Meet the Queer Icons-in-the-Making Shaping Pop Culture

Is there any realm of pop culture that hasn't been influenced by the queer community? You'd be hard-pressed to find a buzzy novel that doesn't draw inspiration from James Baldwin or Dorothy Parker, and countless music and fashion trends—not to mention modern slang—can be tied directly back to 1980s-era ballroom culture.

So when Them announces their annual Now Awards celebrating the people on the cutting edge of queer culture today, it doesn't just serve as recognition of a new class of legends, it's a peek into the future, one where artists like Yasmin Finney and Dylan Mulvaney are leading the way.

“LGBTQ+ people have always been at the forefront of pop culture, shaping art, fashion, and counter-culture," says Them Editor-in-Chief, Sarah Burke. "That’s still so true today, and exemplified through icons like our Now honorees, who are making art and telling stories that we’ve never seen represented before—and that shift our collective understanding of what’s possible.”

Read on to get to know the pop culture leaders, and head to Them to browse the rest of their honorees across politics, sports, and food.

Clockwise from top left, photography by Danika Magdelena, Kate Biel, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., German Vazquez, Camila Falquez, and Kadar R. Small, all courtesy of Them.