Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to creating visibility for diverse LGBTQIA+ stories and empower­ing tomorrow’s artists and story­tellers, announced May 17 the line­up for its second annual LGBTQIA+ television festival, The OutFronts, with presenting sponsor IMDb.

The OutFronts, a four-day hybrid festival with free-to-view, interna­tionally accessible virtual panel dis­cussions and ticketed in-person events in Los Angeles, will kick off Pride Month on Friday, June 3, with the world premiere in-person screening of the first two episodes of Peacock’s “Queer as Folk” at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel in down­town Los Angeles, with a post-screening talkback with creators and cast. The new series from cre­ator/executive producer Stephen Dunn and executive producer/writer Jaclyn Moore, is a vibrant reimagin­ing of the groundbreaking British series created by Russell T. Davies, exploring a diverse group of friends in New Orleans whose lives are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. The series stars Devin Way, Fin Argus, Jesse James Keitel, CG, Johnny Sibilly and Ryan O’Connell, and features an impres­sive roster of guest stars that includes Kim Cattrall, Juliette Lewis, Nyle DiMarco, Ed Begley Jr., Armand Fields, Eric Graise and Megan Stalter.

The OutFronts festival, which runs through Monday, June 6, will feature episodic premieres, advanced screenings and both in-person and virtual discussions with the talent from some of the most exciting LGBTQIA+ programs available on television today, with the goal of connecting the creators and stars of some of these series directly with their loyal, enthusias­tic and often under-served LGBTQIA+ fanbase.

The festival’s in-person lineup to be held at Neuehouse will give an advanced look at the third and final season premiere of Hulu and Disney+’s “Love, Victor”, followed by a discussion with the cast and creators, including showrunner Brian Tanen and stars Michael Cimino, Anthony Turpel, Bebe Wood, George Sear, Isabella Ferreira and Ava Capri moderated by Tommy Dorfman. Another in-person event features a focus on Queer Firefighters, gathering actors who play the role on TV (including “9-1-1 Lone Star’s” Brian Michael Smith and Ronen Rubinstein and “Station 19’s” Tracie Thoms) alongside real-life queer firefight­ers of Los Angeles. The OutFronts will also host icons from HBO Max’s “Legendary” for a talk-show style look back at some of the most earth-shattering moments from the show’s history, and a candid talk about all the unfolding drama of the current season.

Virtual panels include a talk on SyFy and USA Network’s “Chucky” moderated by “Hannibal” creator Bryan Fuller, with “Child’s Play” franchise cre­ator Don Mancini and cast mem­bers Jennifer Tilly, Brad Dourif, Fiona Dourif, Zackary Arthur and Bjorgvin Anarson; a one-on-one career-spanning conversation with comedy legend Paula Pell upon the release of “GIRLS5EVA” season two on Peacock; a discussion with the cast and creators of Freeform’s “Motherland: Fort Salem” advance of the series’ final season; a talk with “Gentleman Jack” creator Sally Wainwright and actor Lydia Leonard; a focused conversation with the queer talent and characters from Showtime’s smash-hit “Yellowjackets”; as well as panels featuring talent from HBOMax’s “Sort of” and “The Sex Lives of College Girls,” VH1’s RuPaul’s “Drag Race,”Prime Video’s “Harlem” and “The Wilds,” The CW’s “Tom Swift” and “The 4400,” and “High School Musical: The Musical – The Seires” from Disney Plus and Disney Branded Television.

The virtual panels will also explore themes like social media influencers who have used their clout to cross over into the acting world, including Gigi Gorgeous, Kalen Allen and Boman Martinez-Reid, a look at “TV’s Queer Pioneers,” with actors who were among the first to regularly appear as three-dimension­al queer characters on television, including Wilson Cruz, Amber Benson and Jane Sibbett; and a spot­light on actors who have created some of the most impactful queer characters of recent years, including Harvey Guillen (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Javicia Leslie (“Batwoman”), Brandon Scott Jones (“Ghosts”) and Vico Ortiz (“Our Flag Means Death”).

“After a record-breaking inau­gural year in which we saw nearly 70,000 participants and fans attend our digital event from as far as London, Brazil and Des Moines, Iowa, we are excited to offer oppor­tunities to come together in person and still provide the same high-level digital experience as last year,” Outfest executive director Damien S. Navarro said.

The OutFronts festival aims to highlight the diverse representation of LGBTQIA+ characters on screen, spanning across several genres and styles as queer and trans representation continues to increase across television and cinema. The community will have the opportu­nity to hear directly from the cre­ators of this programming and have an inside look at the process of bringing their favorite characters and stories to life.

“It’s inspiring to know that one festival couldn’t possibly cover all the wonderful LGBTQIA+ stories being told on television today,” Outfest’s director of festival pro­gramming Mike Dougherty said. “The OutFronts by no means repre­sents an exhaustive account of all that is queer in TV, but they do gather a multitude of brilliantly tal­ented queer artists and allies whose diversity of perspective and experi­ence are on full display in these funny, entertaining and emotional conversations. I can’t wait to share them with the world.”

All panel discussions will be free of charge to view online and via Outfest’s OutMuseum platform. For information visit theoutfronts.com.