While the great 2020 pandemic changed many aspects of our lives, it would not, and could not, stop the pop culture train from plowing through the year.
As movie theaters, hanging out with friends and live concerts seemed to fade in 2020, the void left was filled by more streaming services, Zoom parties and TikTok dancing.
To help you organize all those entertainment moments in this chaotic year, here is our annual LGBTQ pop culture ABC’s.
Auli’i Cravalho – The voice of the titular character in Disney’s animated film “Moana,” Auli’i Cravalho comes out as bisexual on TikTok in April. The video is the 19-year-old’s first on the popular social media platform.
Bettany, Paul – Best known for playing Vision in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Paul Bettany gives a career-best performance — and gains some Oscar buzz — for his role as a gay college professor in Amazon’s “Uncle Frank.”
Chromatica – Lady Gaga gets the Little Monsters dancing in quarantine as she releases her sixth studio album, “Chromatica,” in May.
Discovery – CBS All Access’ “Star Trek: Discovery” makes history by introducing in its third season the first transgender and nonbinary characters in the sci-fi franchise’s 50-year history.
Ellen DeGeneres – The queen of nice experiences a backlash over the summer when rumors about a toxic work environment on the set of her daytime talk show spring up leading to three producers leaving the show and several former guests calling DeGeneres’ “nice person persona” into question.
Funko – American pop culture collectibles company Funko, best known for its vinyl figures and bobble-heads, announces in March its releasing a collection of Pride Pop! figures which include rainbow versions of Batman, SpongeBob SquarePants and Hello Kitty to support the It Gets Better Project.
Golding, Henry – “Crazy Rich Asians” heartthrob, Henry Golding plays an openly gay man returning to Vietnam to spread his parent’s ashes in the indie film, “Monsoon.”
Happiest Season – After many a holiday season of watching straight couples kiss under the mistletoe, Hulu releases “Happiest Season,” a romantic holiday comedy featuring a lesbian couple. We also got LGBTQ holiday offerings this year from The Hallmark Channel and Lifetime making our 2020 Yule-tide gay.
Inheritance, The – After cleaning up at the Olivier Awards last year, Matthew Lopez’s “The Inheritance” — a two-part, seven-hour epic play looking at gay life in the early 21st century — nabs 11 Tony Award nominations.
Jackson, Michael R. – Michael R. Jackson, a Black, openly gay playwright from the U.S., is awarded the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for Drama in May for his musical “A Strange Loop.” It is only the 10th musical to win the prestigious award.
Knoxx, Riley – D.C. performer Riley Knoxx became the first openly transgender woman to perform at an NBA halftime show in March as The Washington Wizards hosted its annual Pride Night.
Leslie, Javicia – Openly bisexual actress Javicia Leslie dons the cape and cowl as the titular character in The CW’s second season of “Batwoman,” officially replacing Ruby Rose after the show’s debut season. Leslie is the first Black actress to play the iconic role of Batwoman on television.
Mayor Pete – Pete Buttigieg may have lost the Democratic primary but shows he may have a future in late night television after a stellar performance as guest host on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in March.
Niecy Nash – Comedic actress Niecy Nash surprises fans when she announces on her social media that she married singer Jessica Betts in August, officially coming out to the world.
Out – Pixar’s animated short film, “Out” is released on Disney+ for LGBTQ Pride Month in June, marking it as the first animated Disney film to feature an openly gay person as the main character.
Pat Patterson – Legendary professional wrestler and the first openly gay WWE superstar, Pat Patterson passes away in December. Patterson made headlines in 2014 when he publicly came out on an episode of the WWE reality series “Legends House.”
Queer As Folk – “Queer As Folk,” Showtime’s trailblazing LGBTQ drama, turns 20 in December. Earlier in the year, the cast reunited for a livestream to reminisce and raise funds for CenterLink, the coalition which supports LGBTQ community centers across the globe.
Ryan Murphy – Mega-producer Ryan Murphy raises the LGBTQ flag high atop Mount Netflix as he releases queer-centric content “Hollywood,” “Boys in the Band,” “Ratched” and “The Prom” on the streaming giant.
Series Finale – Audiences say goodbye to a trio of popular LGBTQ sitcoms when “Modern Family,” after 11 seasons; the “Will & Grace” reboot, after three seasons; and “Schitt’s Creek,” after six seasons all bring their shows to an end in April.
Tiger King – Netflix introduces the world to its new obsession, the docu-miniseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” in March. The show becomes one of Netflix’s most successful programs ever and turns series subjects Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin into household names.
Umbrella Academy, The – Star of “The Umbrella Academy,” Elliot Page comes out as transgender on social media in December. Netflix follows his announcement with a tweet of support for Page and states he will remain a part of the popular LGBTQ-inclusive series which has been renewed for a third season.
Van Sant, Gus – Oscar-nominated and openly gay film director Gus Van Sant partners with Gucci to create a YouTube miniseries for the famous fashion designer. “Ouverture” launches in November and provides Gucci with a way to showcase its latest collection during a global pandemic.
Winslet, Kate – Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet stars as acclaimed paleontologist and fossil hunter Mary Anning in NEON Pictures’ romantic period film “Ammonite.” Starring as Winslet’s love interest is Oscar-nominated actress Saoirse Ronan.
X gender marker – New York says in November it will be updating its Department of Motor Vehicles computers to offer driver’s licenses with a nonbinary gender identity marker of “X” after a lawsuit is filed challenging the state policy of limiting gender identity on licenses to either “M” or “F.”
Young Avengers – “Young Avengers” characters Wiccan and Hulkling get hitched in the Marvel comic book “Empyre: Avengers Aftermath” #1, marking the comic company’s first same-sex wedding between two superheroes. The characters were first introduced in 2005’s “Young Avengers,” created by openly LGBTQ writer Allan Heinberg and artist Jim Cheung.
Zoom – Video conferencing website, Zoom not only becomes a necessity in all lives as it becomes the go-to way for the world to continue working, going to school and communicating during a global pandemic.
