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Katy Perry's 2008 hit 'I Kissed a Girl' highlighted shifting perceptions
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Katy Perry's 2008 hit 'I Kissed a Girl' highlighted shifting perceptions

Cheyenne Jackson, Sam Sparro, and Gus Van Sant also graced our Out100 covers.

The election of Barack Obama as President of the United States sparked hope for change. However, states were still split on LGBTQ+ rights, specifically when it came to the hot-button issue of same-sex marriage. While certain parts of the country like Washington and Oregon worked to expand rights with domestic partnerships, Arkansas was essentially trying to ban queer couples from adopting. In California, where marriage equality was the law of the land for a whopping five months, that all changed with the surprising (and confusing) passing of Proposition 8, which banned marriage equality outright.

It's only fitting that director Gus Van Sant was among the 2008 Out100 honorees featured on the cover, after collaborating with screenwriter Dustin Lance Black to bring the story of Harvey Milk — the first out, gay, elected official in California who was assassinated in 1978 — to the big screen. Van Sant had made a name for himself with indie films like My Private Idaho, which centered around outsiders, before a brief dip into the mainstream, which included his shot-for-shot Psycho remake starring Anne Heche. Splitting his time between movies and TV in the years that followed, Van Sant is now considered one of the pioneers of new queer cinema.

Cheyenne Jackson was another cover star for this year's Out100, who was fresh off his role in the Broadway adaptation of Xanadu and about to break into TV with a recurring role on 30 Rock the following year. Since then, Jackson has had a prolific career balancing roles in TV, films, and theater, frequently working with Ryan Murphy throughout various seasons of American Horror Story. He's also released three studio albums, served as an international ambassador for The Foundation for AIDS Research, got married, and has raised twins with his husband.

"My biggest journey in life really is the journey of being comfortable in my skin and in my body," Jackson told The Advocatein 2023. "At 47 years old, it's still a daily struggle for me."

cheyenneCheyenne Jackson: I'm Tom Jones Meets Shirley Bassey Karl Simone

Dominating pop culture in 2008 was "I Kissed a Girl," the debut single from a new pop girlie on the scene: Katy Perry. At the time, pop songs centered on casual experimentation with someone of the same gender still felt defiant, and the fact that it achieved such mainstream success spoke to shifting attitudes.

Perry's superstardom skyrocketed since appearing on the 2008 issue of the Out100. With five studio albums under her belt, she's become one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Perry has also been a staunch advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout her career, going on to receive awards such as The Trevor Project's Trevor Hero Award in 2012 and the Human Rights Campaign's National Equality Award in 2017 for her activism.

Australian singer Sam Sparro also made his musical debut in 2008 with a self-titled album. Even though he was already out at the time, Sparro subsequently revealed suggestions that he received from his team about how easy it would be for him to hide his sexuality given that he didn't dress in ways considered "stereotypically gay." However, he declined to do so.

Over the course of his career, Sparro collaborated with artists like Adam Lambert and released music of his own, including 2020's Boombox Eternal. He also married his partner, Zion Lennox, in a 2018 wedding ceremony taking place in California.

Rachel Kiley

Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.

Rachel Kiley is presumably a writer and definitely not a terminator. She can usually be found crying over queerbaiting in the Pitch Perfect franchise or on Twitter, if not both.

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
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Step into the Out100 Vault & celebrate 30 years of history-making LGBTQ+ folks!
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Daniel Reynolds

Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

Daniel Reynolds is the editor-in-chief of Out and an award-winning journalist who focuses on the intersection between entertainment and politics. This Jersey boy has now lived in Los Angeles for more than a decade.

Raffy Ermac

Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and the editor in chief of Out.com.

Raffy is a Los Angeles-based writer, editor, video creator, critic, and the editor in chief of Out.com.

Vault

Step into the Out100 Vault & celebrate 30 years of history-making LGBTQ+ folks!

It's been 30 years since the annual Out100 list started highlighting the best and brightest of the community. To honor that milestone, let's take a look back at the many LGBTQ+ people who have changed the world.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Out100, Out’s storied annual list of LGBTQ+ people who have changed culture — and the world.

In celebration of this milestone, we are so proud to launch the official Out100 Vault, which highlights the Out100 covers from our archive as well as fresh essays and insights from past honorees.

The preservation of the LGBTQ+ past has never been more important, as the recent right-wing attempts at queer book bans and censorship demonstrate. For over three decades, Out has fought against mainstream erasure, telling the stories of the artists, warriors, and changemakers who made our history and our movement. Looking to the future, we hope you find inspiration from them in the ongoing fight for visibility and equality.

And if you, or someone you know, deserve to be on this list, please let us know through the Reader’s Choice submission page. Your stories and accomplishments need to be heard, and Out as always is here to tell them.

Sincerely,


Daniel Reynolds

Editor in chief, Out Magazine

Raffy Ermac

Editor in chief, Out.com

See All 2024's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ People
Artists
Disruptors
Educators
Groundbreakers
Innovators
Storytellers