This article first appeared in Entertainment Weekly.
I WAS TRYING TO SKILLFULLY WEAVE together all of the info I need to convey to you this week, but I found it to be as excruciating as trying to build a house out of sawdust and toothpaste. So let’s all pretend I said something eloquent and witty and dive into what’s going on at EW HQ.
In early June, we sponsored an LGBTQ Pride Month kickoff event in Los Angeles with the folks of GLSEN, who do amazing work in support of LGBTQ youth. For more information on the organization or to learn how to get involved, head to glsen.org.
Then many of us went on to Austin for the ATX Television Festival. This is our third year sponsoring the event, and if you’re a fan of TV (or queso!), I can’t recommend it enough. It’s four days of nirvana—with screenings and panel discussions with your favorite stars—capped off with a Texas-size reunion of a beloved series. This year’s cosponsored by the Syfy network—featured the cast of Battlestar Galactica. (Yes, they want a revival.)
When I asked the millennials around the office who should be on the cover of our annual LGBTQ issue, their answer was unanimous: RuPaul. I gotta admit that I was a little surprised given that Ru has been a pop culture fixture since the early ’90s. But a new generation has discovered his awesomeness thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race, which has seen a surge in popularity this 10 EW.COM JUNE 23, 2017 season. Telling RuPaul’s story allowed us to recount the evolution of the LGBTQ movement in New York City and Hollywood, which staff writer Marc Snetiker skillfully does on page 24. Want some sexy nostalgia with your issue? Then turn to page 38, where we reunite the beautiful cast of The L Word, the beloved Showtime series that aired from 2004 to ’09. (Yes, they want a revival too!) Special thanks to EW staffers Bill Keith, Kevin O’Donnell, Nick Maslow, Jennie Chang, Natalie Gialluca, Stacey Pittman, and Brittany Kaplan for their hard work on this issue, as well as to Maybelline New York for their generous support.
If you want to see more of the Battlestar Galactica and L Word reunions, head over to our streaming network, PEN (People/ Entertainment Weekly Network), where you can watch the casts reminisce about their series. Don’t have PEN? That’s easily fixable. Just download it from your friendly neighborhood app store.
