Myron Fields
Storytellers
The 2025 Out100: RaeShanda Lias
These are the LGBTQ+ people making the world bolder and brighter in 2025.
“A lot of you all have said, ‘RaeShanda, you’re not a Rice Krispie, but you stay snap, cracklin’, and poppin’.” That’s one of dozens of affirmations social media humorist RaeShanda Lias has introduced with her “let’s check the board” lessons.
A military veteran and Kentucky resident originally from Fayette, Mississippi, Lias was an important voice working with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz in the lead-up to the 2024 election. She earned an NAACP Image Award nomination this year for her insightful contributions to politics and society, and continues to bring love, joy, and wisdom to her fans through videos with her beloved cat, Nutmeg (RIP).
With 3.6 million-plus followers on Instagram and TikTok and her commitment to representing her communities as a Black queer woman, Lias calls her work “digital mobilization.”
“I call people to action while also giving a voice to those that feel drowned out. My job is to get to you before hope leaves your eyes.”
Next, Lias will host It’s Really Very Simple, a fireside chat series with community leaders and activists. Lias’s advice to others? “Show up authentically yourself. To forgive yourself for things that you did not know and to love yourself, fully and unapologetically.” @raeshanda_lias
Tracy E. Gilchrist
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
Tracy E. Gilchrist is the VP of Editorial and Special Projects at equalpride. A media veteran, she writes about the intersections of LGBTQ+ equality and pop culture. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief of The Advocate and the first feminism editor for the 55-year-old brand. In 2017, she launched the company's first podcast, The Advocates. She is an experienced broadcast interviewer, panel moderator, and public speaker who has delivered her talk, "Pandora's Box to Pose: Game-changing Visibility in Film and TV," at universities throughout the country.
courtesy V Spehar
Trudy RingTrudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
Trudy Ring is The Advocate's senior politics editor and copy chief. She has been a reporter and editor for daily newspapers and LGBTQ+ weeklies/monthlies, trade magazines, and reference books. She is a political junkie who thinks even the wonkiest details are fascinating, and she always loves to see political candidates who are groundbreaking in some way. She enjoys writing about other topics as well, including religion (she's interested in what people believe and why), literature, theater, and film. Trudy is a proud "old movie weirdo" and loves the Hollywood films of the 1930s and '40s above all others. Other interests include classic rock music (Bruce Springsteen rules!) and history. Oh, and she was a Jeopardy! contestant back in 1998 and won two games. Not up there with Amy Schneider, but Trudy still takes pride in this achievement.
The 2025 Out100: V Spehar
These are the LGBTQ+ people making the world bolder and brighter in 2025.
courtesy V Spehar
Digital journalist Vitus “V” Spehar started their wildly successful TikTok channel by covering the news from under their desk. They’ve since become a staple of online news for many young people, covering the 2024 Democratic National Convention and the Paris Olympics, and landing interviews with Presidents Biden and Obama, Vice President Harris, and more.
In 2025, they were named to the Time100 most influential creators list and began a fellowship at Harvard University’s Shorenstein Center.
Spehar became a successful journalist after struggling with dyslexia. “It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized I could teach myself new methods of reading out loud to conquer the teleprompter and that I was in fact smart enough to thrive in this industry, even if my brain is wired to think a little differently,” she notes.
Spehar, a nonbinary lesbian, wants to see “more joy, thriving queer folks, opportunities to tell our stories in an authentic, nonsensationalized way. … We deserve rest, peace, and success, and I hope to continue to drive that dream forward for the community.” @underthedesknews