-launched the group's transgender Education and Advocacy Program in the state. This year, they helped train over 250 people across the state to fight back against 19 anti-trans bills while also helping to raise over $20,000 to aid hundreds of queer Missourians in need during the pandemic.--DA

MISSOURI: Jolie Justus

Though Jolie Justus didn't win her recent bid for mayorship of Kansas City, Mo., the out lawyer has already served constituents in the Kansas City Council and the Missouri Senate. At 49, Justus is ready for her next chapter. "Serving as an openly gay elected official wasn't always easy, but the rewards far outweighed the heartache and I will always be thankful for the opportunity."--NB

MONTANA: Bryce Bennett

Bryce Bennett, the first out gay man elected to the Montana legislature, is seeking to make history again this year as the Democratic candidate for secretary of state. If he wins, he'll be Montana's first openly LGBTQ statewide elected official. "I hope people will see electing an out official in Montana will create ripples across the country," he says.--TR

MONTANA: Donald Stucker

Donald Stuker has been creating opportunities for drag performers in his local community for years. In 2018, he cofounded the Countship, a branch of the Imperial Sovereign Court of the State of Montana. In January, the group staged its first annual Countship Ball and Stepdown. "Knowing that I played a part in lifting up our local performance community by providing them an opportunity to achieve recognition brought me a profound feeling of joy and accomplishment."--DA

NEBRASKA: Megan Hunt

As the first out LGBTQ member of Nebraska's legislature and a longtime ally of Planned Parenthood, Megan Hunt isn't scared of so-called "identity politics." "If you have the strength and confidence to be who you are, that is the most powerful thing you can do in this world. My purpose is to help make that possible, safe, and celebrated, for everybody."--NB

NEBRASKA: Ryan Sallans

Ryan Sallans is author of 2019's memoir Transforming Manhood: A Trans Man's Quest to Build Bridges and Knock Down Walls. The trans activist and public speaker is also vice president of the Jim Collins Foundation. "I strongly believe that when we are given the space to learn more about our own selves, we are more empathetic to others, no matter how we identify."
--DP

NEVADA: Danielle Jablonski and Ashley Arnold

When the beloved lesbian character Lexa was unceremoniously killed off after consummating her relationship with the bisexual lead, Clarke, on CW's The 100, fans revolted at the tired "kill your queers" trope. That's when Danielle Jablonski and Ashley Arnold created ClexaCon, a convention for those who "believe that it is vital to support and nurture LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary creators so that they are able to write authentic stories and push for better representation in all aspects of the entertainment industry moving forward," they said.--TEG

NEVADA: Derek Washington

Derek Washington hopes to make history as he runs again to represent the Ward 5 District on the Las Vegas City Council. If elected in November, Washington will not only be Sin City's first LGBTQ city councilman, he'd also be the first elected official in Nevada to be living and thriving with HIV. Ward 5 is an increasingly diverse district and the historic home of the city's Black community.--DP

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Palana Belken

When she isn't playing drums in downtown Seacrest, N.H., Palana Belken is serving on the town's city council. She's the first transgender person in the state to hold that distinction. She's also a registered lobbyist and activist who educates, organizes, and provides much-needed support and affirmation to trans communities and their allies through her work heading the ACLU of New Hampshire's Trans Justice campaign.--DP

NEW HAMPSHIRE: Lane Joslin

Lane Joslin's testimony before a New Hampshire legislative committee considering a ban on trans girls participating in sports was so persuasive that it led the committee chair to rise up and successfully defeat the bill. The 15-year-old trans teen says, "I am proud of who I am. Our humanity does not depend upon how others perceive us. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect."--DP

NEW JERSEY: “Mighty” Rebekah

"Mighty" Rebekah is only 13, but she's already made history by successfully lobbying New Jersey to greenlight an LGBTQ-inclusive school curriculum. The trans youth's activism was captured in Disney+'s Marvel's Hero Project. "You're never too young to make a difference...there are ways to show up right now for equality."--DR

NEW JERSEY: Gary Paul Wright

Gary Paul Wright has been giving out condoms for the past 30 years. He began with volunteer work in the 1980s with GMHC and has continued through with his current role as cofounder and executive director of the African American Office of Gay Concerns. He established a prevention program in the early House/Ballroom community and the more recent "Thank Goodness I'm Fabulous!" Advocacy Project aimed at helping marginalized trans youth.--DP

