Since this past summer, we’ve been chatting up some of the best and brightest queer talent in our new Q&A series, Dishin’ It.
We’ve talked to up-and-coming stars, drag royalty, Olympic medalists, musicians, politicians, activists, history-makers, game-changers, and more, getting to know them on a whole new level. One of our favorite questions to ask—one that always gets fascinating answers—is the following:
Who is a queer or trans artist/performer/creator that you think is doing really cool work right now? Why are they someone we should all be paying attention to?
With 2022 coming to a close, if you’re in need of some great LGBTQ+ artists to follow in the new year, why not browse through the answers below, and learn about some folks who are sure to be your future favorites…
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Tom Daley
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Olympic diver, author.
“Kim Petras is doing some amazing things! I love how unapologetically queer she is and doesn’t change anything about herself to fit the mold. It’s great to have more queer representation in the music charts too!”
Peppermint
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Musician, activist, former finalist on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“Obviously, Saucy Santana is one. I mean, there’s so many—I’m almost at a loss for words! In terms of indie folks, I love Michael Blume—check them out. I did a guest feature on a remix of one of their songs with Shea Coulée called “R U MAD,” which is fire.
And there’s another person named Be Steadwell—oh my gosh, please go watch a video of theirs. How they create music is so spectacular. A wonderful artist, and they create the sound on their own—they’re almost like a queer, Black version of Klaus Nomi. It’s such a masterpiece, and it’s so rare to see a queer person doing that and, you know, singing about anal sex, or whatever. It’s so cool.”
Christian Weissmann
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Actor (Saved By The Bell, Dear White People), writer.
“Oh, there’s so many! Michelle Zauner (from Japanese Breakfast), first and foremost. A bisexual icon. She puts out incredible music and released a full length memoir, Crying In H-Mart, an exquisite depiction of grief and complex relationships. Everyone should be paying attention to her. I also love Arlo Parks! Oh, and the king of queer history, Eric Cervini! Eric is doing incredible work for the LGBTQIA+ community and debunking all the myths/fallacies about the queer experience. He’s one to watch. Everyone needs to check out his projects.”
Mufseen Miah
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Podcaster (Queer Talk), activist.
“Foxgluvv is a phenomenal queer pop artist, if you haven’t heard of her before, you’re welcome. Her music is kind of influenced by ’80s pop and also gay favorites like Charli XCX and Kim Petras.”
Sydnee Washington
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Actor (Bridesman, Search Party), comedian.
“Really loving Larry Owens, multi-hyphenate phenomenon (Actor/Singer/Comedian/Writer) that literally commands every stage he’s on. From selling out Carnegie Hall with his “Sondheimia” show, to unforgettable scenes on Abbott Elementary and Life & Beth, Larry is doing outstanding work. Also when he isn’t working, our king is definitely living it up in VIP at the Lady Gaga concert. Imperative that you follow anything and everything that he’s is doing, I love him with all my gay a** heart.”
Edd Kimber
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Baker, author, former winner of The Great British Baking Show.
“I love the work of my friend Nik Sharma, his scientific background makes his food writing different and really fascinating. Kelly Fields, formerly of the restaurant Willa Jean, has a wonderful book called The Good Book of Southern Baking. Jesse Szewczyk is another friend who has written a fabulous book, this one on cookies, called Cookies: The New Classics. I am also a big fan of Rick Martinez, whose recent book on Mexican food [Mi Cocina] is just brilliant!”
Robin de Jesùs
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Actor (Welcome To Chippendales, In The Heights on Broadway, Camp).
“Y’all ain’t ready for Dominic Colón! He is in a come-up that is going to gag the masses and that’s all I’m going to say.”
Jason Kim
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Writer (KPOP on Broadway, Barry, Girls).
“I’ve always been a massive admirer of Zachary Drucker. I particularly love Zachary’s work with the late Flawless Sabrina. To me, Zachary is not only a thinker and performer, but a wonderful historian, who has been instrumental in documenting important moments in queer history. Also a big fan of SuperKnova and her music!”
Max Harwood
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Actor (The Loneliest Boy In The World, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie), musician.
