GAY TIMES Magazine

21 January 2022

In February we will also see the 2022 Winter Olympics take place in Beijing, China. Our new cover star Gus Kenworthy is preparing to represent Team GB at the global sporting event. Gus made a little bit of history himself back in 2015 when he became the first action sports star to come out publicly as gay. He’s gone on to be a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, and in our interview with him he reflects on the“privilege”of being an out gay athlete and getting to compete on a global stage. He also discusses how international sporting events need to do more to push for greater human rights in countries whose governments discriminate against marginalised communities within their own population. Elsewhere in this issue we take a look at the mythologising of queer history and how it can do our trail-blazing predecessors a disservice, why gender-inclusive award categories are here to stay, and we catch up with the inaugural Queen of the Universe, Grag Queen, about her historic win and what it means to her community in Brazil. We also have an interview with Drag Race executive producers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato about the beginnings and continued success of their global franchise. There is plenty of history yet to be made and pushing for a better future for LGBTQ+ people everywhere is paramount. The resilience, creativity, and perseverance of the LGBTQ+ experience throughout history is one of the greatest stories seldom told – it’s on us to make sure future school kids read about them in their textbooks.