EXCLUSIVE: Outfest has today unveiled the lineup for the third edition of its LGBTQ+ TV festival Outfronts, a four-day virtual gathering to take place this year from June 2-5.
The lineup for the festival, aiming to highlight the diverse representation of LGBTQ+ characters on screen, includes panels with the stars of Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, Max’s Our Flag Means Death and Prime Video’s With Love, as well as the creators and cast of both Somebody Somewhere (HBO) and The Other Two (Max), and the writer-director and stars of NBC’s Quantum Leap revival, who discuss its episode “Let Them Play.” Also to be highlighted is a talk with Raina Deerwater, one of the architects of GLAAD’s 2022-2023 Where We Are On TV report, as well as Ian Carlos Crawford and Monica Monroe, about the future of LGBTQIA+ representation in television.
Panels will be available to stream free of charge online and via Outfest’s Outfest+ platform. Those interested can RSVP here.
“With Outfronts now in our third year, we are committed to continuing to build platforms and spaces where we can raise awareness of the importance of having LGBTQ+ stories and characters represented on television,” said Outfest’s Executive Director, Damien Navarro, “especially when it seems that the industry is lagging behind.”
View the full lineup for this festival put on by the L.A.-based nonprofit, devoted to uplifting global Queer and Trans creators in the entertainment industry, below.
Our Flag Means Death – Premieres Friday, June 2nd @ 8am PT
Cast members from Max’s groundbreaking action comedy series reflect on Season 1’s unique and totally surprising queer flavor, from genuine gay romance to swashbuckling non-binary pirates.
Moderated by Dana Piccoli with panelists Rhys Darby, Taika Waititi, Nathan Foad, Vico Ortiz, and Con O’Neill
With Love Season 2 – Premieres Friday, June 2nd @ 8am PT
With Love is a romantic dramedy centered on siblings Lily and Jorge Diaz as they navigate big life changes and rely on their equally big family to get them through. As Season 2 begins, we’re joined by cast members Isis King and Vincent Rodriguez to talk about the show’s authenticity when it comes to queerness, and what’s in store for their characters this time around.
Moderated by Tre Wesley from IMDb with panelists Isis King & Vincent Rodriguez III
Quantum Leap – Premieres Friday, June 2nd @ 8am PT
Recorded live at the 2023 Outfest Fusion QTBIPOC Film Festival, the creative team behind NBC’s Quantum Leap “Let Them Play” episode shares how they brought current trans issues to primetime television and created an impactful episode that sheds light on the ongoing conversation about trans kids in sports. **RECORDED IN APRIL 2023 PRIOR TO THE WGA STRIKE**
Moderated by Alex Schmider (Producer; Director of Transgender Representation at GLAAD) with panelists Shakina (Director & Writer of “Let Them Play” Episode), and actors Mason Alexander Park, Josielyn Aguilera, and Trace Lysette.
Somebody Somewhere – Premieres Friday, June 2nd @ 8am PT
SOMEBODY SOMEWHERE follows Sam (Bridget Everett), a true Kansan on the surface, but, beneath it all, struggling to fit the hometown mold. Grappling with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders who don’t fit in but don’t give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. In this panel, the cast and creators discuss how Season 2 reminds us that families are hard, even the fun ones. Sam and Joel (Jeff Hiller) have settled into a comfy routine. But nothing stays the same forever. **RECORDED IN APRIL 2023 PRIOR TO THE WGA STRIKE**
Moderated by Queerty’s Cameron Scheetz with panelists Bridget Everett (“Sam” / Writer / EP), Jeff Hiller (“Joel”), Mary Catherine Garrison (“Tricia”), Murray Hill (“Fred Rococo”), Hannah Bos (Co-creator / Writer / EP) and Paul Thureen (Co-creator / Writer / EP).
9-1-1: Lone Star – Premieres Sunday, June 4th @ 8am PT
In the wake of this season’s big Tarlos wedding, three of the actors behind some of the most beloved characters on network TV join TVLine’s Andy Swift to discuss how their characters have grown over four seasons, and what the future might hold in Ryan Murphy’s ever-eventful firehouse procedural.
Moderated by TVLine’s Andy Swift with panelists Ronen Rubinstein, Rafael Silva, Brian Michael Smith
The Other Two – Premieres Sunday, June 4th @ 8am PT
The entire hilarious ensemble, as well as the show’s creators, join us to give a tour through Season 3’s even more bizarre send-up of show business, the fame game, and social media stardom. **RECORDED IN APRIL 2023 PRIOR TO THE WGA STRIKE**
Moderated by Ryan Mitchell with panelists Heléne Yorke, Drew Tarver, Molly Shannon, Case Walker, Ken Marino, Josh Segarra and Brandon Scott Jones.
“Cancel Your Gays”: The Rough Television Landscape for Queer and Trans Stories – Topic Panel – Premieres Sunday, June 4th @ 8am PT
GLAAD’s 2022-2023 Where We Are on TV Report, released in March of this year, noted an alarming downward trend of LGBTQIA+ characters appearing on television, and even more troublingly, delivered the news that nearly 30% of the current queer and trans characters on TV would disappear from screens within the next year. Queer fandoms are no strangers to their favorite shows getting canceled (RIP A League Of Their Own, Queer As Folk, First Kill, and on and on…), their beloved characters being killed off, and intense devotion to a series being rewarded with a network giving no opportunity for a fanbase to grow and flourish. So what’s the deal? Journalist Dana Piccoli talks with one of the architect’s of GLAAD’s report, Raina Deerwater, along with key figures in queer TV fandom to explore the future landscape for queer stories on TV in the face of seeming indifference, and an unprecedented battle for fairness in work and pay for queer creatives.
Moderator Dana Piccoli and panelists Raina Deerwater (GLAAD), Ian Carlos Crawford, Monica Monroe