NEW MEXICO: Kevin Bowen

A new initiative led by Kevin Bowen, president of the Santa Fe Human Rights Alliance, is seeking to ensure that LGBTQ people in New Mexico have a place to learn and celebrate their history. With the initiative The Shoulders We Stand On: Our Proud Heritage, the timeline of the LGBTQ experience in New Mexico dating back to 1870 may finally be documented.--JM

NEW MEXICO: Mattee Jim

Mattee Jim has spent more than 20 years fighting for her trans and native communities. Today, she does frontline work at the First Nations Community Health Source in New Mexico and advocates on the national level as a member of the National Transgender Coalition for the Transgender Law Center. "Anybody could do the work that I can do. They just have to put the work in."--JM

NEW YORK: Jeff Gennette

Under the leadership of the out CEO Jeff Gennette, retail giant Macy's has built a strong model for diversity and inclusion through multiple employee resource groups that advance the needs of LGBTQ employees, people of color, women, the environment, and more.--DA

NEW YORK: Zaina Arafat

Like the main character in her debut novel, You Exist Too Much, Zaina Arafat is a Palestinian American who now lives in Brooklyn, N.Y., a place she says, "I feel I can exist just as I do, without apology or shame." Few mainstream books center Middle Eastern characters who are also queer, let alone women. Arafat helps fill in much needed representation. --JM

NEW YORK: Diana Rodriguez

As founder of Pride Live, Diana Rodriguez's activism has lifted queer visibility to new heights. For the last 20 years, her events have raised funds for LGBTQ organizations that would have otherwise been left behind. She previously served as the executive producer of the GLAAD Media Awards and director of event management and PR for the Jackie Robinson Foundation. Now she's turned the Stonewall Day into a must-attend annual event raising money for those who need it most. She says, "Just do what is right because it must be done."--DA

NORTH CAROLINA: Gray Ellis

It took a while for Gray Ellis to overcome his Pentecostalist upbringing and come to terms with his gender identity, but once he did he went on to become a successful attorney and the first out trans man to run for office in his state. He didn't win his primary for state senate but his support helped propel his new and very public role. "Never in my wildest dreams did I see myself as a role model for the trans community."--DP

NORTH CAROLINA: Kendra Johnson

Kendra Johnson is a queer Black southern lesbian and executive director of Equality NC, where she's focused on elevating the voices of the marginalized. She spent over a decade in Brazil studying global financial markets and the social constructs of race and gender within colonial systems, lessons that inform her advocacy for ending mass incarceration, immigration, hunger, poverty, and reproductive justice.--DP

NORTH DAKOTA: Josh Boschee

Josh Boschee is the first out gay candidate elected to the North Dakota legislature and has been representing the 44th District since 2012. Now the House Minority Leader, he uses his experience and position to seek answers and solutions, from legislation examining the links between human trafficking and missing and murdered indigenous peoples to advancing policies and causes that protect women, workers, and marginalized communities.--DP

NORTH DAKOTA: James C. Falcon

James C. Falcon, president of Minot LGBTQ group Magic City Equality, left congested northeastern Pennsylvania for North Dakota's wide-open spaces to be closer to extended family and explore his Native American heritage. In North Dakota, he and the rest of the board "work like a well-oiled machine" to create Pride events and carry out advocacy efforts.--TR

OHIO: Saeed Jones

Black gay writer Saeed Jones, 34, is known for his Twitter commentary and poetry. He hopes to inspire others to advocate for one another with How We Fight for Our Lives, his new coming-of-age memoir. "Our lives hinge on one another's liberation.... We have no future worth living if we don't learn how to set each other free."--DR

OHIO: Dr. N.J. Akbar

Winning a seat in November to the school board of Akron, Ohio's fifth-largest city, Dr. N.J. Akbar became one of the nation's few out Muslim elected officials. "In this next year, my hope is that all citizens, including those of us within the LGBTQ+ community, are able to live our lives authentically and unashamedly," Akbar says.--NB

OKLAHOMA: Jake Barreau

Assistant Volleyball Coach at the University of Oklahoma, Jake Barreau says that before coming out as gay, "a lot of the challenges were ones that I placed on myself. When I started to just be open about me, my significant others, and my life, my relationships with others became more authentic."--TH

