I’d come out when I was 17 and been disowned by my parents. I’d moved to London and been in and out relationships and casual flings. She was 40 and had been married for 10 years, with three children under the age of 10. The agency we worked for also represented her husband, an esteemed writer, so I knew I absolutely couldn’t go there. In creating the 2020 list of entertainment's most powerful LGBTQ players,THR focused on the talent (behind and in front of the camera) and decision makers pushing for the most opportunities for work and visibility in film and television — while driving conversations about inclusivity with the rest of Hollywood and beyond. • Entries written by Seth Abramovitch, Kirsten Chuba, Mia Galuppo, Chris Gardner, Lesley Goldberg, Natalie Jarvey, Rebecca Keegan, Michael O'Connell, Alex Ritman and Bryn Elise Sandberg. I FELT MOST PROUD TO BE PART OF THE COMMUNITY LAST YEAR WHEN"I was riding down Fifth Avenue on the Bravo float at World Pride." At her company, Killer Films, the veteran indie producer of movies like Caroland Boys Don't Cryhas taken both pride in and heat for bringing to screen a broad range of LGBTQ characters. Vachon's upcoming projects see her reteaming with director Todd Haynes for a documentary on The Velvet Underground, producing a Netflix mini­series about fashion designer Halston (starring Ewan McGregor) and delivering on a just-inked first-look deal with MGM.

The Emmy-winning patriarchy toppler finally got to close out the groundbreaking Transparentwith a musical finale after losing its lead, Jeffrey Tambor, to a 2018 sexual harassment scandal. With that chapter behind them, Soloway landed a plum writing and directing assignment for Red Sonja, a fantasy property ripe for a postfeminist reinterpretation from the first major public figure to come out as nonbinary. Joe Swanberg’s series about love, sex and relationships in Chicago includes couples and throuples of all kinds, including an episode dedicated entirely to two young women (Kiersey Clemons and Jacqueline Toboni) whose courtship is dampened only by the fact that one of them thinks she has to change who she is for things to work. In another episode, Malin Akerman and Orlando Bloom seek a third party on Tinder and end up spending the night with someone they already know (Kate Micucci). Funny, sexy and queer-inclusive, "Easy" is perfect for your next Netflix and chill. (Netflix, available now) 2. Gotham Erin Richards as Barbara Kean on "Gotham." Nicole Rivelli / FOX THE PERSON I THINK DOESN'T GET ENOUGH CREDIT FOR THEIR ACTIVISM"One of the unsung heroes of the civil rights movement, Bayard Rustin. Bayard fought alongside Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. but was erased from much of history because he was gay. I’d love to see his Selma story be turned into a film."MY MENTOR IS"Neil Landau ( Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead), who has been a friend, a counselor and a lifeline since I wrote the first draft of Pose in his TV Drama Pilot workshop at UCLA." With a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding comedy series and a Rising Star nod from the Outfest Legacy Awards, Saracho has been praised for creating opportunities for Latinx and LGBTQ voices and for showcasing them on camera on the Starz series Vida. Tilly: I did have so many girls come up to me—and so many drag queens saying their drag name was Violet. It really made me feel, in a weird way, like I had a responsibility when all these girls would come up to me and say that they came out of the closet and realized they were gay after they saw this film. LGBTQ STORY I'D LOVE TO SEE ONSCREEN"The journey of a nonbinary person realizing they feel most stable when their own gender is constantly moving. Folks who feel male and female and both and neither in a constantly swirling whirl need their heroes, too."

I FIRST FELT REPRESENTED WHEN I SAW "Ryan Phillippe playing a gay teen on One Life to Live in 1992. I was a closeted teen living in small town on Vancouver Island. Being out (and proud) wasn’t even a thought in my head, but this storyline made me feel less alone" Tilly: We had to reshoot the last scene too because, when they were driving away, you could see palm trees reflected in the windshield. I FIRST FELT REPRESENTED WHEN I SAW"I didn’t realize at the time but probably the original Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. It was a huge hit in Australia. Every morning when I put on my cologne, I’d ‘spray, delay and walk away.'"I FIRST FELT REPRESENTED WHEN I SAW"My character Lionel in Dear White People. I literally couldn't find myself in the culture."