Time magazine has published its lineup of the Most Influential People of 2024, and multiple LGBTQ+ figures were included, as well as at least one supporter and two officials openly opposed to the queer community.
In the Icons category, transgender actor Elliot Page from Umbrella Academy was honored by fellow trans activist and author Raquel Willis, whose own transition memoir was released when Page's memoir Pageboy was also released.
The Juno star’s autobiography “arrived at a time when conservatives were — as they still are — [enacting laws against] trans people’s self-determination and bodily autonomy,” according to Willis.
“But Elliot remains undeterred, using his platform and privileges to support grassroots activist efforts like the Gen Z–guided Trans Prom at the U.S. Capitol,” Willis added. “In all his actions, Elliot knows that his truth and influence serve as a guide for others to discover their own.”
Other individuals on the list included Coleman Domingo, who portrayed civil rights activist Bayard Rustin in the biographical film — Domingo is only the second openly gay actor portraying a gay character to be nominated for an Oscar. The list also included Rustin Chef Dominique Crenn , actress Maria Bello’s partner and the first female chef in the U.S. to earn three Michelin stars.Fashion designer Jonathan Anderson, creative director at Spanish fashion house Loewe, was praised by
Call Me by Your Name director Luca Guadagnino as “one of the most intelligent, empathetic, and curious people I know.” Anderson joined the creative team as costume designer for Guadagnino’s latest film,
, the highly anticipated sports drama with an all-star cast led by the actress Zendaya. Challengers“Costume design in particular takes a great deal of humanity and wisdom, and working with him in the past has helped me better understand the characters whose stories we were telling,” Guadagnino said. “His work is always ahead of the curve.”
In the U.S.,
human rights advocate Kelley Robinson , the new president of the Human Rights Campaign, was praised by the president and CEO of the queer media watchdog group GLAAD, Sarah Kate Ellis.“Kelley has a voice that demands to be heard. Whether it’s in front of Congress, at a political rally, or over social media, she inspires and mobilizes longtime advocates and new young activists into action with fresh energy and urgency,” Ellis wrote. With Robinson on the front lines, Ellis said, “The future of the LGBTQ+ movement is here.”
Frank Mugisha, executive director of a Ugandan LGBTQ+ rights group, was singled out for his bravery as an openly gay man fighting the forces of hate in his country where his very identity could land him in prison for life, while Rosanna Flamer-Caldera, an LGBTQ activist in Sri Lanka, was applauded for her efforts to decriminalize consensual LGBTQ+ relations in the island nation.
Healthcare advocate Ophelia Dahl, founder of the groundbreaking advocacy group Partners in Health — and incidentally the lesbian daughter of actress Patricia Neal and author Roald Dahl — was praised by author John Green as “profoundly committed to the reduction of human suffering” in her work “redefining community-based healthcare.”
In the world of science, Katsuhiko Hayashi, an ally and reproductive biologist, became well-known for
his research on transforming stem cells from male mice into sperm and eggs , which led to the birth of pups from two biological fathers and created new possibilities for LGBTQ+ couples who desire biological offspring.At the bottom of Time’s Most Influential list are Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Italy’s Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, both known for supporting and spreading anti-LGBTQ+ policies and propaganda in their respective governments.
On Time’s “most influential” list for 2024, LGBTQ+ activists and artists are recognized, alongside at least two openly hostile officials.