OKLAHOMA: James Cooper

Last year, James Cooper became the first out LGBTQ representative elected to the Oklahoma City Council. He's crafted a $978 million investment in the city's people, parks, and places via a debt-free, temporary penny sales tax. He also passed a resolution to update the city's personnel policy to include nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity and expression. His advice is to "listen, take notes, share your ideas, research best practices, and work together."--DA

OREGON: Kat Cunning

A triple threat dancer, singer, and actor, Kat Cunning returned not long ago to their native Oregon to shoot the very queer Netflix series Trinkets in which Cunning plays the love interest of Brianna Hildebrand's lead. Long out as queer, Cunning spoke publicly about being nonbinary in a video this spring. Now in their late '20s, Cunning, a recurring character on HBO's The Deuce, has always been out in their acting career and in their music.

"[I want to] normalize the fact that queer people come in all shapes and sizes and while you may assume otherwise about me," Cunning says about being out. "I'd like to be an example of how we are all around, and sometimes shining examples of cis couples are actually a beautiful trans man and a trans woman or whatever."--TEG

OREGON: Maya Vivas

Art is Maya Vivas's activism--their "body that has so many meanings and assumptions assigned to it," they say. "I am a Black queer femme. The most radical thing I can do is love myself." Vivas and Leila Haile created the Ori Gallery, the only art space for queer Black folks in Portland, Ore.--TH

PENNSYLVANIA: Amber Hikes

Amber Hikes is an unapologetic queer Black woman who champions for LGBTQ rights as the chief equity and inclusion officer for the ACLU. In 2017, she ignited a national conversation about the intersections of race and LGBTQ identities when her Philadelphia office added black and brown stripes to the rainbow flag.--TH

PENNSYLVANIA: Brian Kelly

Brian Kelly is the founder of the travel blog, The Points Guy. The gay entrepreneur also partners with Rainbow Railroad by donating points and miles to help persecuted LGBTQ people escape state-enabled violence. "Being able to use the gift of travel to save and change lives is the most powerful use of frequent flier miles one could ever redeem."--DA

RHODE ISLAND: Tiara Mack

Last year, Tiara Mack announced her candidacy for Rhode Island Senate District 6. A staunch advocate and activist, she's already spent years in the state's House fighting for issues that impact her community. "As a Black queer person, it was scary to think about running for a state-wide seat at 26 years old," she says. "Marginalized people and their stories are desperately needed at the center of policy if we want to create meaningful change for who our communities work for, which should be everyone."--DAM

RHODE ISLAND: Cassie Sutten Coats

Earlier this year, Cassie Sutten Coats co-launched Open Door Health, the first primary care and sexual health clinic in Rhode Island dedicated to providing safe, affirming healthcare to LGBTQ people. "It's truly the accomplishment of a lifetime to...watch it come alive and serve people who, in some cases, haven't been to a doctor in decades," Coats says.--DA

SOUTH CAROLINA: Ivy Hill

Recognizing the need for trans and genderqueer spaces in South Carolina, 32-year-old Ivy Hill cofounded and serves as executive director at Gender Benders, which offers various support for the trans community. "I know firsthand how lonely it can feel to grow up trans in the South. I would not be where I am today without the leaders who've invested their time, knowledge, and resources into helping me continue to grow," Hill says. "I want every trans and queer person in the South to know they don't have to do this thing called life alone."--TEG

SOUTH CAROLINA: Eli Bundy

As the 15-year-old leader of the Charleston County School of Arts' Gender and Sexuality Alliance, Eli Bundy is leading by example. "We've used apps to stay in touch [during quarantine], share resources and funny videos, and make sure everyone is doing alright...especially [those] who aren't out to their families."--NB

SOUTH DAKOTA: Candi Brings Plenty

As a queer, Indigenous, two-spirit activist, Candi Brings Plenty is making space for LGBTQ folks. Through spiritual activism and as a Lakota cultural practitioner, she has empowered two-spirit Indigenous people to have a seat at the table, whether that's at a Pride Festival or the Standing Rock protest, which is where she educated Jane Fonda on how to be an ally.--TH

SOUTH DAKOTA: Monique “Muffie” Mousseau and Felipa De Leon

Monique "Muffie" Mousseau and Felipa De Leon are powerful voices in the fight for equal rights for Indigenous two-spirit people. "There came a moment when I knew that I could no longer be the victim of silence," they say. They've played a hand in passing LGBTQ protection laws in Oglala Sioux and Crow Creek tribes. The power couple lives by a united mantra: "Love will conquer all."--TH

