Every day during the month of June, we will be spotlighting our 2022 Logo30. This powerful series profiles ordinary and extraordinary people who show pride in unique and provocative ways. Visit the Logo30 homepage to view current and past honorees.

By Sam Manzella

Christmas 2021 was no ordinary holiday for Michael Urie. The out stage and screen actor of Ugly Betty fame broke ground as the star of Netflix’s Single All the Way, the streaming giant’s first Christmas rom-com centering a queer couple.

The heartwarming flick included cameos from iconic actresses like Jennifer Coolidge and Kathy Najimy and snatched this year’s GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie.

Asked about the importance of movies like Single All the Way, Urie likened it to how he felt the first time he watched another Netflix Original: Heartstopper, a queer teen comedy based on a graphic novel of the same name.

“I think it leads by example,” Urie tells Logo. “It's showing the world the way that it is and could be even if it's not for you. And that stuff is really important. The struggles that [our community] went through — the struggles that the people before us went through, especially — we should all devour that and take in all of that, but we also deserve to see ways in which we can thrive.”

That doesn’t mean the fight for LGBTQ liberation is over, though. The Shrinking star took a moment to recognize the ongoing battle to protect Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 Supreme Court decision that established the right to safe, legal abortions throughout the United States. With Roe’s future in flux, Urie worries about the future of other hard-won civil rights in the U.S.

“That's a big thing to focus on in 2022 — midterms and making sure that there are people looking out for our interests and the interests of the other marginalized communities,” he adds.

Learn more about Urie and the rest of our 2022 Logo30 honorees in the video below.