Uncovering Hedwig.

John Cameron Mitchell, whose new movie Shortbus is the subject of this issue's cover story, appeared on the cover of The Advocate himself five years ago as an "innovator" for his bold portrayal of fictional German transsexual Hansel "Hedwig" Robinson in the movie adaptation of his successful off-Broadway hit, Hedwig and the Angry Inch. He explained that the character, who moves to the United States to become a rock star, was a symbol of personal liberation. "Hedwig uses drag conventions to sort of get through the tragedy of her life. But her main conundrum doesn't involve sexuality," he told the magazine. "It was really [about] freedom and gender and identity and wholeness."

Mitchell, who cowrote Hedwig's songs with award-winning composer Stephen Trask, also said he never worried his outre character would offend audiences, knowing that they would relate to her in spite of her unusual personality and sexually provocative scenes. "We were never apologetic about the things that are gay or particularly sensitive," he said. "There's a general rule that really makes sense, which is: The more specific you are about a person, the character, a story, the more universal it is."