TENNESSEE: Chris Sanders

Chris Sanders is the executive director of the Tennessee Equality Project, the organization to which Taylor Swift donated $113,000 to fight against anti-LGBTQ legislation. "We are living through a brutal reactionary wave in which transgender women are being murdered and state legislatures are going on the attack," Sanders says. "The best way through it is together."--TH

TENNESSEE: Brandon Allen

When Brandon Allen became homecoming royalty at White Station High School last fall, he did so wearing a sequined off-the-shoulder dress and with his mom Brandy by his side. A photo went viral, and Allen (a wrestler and swimmer)became a social media inspiration. Then he founded LiveOUTLoud, a non-profit for local LGBTQ youth.--DAM

TEXAS: Lena Laurenzo

A proud Houston native, Lena Laurenzo has served as a cofounding member of the Houston Bar Association's LGBTQ+ Committee. In one of the country's most diverse cities, she works to create opportunities for making the legal profession inclusive to all people. After all, "If you want to make an impact in your community, you must be the agent of change."--DA

TEXAS: Jae Lin

Jae Lin is a typographer who creates art "centering around trans liberation, loving affirmation, and cute bunnies." They are a part of Gender Unbound, an Austin, Texas, nonprofit dedicated to uplifting and advocating for transgender and intersex folks through art. Each year, the organization hosts an art festival that boasts over 75 trans and intersex artists, musicians, and performers.--TH

UTAH: Eva Lopez

On a mission to start an inclusive group that advocates for the lives and interests of queer Latinx folk in the state of Utah, 23-year-old activist and leader Eva Lopez helped found Orgullo Utah during her time as a student. "There is a huge opportunity to elevate the quality of life for queer folks in Utah," she said.--RE

UTAH: Derek Kitchen

A restaurateur and a former Salt Lake City councilmember, Derek Kitchen is now an out state senator representing Utah's Second District and championing progressive causes. He and his partner Moudi Sbeity were integral figures in bringing marriage equality to Utah in 2014 when their case Kitchen v. Herbert led to the legalization of marriage in their state and in five other western states. In 2016, Kitchen and Sbeity opened Laziz Kitchen, which hires refugees, "new Americans," and primarily women.--TEG

VERMONT: François Clemmons

At 75, Francois Clemmons who starred as Officer Clemmons in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, describes his friendship with Fred Rogers as the most significant relationship of his life. "It was spiritual. It was emotional. He supported me in a way that I had never had." Now Clemmons is sharing his own story in his new memoir, Officer Clemmons. "I have a calling, my own, which is not Fred Rogers," he says. "That calling is to give people in pain unconditional love. You cannot heal it if you can't see it, if you cannot decipher it, if you can't pick it up."--JM

VERMONT: Toby MacNutt

Toby MacNutt, the 33-year-old, disabled, nonbinary artist (in a wide-range of mediums, including writing, textiles, and dance) was one of the featured creators of the I AM...: Exploring What It Means to Be a Vermont Artist exhibit at the Vermont Arts Council's Spotlight Gallery. "This is the landscape my body knows as home," they say. "I came to understand myself as queer, as trans, and as disabled here, and my first queer disabled mentors were here. We have larger and more vibrant arts and queer communities than might be expected for a small rural state."--RE

VIRGINIA: Zakia McKensey

Zakia McKensey is a Black transgender woman who has been active providing outreach and HIV testing and support to marginalized members of the Virginia LGBTQ community for over 20 years. She is the founder and executive director of Nationz which provides free HIV testing, food, housing, job assistance, and outreach to LGBTQ people in the Richmond area.--DP

WASHINGTON: Vicci Martinez

Musician and actor Vicci Martinez, 35, became nationally known as a gay finalist on the first season of The Voice nine years ago. Two years ago, she landed a recurring role on Orange Is the New Black, where she became politically involved with issues the show tackles. Last summer, she worked with Freedom for Immigrants and through that work with Christina Fialho, the National Immigration Detention Hotline got "back up and running." she says. "I was 13 when Ellen DeGeneres came out, and because of that, I was inspired to live my truth," Martinez says about being out throughout her career.--TEG

