Laverne Cox, Dan Levy, Ellen DeGeneres,
and Billy Porter are among the 50 people on The Hollywood Reporter's
list of “most powerful LGBTQ players in Hollywood.”
“LGBTQ representation in Hollywood is
at an all-time high,” editors
wrote in an introduction. “Thanks to the showrunners driving
authentic stories, filmmakers bucking decades-old heteronormative
paradigms, actors emboldened to live more honestly and platforms
bankrolling so much of it, being gay, queer, transgender or any other
has never been more widely embraced in the entertainment industry.”
Director-producer Greg Berlanti, who is
juggling 19 shows across six platforms, made the list. Asked when
would he “feel good” about Hollywood's LGBTQ representation,
Berlanti answered: “[When] we have the kind of representation in
big-budget studio films that we do on TV.”
Director Ryan Murphy and writer Steven
Canals have had many successful television collaborations, the latest
being Pose on FX. Another writer on the show, Janet Mock, also
made the list. Mock is also working with Murphy on the Netflix drama
Hollywood.
Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres said
that she first felt represented when she saw tennis greats Billie
Jean King and Martina Navratilova.
Actors Dan Levy, Kate McKinnon, Janelle
Monae, Jim Parsons, Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Amandla Stenberg,
Kristen Stewart, Josh Thomas, Hunter Schafer, Julio Torres, Beanie
Feldstein, Jeremy O. Harris, Lena Waithe, Sara Gilbert, Bowen Yang,
and Laverne Cox also were recognized on the list.
Sara Gilbert said that
singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper didn't get enough credit for her
activism. Lauper, a vocal supporter of LGBT rights, has worked to
raise awareness and funds for homeless LGBT youth.
Also on the list were Netflix VP Brian
Wright; filmmakers Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski, Jill Soloway,
Justin Simien, Celine Sciamma, Francis Lee, Luca Guadagnino, and Lee
Daniels; showrunners Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Russell T. Davies, Liz
Feldman, Tanya Saracho; producers Wilson Cruz, Wanda Sykes, Ryan
White, Christine Vachon, and Leslye Headland; hosts RuPaul Charles,
Andy Cohen, Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski,
Jonathan Van Ness; comedians Lilly Singh and Hannah Gadsby;
ViacomCBS' Chris McCarthy; TLC President Howard Lee; Color Force
partner Nina Jacobson; Netflix VP Cindy Holland; WarnerMedia
Entertainment Chairman Bob Greenblatt; Annapurna Pictures CEO Megan
Ellison; and HBO's Casey Bloys.