“So many people are slaying the game. One of my favorite people, is Harris Reed, designer extraordinaire—I’m a huge lover of fashion, so Harris Reed is killing it. And Yasmin Finney is a friend of mine. I’d really love to make something really beautiful with Yas, like am A24 picture that’s a bit like off-the-wall. Maybe that’s a road trip between two friends, and—I’m writing it here [Laughs.] But I think everything that Yas is doing is really brilliant.
Oh, and I got to meet Billy Porter recently! And that is somebody who I’ve looked up to for ages. When you’re a queer artist, a creative person, and you start making work, then you get to meet other queer artists and creative people that are making work, also, and there is a real love for each other that I can’t really describe. They’re family.”
Dylan Mulvaney
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Activist, influencer, comedian.
“I am in awe of JoJo Siwa in her journey from girlhood to adulthood. Coming out while in the celebrity spotlight is no easy task, and she’s done it in such a joyous way. I can’t wait to see what she does in the years to come!”
Harvey Guillén
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Actor (What We Do In The Shadows, the upcoming Blue Beetle).
“You know, it’s so funny to think that, a couple years ago, that list might have been very narrow, very small. And the fact that I have to think about this question for a second—because I’m in awe of so many queer artists in the entertainment industry—it’s amazing!
I mean, Billy Eichner is doing great work, putting queer people and storylines in the big rom-com that he just released! Everyone should go see and support Bros and a creator like that, because he’s amplifying our voices. Just go see it—if you have questions about it or anything, you can talk about it later, but just go see it first.We have to watch it now, we have to amplify these voices and make sure the message is clear that people want to watch stories like this.
And then there’s Lil Nas X, who is always pushing the envelope, speaking his mind, and I admire and respect that. These aren’t artists that are doing it to get accolades, but they’re doing it to tell stories, to send a message. And, in return, they’re changing history.”
John Fredrickson
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Politician, Nebraska state legislature.
“There is so much strength, resilience, and beauty coming out of the queer community right now. Folks like Janelle Monáe, Malcolm Kenyatta and Megan Hunt show the world that we are a powerful community and to be unapologetically ourselves.”
B.J. Minor
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Actor (Mike, the upcoming The Sympathizer).
“Michaela Jae Rodriguez who I had the pleasure of meeting at a New Year’s party, and she was so kind and so humble. I’m inspired by Ru Paul, Billy Porter, Alok Vaid-Menon!!!!!! Who is an incredible voice I think everyone should look up. So many rich queer voices inspire me! All of these people fill me with so much pride in who I am and what I represent which is priceless.”
Hunter Doohan
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Actor (Wednesday, Your Honor).
“I love Orville Peck; I’m obsessed with him right now. I just think it’s so cool to have this gay country artist, who also happens to have this amazing music and voice. I was kind of surrounded by country music growing up in Arkansas. And I think part of me—when I was figuring out that I was queer—rejected country music because I didn’t feel like I had anywhere in that space that I belonged. But, as I’ve gotten older, I realized I do like this music, and that’s why I love Orville Peck so much, because he’s so himself.
I’ve seen him twice now, and the one time was at the Stagecoach country music festival. And it was really cool because we were dressed up in these fun costumes—my guy friend had an “I Love Cowboys” shirt on, and it got so many compliments. I know there’s these stereotypes about country fans, but everyone there was so cool and it was such a great time.”
Jackie Cox
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Drag queen, former contestant on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
“I have to shout out Kayvon Zand, who is such an amazing queer Persian artist and is really doing amazing cool things!!! I love that they blend their queer and Persian identities in their music, bringing together two big cultures that have historically been kept apart.”
Tyler Alvarez
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Actor (Blockbuster, American Vandal).
“I have been a fan of Luca Guadagnino’s films for years. He is not conformed to any genre and I am consistently blown away by his vision behind the lens. Because of this, he appeals to so many diverse audiences; no film of his is the same and there is a film for everybody. I am looking forward to seeing Bones And All, Challengers and all of his future projects. It is my dream to one day collaborate with him.”
Neoprene
Looks like Queerty is all in on Dylan the transgender performance artist. Oh goody!
inbama
I can see her in a reboot of “Leave It To Beaver” opposite Pee Wee Herman.
dbmcvey
And Neoprene is triggered. Again.