WASHINGTON: Marko Liias

Marko Liias is a member of the Washington State Senate, representing District 21. An out gay man, last year Liias sponsored and passed the VOTE Act to expand access for young and first-time voters to make their voices heard. "I am not in the fight for myself," he says. "I am standing up for thousands of Washingtonians."--DA

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Donald Muse

Preserving first-hand accounts of history is important, especially when it comes to the lives and experiences of marginalized people. That's what makes the work of Virginia's Donald Muse, a 61-year-old music producer and writer who is helping to chronicle the stories of Black LGBTQ people in the South, so important. "I wanted to tell my story because many young gay men and women and transgender people had no idea what it was like...to be gay in America," Muse says.--RE

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Karine Jean-Pierre

If Karine Jean-Pierre can make a career in politics, then so can you. That is the message that Jean-Pierre, a queer woman of color who immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti as a kid and ended up working in the Obama White House, wants you to know. "No one handed it to me. I had to go out and take it," she says. Jean-Pierre now serves as the chief public affairs officer at MoveOn, is a political analyst on NBC and MSNBC, and the author of the stirring political memoir, Moving Forward.--JM

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Maria Town

Maria Town, president and CEO of American Association of People with Disabilities, is one of the most visible leaders in the disability rights community, someone who tirelessly advocates so LGBTQ people with disabilities are not left out of local, national, and global conversations. LGBTQ people are more likely to have a disability than the rest of the population and yet community spaces and events like Pride remain largely inaccessible. Town previously worked in the Obama White House incorporating the needs of people with disabilities in all of the Obama administration's activities.--JM

WEST VIRGINIA: Jeanne Peters

When Jeanne Peters (left) spoke out during a local city council meeting after it voted down an ordinance that would have protected LGBTQ residents from discrimination in Parkersburg, W. Va, it planted a seed that eventually grew into a city-wide movement--and led to its first Pride celebration. Peters and her wife's journey of organizing the their community to fight for equality is a focal point of the documentary Outspoken.--DA

WEST VIRGINIA: Danielle Stewart

When it comes to politics, representation can be hard to come by for transgender folks. But Danielle Stewart -- a bisexual trans woman running for mayor in Beckley, W. Va. -- is hoping to help change that. "I want to be a role model for the younger generation so they see their dreams are possible," Stewart said. "Growing up in southern West Virginia in the 1980s, I knew of nobody like me."--RE

WISCONSIN: Baltazar De Anda Santana

Gay 43-year-old Wisconsin resident, Baltazar De Anda Santana, helped form Orgullo Latinx LGBT+ of Dane County, an organization with a mission of providing a safe, ethical, equitable, and socially-just place for the Latinx community in the state's second-most populated county. "Our Latinx community has many barriers in this country. Many of us are recent immigrants and are looking for a place we can call home. Orgullo Latinx is that place where I feel at home," he says.--RE

WISCONSIN: Helen Boyd

Helen Boyd is an author, speaker, and activist known for chronicling her relationship with her spouse, transgender actress Rachel Crowl, in the autobiographical books My Husband Betty (which earned her a Lambda Literary Award nomination) and She's Not the Man I Married: My Life with a Transgender Husband.

Alongside her friend Nate Wolff, Boyd co-created the first National Coming Out Day for Appleton, Wisc. It was the first time the city and local businesses flew the pride flag. Boyd's team fundraised to train canvassers, design a logo, and buy pride flags for local businesses. She wrote about the experience on her blog My Husband Betty.

As an activist, Boyd provided important testimony to city council that resulted in getting gender identity and expression added to the city's NDO. A conversion therapy ban was put in place in the city this past spring.--DG

WYOMING: Sara Burlingame

The executive director of Wyoming Equality, Sara Burlingame, was also part of the 2018 Blue Wave of Democrats, when numerous LGBTQ, people of color, and women were elected in record numbers to offices nationwide. At the time, she won her bid for the state legislature by 70 votes. Burlingame, who is queer, ran and won on initiatives including bringing in more tech jobs for young workers and passing a statewide antidiscrimination act that would protect LGBTQ employees. Passing the law would demonstrate that Wyoming is "open for business," she said at the time.--TEG

WYOMING: Terrence Brown

A gay Wyoming resident who once had to defend himself against schoolyard bullies, Terrence Brown, is now creating a name for himself as a professional martial artist. "My goals and missions are to be the first openly gay Native American champion," the 27-year-old says. "[Just] to say that it can be done and nobody should ever count you out."--RE