QUEER REVOLUTION, TELEVISED

RYAN O’CONNELL

SPECIAL

When Ryan O’Connell went to studios to pitch his show Special, the writer knew a series based on his life as a gay man with cerebral palsy was “unconventional packaging,” he says. He also knew that “if you take off the wrapping paper, it’s like a Mariah Carey song, very relatable and very universal.” No studio believed in the concept—except for Netflix, which helped him produce the show after a long four years of rejection. Now O’Connell, who also stars in the show, has license to be petty toward everyone who said “no,” as his debut was both a critical favorite and the recipient of four Emmy nominations. “I have not been far enough in therapy to not hold on to pettiness,” he laughs.

—T.A.

REBECCA SUGAR

STEVEN UNIVERSE

When Steven Universe became the first animated series to receive a GLAAD award last spring, show creator Rebecca Sugar, who’s bisexual, nonbinary, and “obsessed with animation history” found it to be “an unbelievable honor.” They then set out to turn the Cartoon Network series—about a young boy’s coming-of-age in community with magical, humanoid aliens of varying gender identities and sexual orientations—into a full-length movie musical with 16 original songs. Fans thought it would be the series’ end, but with the recently announced Steven Universe: Future, a season six is on the way, further proving that LGBTQ+ content can be children-friendly.—T.A.

REMY DURAN

ARE YOU THE ONE?

Renowned top Remy Duran started out the first sexually fluid season of the MTV dating competition show as its resident promiscuous party boy. But Duran proved himself to be endearingly vulnerable, solidifying himself in pop culture as, in his words,