Samira Wiley, Keiynan Lonsdale to Play LGBTQ+ Rights Icons in New HBO Max Show Equal

It’s not often that Hollywood chronicles the struggles and triumphs of LGBTQ+ trailblazers. But a new show soon to hit HBO Max will introduce audiences to a diverse array of activists who left remarkable legacies for LGBTQ+ people. And, yes, they’ll be portrayed by a diverse array of actors, many of whom identify as LGBTQ+.

The upcoming four-part docuseries Equal will include dramatized recreations of the subjects’ activism, alongside archival footage that will bring their stories to life. The series will squarely focus on the leaders of yesteryear, particularly leading up to and including the Stonewall Riots. Part One will examine the emergence of organizations such as the Mattachine Society and the Daughters of the Bilitis. Part Two will highlight elements of trans experiences in the 20th century, including the 1966 Compton Cafeteria Riots. Part Three will feature Black contributions to the LGBTQ+ movement as it began gaining traction. Finally, Part Four will bring everything together with a focus on Stonewall.

Among the portrayals by LGBTQ+ actors, Orange Is The New Black star Samira Wiley will play Lorraine Hansberry, writer of A Raisin in the Sun. The play, which profiled the effects of racial segregation on Black people in Chicago, became the first production on Broadway to feature work from a Black female author. Hansberry, who was a lesbian, was also one of the most powerful voices which emerged from the Civil Rights Movement.

Sense8 star Jamie Clayton will portray Christine Jorgensen, the first widely known transgender woman to have gender confirmation surgery. Jorgensen’s procedure took place in the early 1950s and attracted a smattering of publicity, making her one of the first trans celebrities. Despite her struggles, Jorgensen went on to speak at universities about her experiences and the need for trans rights, and she also worked as an actress and nightlife entertainer.

Grammy-award nominee Cheyenne Jackson will take on the role of Dale Jennings. Jennings was an activist and playwright who was one of the founding members of the Mattachine Society, which was among the nation’s earliest LGBTQ+ rights groups. Jennings also founded ONE Magazine, which was one of the first pro-LGBTQ+ publications in the United States.

And America’s Next Top Model alum Isis King will play Alexis, a character intended to be representative of those who took part in the Compton Cafeteria Riots of 1966. The uprising was one of the first known instances of LGBTQ+ people rising up against police harassment and took place three years before Stonewall.

Other actors who will appear in the Equal docuseries include Sam Pancake as activist and reporter Dick Leitsch; Keiynan Lonsdale as the visionary civil rights organizer Bayard Rustin; Jai Rodriguez as José Sarria, the nation’s first out gay political candidate; Gale Harold as Howard Smith, an Oscar-winning film director, producer, and journalist; Elizabeth Faith Ludlow as Stormé DeLarverie, an entertainer who scuffled with police at Stonewall; Cole Doman as Mark Segal, one of the founders of the Gay Liberation Front; and Hailie Sahar as Sylvia Rivera, who cofounded, along with Marsha P. Johnson, the Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries in 1970, a group dedicated to helping homeless young drag queens, queer youth, and trans women.

Equal is set to premiere in October as part of the HBO network’s celebration of LGBTQ+ History Month. Below, check out more photos from the forthcoming series.

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