LGBTQ Standouts Lay Among Some Questionable Choices
Each year we can look forward to TIME Magazine announcing their Top 100 Most Influential People. It’s kind of like The Academy Awards for print, or in this age, digital media. We’ve seen great, political honors in the past with highlighting the Parkland High School students and the abused victims during the #MeToo movement. Currently, more of TIME’s list tends to lean left and are more progressives than conservatives. To my knowledge, we got two standouts from the LGBTQ community to represent on TIME’s 2019 most influential people and thankfully, none of them are social media influencers!
Hollywood juggernaut, Ryan Murphy, creator of the most homoerotic or straight up gay horror series, American Horror Story, receives the honor of being a Titan in 2019, alongside Gayle King, Mark Zuckerberg, and more. Absolutely well deserved on his part, as he has brought so many LGBTQ characters and actors into mainstream media and onto televisions of millions of people. He is even the creative genius behind one of the best shows to premiere in 2018, Pose.
Speaking of Pose, I was so pleasantly shocked to see one of the series main actresses, transgender model Indya Moore, be named one of TIME’s most influential pioneers. She sits among Chrissy Teigen, Sandra Oh, and eSports mogul, Ninja. Moore hasn’t even peaked in her career yet, so to see her get this honor is astonishing and should be a huge sign for the success of her future. Obviously Moore was emotional and took to social media to celebrate her happiness, stating:
“Every day I question if my unconventional venerability, honesty and challenging nature and the ways I brought it to my platform will harm me or the people around me. I question everyday If I am the ticking time bomb I feel like people see me as or if I feel because of my uncanny resistance and advocacy- I fear losing things all the time and expect to because of the ways my identity, energy and voice is perceived or isn’t. Finally I am affirmed that I am doing the right thing, walking in the right direction and creating a better palate as intended with each rule I thoughtfully and compassionately choose to break. Thank you.
Not everyone can be a model, or an actor or a star, often times these occupations prove to be the moat superficial ones- but everybody can challenge the powers that tell them they can’t walk, run, win or simply be but you have to remember the initiation and claim of freedom and autonomy has always come with sacrifice, risk, and the bravery to destroy the fear that blocks those channels.”
Some of our favorite allies also got recognition for being one of the most influential people. Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Nancy Pelosi, Ariana Grande, and so many others who actively support the LGBTQ community got a standing ovation for their influence over the last year.
As always, TIME has had a few questionable choices for their most influential people. I typically have a different opinion compared to most and like to believe I put myself in someone else’s shoes, but I am seriously shocked at one of their choices. Yeah, Donald Trump is one of their selections, but he was before and honestly…is, whether we want to admit it or not. But, TIME awarded freakin’ Brett Kavanaugh a title for this year. Like, what? Kavanaugh was accused of sexual assault (by Christine Blasey Ford, who is also on TIME’s list) and I can’t help but feel that should immediately get someone nixed from this list. I understand he wasn’t proven guilty and he currently reigns on the United States Supreme Court…but it still reeks of mud to me.
Writer’s Note: This is the opinion of one Instinct Magazine contributor and does not reflect the views of Instinct Magazine itself or fellow contributors.
Source: TIME
