Emmy Winner Lena Waithe Is the OUT100's Artist of the Year

Out Magazine celebrated the most influential LGBTQ people of 2017 with this year's OUT100 list, and they chose to honor artists Lena Waithe, Jonathan Groff, Chelsea Manning, and Shayne Oliver with their own magazine covers!

Lena Waithe, Artist of the Year

The first black queer woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Lena Waithe now knows that her queerness is her strength. "The things that make us different, those are our superpowers," she said in her acceptance speech. "Every day when you walk out the door and put on your imaginary cape... go out there and conquer the world, because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it."

Chelsea Manning, Newsmaker of the Year

Chelsea Manning found beauty in her trauma and is now living her truest, most authentic life as a trans woman. With her adaption of social media, Manning has doubled down on her activism and is one of the loudest online voices fighting against hatred of any kind. "There’s no way they’re going to shut me up," she says. "The more they intimidate me, the louder I get."

Shayne Oliver, Stylemaker of the Year

By experimenting with gender on runways, Shayne Oliver has pushed queerness into the luxury fashion scene. With his aggressive casting of LGBTQ models, displays of overt sexuality, and celebrating femininity, he's determined to bring his point of view into the mainstream. "The idea is that I’m different than you, and you have to respect it. As opposed to, I’m different and I’m also the same as you." 

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Jonathan Groff, Entertainer of the Year

Jonathan Groff continues to be an out and proud voice among the heterosexual homogony of Hollywood. Starring in productions like Looking, Glee, Frozen, and most recently David Fincher's original Netflix series Mindhunter, he's a stark reminder of the evolution of queerness on our screens. "I think one of the benefits of being out is that you can share your stories, be who you are, and put yourself in the work regardless."

Check out the entire OUT100 list here!