What a year, dear reader. The past 12 months have seen a slew of seismic events, from Heated Rivalry to ICE raids, from the Winter Olympics to, very soon, the midterm elections. The Out100, our annual list of LGBTQ+ changemakers featured in this issue, contains profiles of people who have bettered the world. But it is also a review of recent history — a dizzying ride, for sure — as told by those who have responded to and shaped this modern moment.
In these pages, you’ll find queer heroes from the spheres of politics, culture, business, sports, media, the arts, the sciences, advocacy, and beyond. This phrase is said a lot, but it’s true: we need these heroes now more than ever.
The challenges that face the LGBTQ+ community and the world at large are daunting. Our rights have been revoked, funding to our vital organizations has been slashed, and our lives and livelihoods are threatened. But after compiling this list, I am happy to report that there are many brilliant souls engaged in the good fight. The future is uncertain, but it will be brighter because of people like them.
This year, not everyone in this issue is living. We lost titans in 2026, among them Dolly Parton, whom we named our Advocate of the Year due to the truly incomparable power of her life and legacy. As the drag performer Nina West told writer Desirée Guerrero in The Advocate’s cover story, “We all got to live in this timeline — the time of Dolly Parton. Her impact is so wide and far-reaching that I would hope we can all be inspired by it.”
In the Out100, we also honor fallen LGBTQ+ figures like Jason Collins, who changed the world of basketball and professional sports after coming out; Renée Nicole Good, whose killing by a federal agent helped galvanize the public toward resisting ICE raids; and Victoria Cruz, a Stonewall veteran who dedicated her life to helping survivors of domestic abuse and violence. Today, we walk on trails they helped blaze.
Out’s cover star, Andrew Scott, also has LGBTQ+ legacy on his mind. In his tour-de-force performance in Elsinore, the Ripley and Fleabag star embodies the late gay actor Ian Charleson in his final chapter as he battled AIDS and sought to stage a performance of Hamlet for the ages.
It’s a deeply personal film for the actor, who saw Charleson’s last act as “extraordinarily moving and inspiring,” as viewers (and Oscar voters) are sure to feel as well. In our interview, Scott quotes “Bread and Roses,” a James Oppenheim poem from 1911: “Hearts starve as well as bodies: Give us Bread, but give us Roses!” These lines will resonate for many queer people, particularly for those who recall the worst of the AIDS crisis and the resiliency of our community in the face of it. Let us live — but give us something to live for.
I see the Out100 as bread and roses. On this list are those who are fighting for our lives and right to exist. And there are those who, through the heartache, are giving us joy, laughter, and all the bright, wonderful pleasures of being alive. “I’m just so grateful to have been born gay,” Scott told me in our chat. I agree. There were many storms in 2026, but I’ve felt so blessed to weather them with a community that, even in dark times, never fails to inspire and delight me.
We hope you find some inspiration and delight in the pages ahead as well, dear reader. We’re so lucky to have you with us.
Sincerely,
Daniel Reynolds
Editor in Chief, Out and The Advocate
@dnlreynolds
This article is part of OUT’s Nov-Dec 2026 print issue, on newsstands November 3. Support queer media and subscribe — or download the issue through Apple News+, Zinio, Nook, or PressReader starting October 22.
