Actor and activist Wilson Cruz views his professional and volunteer work as intrinsically connected, aiming to empower young people, particularly those of color, to recognize their influence and potential to shape the world.
Cruz, known for his groundbreaking role as Enrique “Rickie” Vasquez on the 1994 ABC drama My So-Called Life, was the first openly gay actor to portray an openly gay lead character on U.S. primetime television. He continued to advance LGBTQ+ visibility on screen with his role in Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024), where he portrayed one half of the first same-sex couple in the franchise's history. He noted that the way LGBTQ+ individuals have been represented through television, film, and theater has contributed to shifting public perception.
Beyond his acting career, Cruz has been a longtime advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. He has held positions including board member, director of entertainment partnerships, and national spokesperson for GLAAD, and served as a field organizer for the National Gay & Lesbian Task Force. Since 2023, he has chaired the board of directors for the nonprofit Glisten (formerly GLSEN).
In his role with Glisten, Cruz supports the organization's mission to create safer K-12 school environments for LGBTQ+ students by addressing discrimination, harassment, and bullying based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. He emphasized that this work is crucial, especially given the current political climate, where, according to the ACLU, 529 active bills in the U.S. target LGBTQ+ rights through measures such as curriculum censorship and bans on gender-affirming care.
Cruz expressed optimism about the future, believing that current challenges will foster significant and lasting change. He stated his confidence that society will not only recover from this period but will also build something new and improved, driven by necessity. He concluded by highlighting the importance of safe classrooms in empowering young people to create the communities they deserve.