The Real World: Queer Visibility and Cultural Change
< All Events
Where |
Annenberg Theater
|
|---|---|
When |
October 3, 11:00am - 12:15pm |
Where |
Annenberg Theater
|
|---|---|
When |
October 3, 11:00am - 12:15pm |
Pedro Zamora changed what millions of Americans understood about queer life, love, and living with HIV/AIDS.
Through his groundbreaking appearance on MTV’s The Real World in 1994, the Cuban American educator and activist brought visibility, urgency, and humanity to television at a pivotal moment in American culture.
Join The Real World creator Jonathan Murray and cast member and author Judd Winick for a conversation moderated by Karen Tongson, the Barbra Streisand Professor of Contemporary Gender Studies at USC.
Through archival footage and personal reflection, they will explore Zamora’s enduring legacy and the power of representation to challenge assumptions, create connection, and shape cultural change.
Portrait of Sean Sasser and Pedro Zamora, Courtesy of Judd Winick
Pedro Zamora’s Legacy
Pedro Zamora joined The Real World knowing that television could carry his message about HIV/AIDS further than he could through public speaking alone. During the series, viewers witnessed his relationship with Sean Sasser and their historic commitment ceremony, the first between a same sex couple broadcast on television.
Zamora died at age 22, hours after the season finale aired, but his courage and advocacy continue to influence LGBTQ+ representation and HIV/AIDS education.
Moderator - Karen Tongson
Karen Tongson is the Barbra Streisand Professor of Contemporary Gender Studies at USC and directs the Consortium for Gender, Sexuality, Race and Public Culture. She is the award-winning author of Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us, Why Karen Carpenter Matters, and Relocations: Queer Suburban Imaginaries, and a recipient of the Lambda Literary Jeanne Córdova Award for Lesbian/Queer Nonfiction.
Jonathan Murray
Jonathan Murray is the cofounder of Bunim/Murray Productions and, alongside his late producing partner, Mary-Ellis Bunim, is widely credited with helping usher in the modern reality television genre. Since launching MTV’s The Real World in 1992, he has created and executive produced some of the industry’s most innovative unscripted programs, winning Emmy Awards for Born This Way, Autism: The Musical, Starting Over, and Valerie’s Home Cooking. He was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2012 and serves on the board of Palm Springs Art Museum.
Judd Winick
Judd Winick is a cartoonist and creator of the award-winning, New York Times bestselling Hilo series and its spinoff, The Mighty. He has written superhero comics including Batman, Green Lantern, and Green Arrow, and created the Cartoon Network series The Life and Times of Juniper Lee. Winick and his wife, Pam Ling, were cast members of MTV’s The Real World: San Francisco. He is also the author of the acclaimed graphic novel Pedro and Me, which chronicles his friendship with his roommate, AIDS educator and activist Pedro Zamora.
Image Courtesy of Corey Murphy
About The Real World
Premiering on MTV in 1992, The Real World helped define reality television by bringing together young adults from different backgrounds and documenting their lives, relationships, and conflicts.
The series introduced millions of viewers to people and experiences rarely represented on television, creating conversations about identity, race, sexuality, politics, and social change.
Q+ Art
More to See
Nickerson-Rossi Dance: The Male Aesthetic
Palm Springs Art Museum
November 4, 2026
Pride at Palm Springs Art Museum
Palm Springs Art Museum
November 5, 2026
Q+ Art Award Presentation & Dinner
Palm Springs Art Museum
November 14, 2026
Day With(out) Art 2026: seeds in a dying colony
Palm Springs Art Museum
December 3, 2026
