Celebrate Queer Artists with These Media Outlets

If you haven't seen "Challengers," the new hit movie from queer filmmaker Luca Gaudagnino, you're missing out on a bisexual love triangle set in the cutthroat world of competitive tennis. The film stars Zendaya ("Euphoria"), Mike Faist ("West Side Story"), and Josh O'Connor ("The Crown"), with Gaudagnino in the director's chair, a lauded voice in the LGBTQ+ film and television space who is quickly establishing himself as a prominent filmmaker.

With streamers taking a bite out of the movie business, a queer-inclusive film like "Challengers" will hopefully play on a streaming service like Revry – an emerging platform for queer artists to share their work. McDonald's partnered with Revry to celebrate these LGBTQ+ artists, lift up their voices, and help queer filmmakers find audiences hungry for "Challengers" and more.

But Revry, a media company not yet 10 years old, has its work cut out for them: Fighting for a spot in the crowded and earnings-challenged streaming business. The company is capitalizing on the Gen Z market, pushing queer-focused content, and expanding to markets across the globe. "It's Pride month 365 days a year... and the rest of the world is just catching up to us," said Revry CEO and co-founder Damian Pelliccione for an interview in Forbes.

Revry's offerings include a mix of live-streamed "Fast Channels" and advertiser-supported video-on-demand programming that has been downloaded in 135 countries. The audience is over 74% 18-45-year-olds, and Revry is proud to trumpet that its dedicated users spend an average of an hour and 28 minutes daily with Revry content. In a world where global media companies seek to extend their historic franchises into connected TV, Revry is "not niche." Still, as Pellicione prefers to say, it is "specifically focused" on its audience.

That audience includes queer and diverse artists aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, a business market ripe for growth with $1 trillion in LGBTQ+ spending power. "Revry prides itself on speaking in an authentic voice to and on behalf of its audience," says Pelliccione, "one that has not historically seen itself front and center in content programming decisions in mainstream media."

In partnership with Revry, McDonald's celebrates all kinds of queer artistic expression in media. In past Pride months, the collaboration has focused on a variety show titled "Revry Presents House of Pride brought to you by McDonald's." The collaboration even showcased McDonald's commitment to creative content reflective of the queer experience. The show featured celebrity appearances, musical performances, a first-ever virtual dance club, a tutorial on vogue dancing and more. "We have brought together a community of the top LGBTQ musical artists, comedians, drag celebrities, and ballroom luminaries," said Revry's Chief Business Officer Christopher Rodriguez to Forbes, and McDonald's was "all in."

The collaboration even showcased McDonald's commitment to creative content reflective of the queer experience. The show featured celebrity appearances, musical performances, a first-ever virtual dance club, a tutorial on vogue dancing, and more. "We have brought together a community of the top LGBTQ musical artists, comedians, drag celebrities, and ballroom luminaries," said Revry's Chief Business Officer Christopher Rodriguez to Forbes, and McDonald's was "all in."

Beyond Revry, McDonald's celebrates queer artistry through partnerships like Paramount Global and Q.Digital. Paramount's parent company, Viacom, owns a portfolio of branded channels such as VH1, MTV, and Cartoon Network. McDonald's has served as sponsor for some of the programs on these channels, and works to celebrate the content that lifts up LGBTQ+ voices and stories.

Q.Digital, likewise – a portfolio of online and queer-centric publications for news, culture, travel, and more – has worked with McDonald's to trumpet LGBTQ+ talent in unique ways. There is no better example than one of Q.Digital's chief news outlets, Queerty, and its hosting of The Queerties, an annual awards show that celebrates the power of community. "Our community is really amazing because we know how to celebrate each other and lift each other up," said Kat Williamson during a red carpet interview.

Legendary queer icon Rosie O'Donnell, an honoree at the awards, echoed the sentiment: "To see these young kids who are so strong and live their life in truth, it's so unbelievably inspiring." And the awards show is a safe space for community members to be themselves. "A lot of queer people don't have a nice foundation," said nominee Sasha Colby, "or people just to feel like they belong, so that is what The Queerties is all about."

Queer representation has made huge strides in recent years, with queer filmmakers like Luca Guadagnino, artists featured on Revry, and drag queens and celebrities featured in mainstream outlets like Paramount and Q.Digital. These partnerships are part of McDonald's commitment to uplifting and amplifying the voices and stories of the LGBTQ+ community.