Sarah M Lee
Disruptors
Ncuti Gatwa
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
Ncuti Gatwa is a bright light in the entertainment world. He shone in his breakout role as Eric Effiong in Sex Education, which recently ended its four-season run. And 2024 saw Gatwa break barriers in Doctor Who, as he became the first queer man and first person of color to take the lead in the long-running British sci-fi series. (Gatwa came out as queer in a 2023 Elle interview.)
In Barbie, Gatwa shared the screen with a star-studded cast, and even performed at the Oscars alongside the other Kens, a 2024 highlight. “It felt like such a celebration of a film we all had a really special time making,” Gatwa says.
Gatwa’s biggest challenge remains being away from loved ones, but he finds peace in “practicing gratitude” and going on walks. “I've discovered how much I love being in nature.” Gatwa is set to star in The Roses, a remake of The War of the Roses featuring Oliva Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch, and he’s taking the stage in London as Algernon in The Importance of Being Earnest. @ncutigatwa
Gabriella Angelina
José Becerra
Gabriella Angelina
Nikola Alexandre
Meet one of the artists, disruptors, educators, groundbreakers, innovators, and storytellers who all helped make the world a better place for LGBTQ+ people.
José Becerra
Nikola Santarem Alexandre is a Black queer forester whose life changed after attending a nature-based healing gathering following the Pulse massacre. The experience inspired them to commit to land stewardship and nurture a sustainable future for marginalized communities.
After obtaining degrees in forestry and business from Yale University, Alexandre founded Conservation International’s Ecosystem Restoration Program and now serves as its senior advisor. Alexandre cocreated and leads the Shelterwood Collective, a 900-acre, queer-run forest and community center in Northern California. He continues to center queer and Black voices in environmental stewardship.
“Queerness and ecological health are intimately linked,” Alexandre says. “Our environmental problems are born from attempts to create boxes that separate people and nature. It’s only by rejecting those boxes and blurring the divides between people, places, and ecologies that we’ll be able to restore balance in our ecosystems and build a world where all can thrive. Queerness is one of our greatest teachers for this kind of endeavor, and queer leaders are needed in the climate movement for it to reach its full potential.” @blk_forester