Actor and producer Jim Parsons, best known for his award-winning role on The Big Bang Theory, is continuing his plight to bring a more diverse lineup of LGBTIQ+ centred stories to TV.
With his production company, That’s Wonderful Productions, Parsons Special, written by and starring Ryan O'Connell, which told the autobiographical story of a young gay man on the spectrum of disability.
Based on O'Connell's memoir about living with cerebral palsy, titled 'I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves', the series was celebrated by members of the LGBTIQ+ community and went on to be nominated for an Emmy award.
Now Parsons is teaming up with American writer, producer, and film director Greg Berlanti - the man behind Love, Simon - to produce a new four-part series titled Equal.
The series, which will be comprised of hour-long episodes, is expected to tell the stories of lesser-known figures involved in the equal rights movement, culminating in the Stonewall riots.
In a statement, Jennifer O’Connell, EVP of Original Non-fiction and Kids Programming at HBO Max said: “In June, we commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which shepherded in a new era for LGBTIQ+ pride.
“While we know the story behind that fateful summer night, there’s a lot of fascinating, untold history of the patriots, artists, and thinkers who paved the way.
“It’s time to share their heroic tales, and we could not have more perfect partners in Jim Parsons, Greg Berlanti, Jon Jashni and Scout [Productions] to introduce our HBO Max audience to these historical trailblazers.”
Figures to be covered in the series prominent gay rights activist Harry Hay, trans woman Christine Jorgensen, and civil rights activist Bayard Rustin.
