π Adam Lambert (29/01/1982 - )  Gay pop-rock star whose visibility helped broaden LGBTQ acceptance in mainstream entertainment. View details
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π Alan Turing (23/06/1912 - 07/06/1954)  WWII codebreaker and pioneer of modern computing. View details
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π Alison Bechdel (10/09/1960 - )
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π Alok Vaid-Menon (01/07/1991 - )  Gender-nonconforming performer whose advocacy and art increased acceptance of gender diversity worldwide. View details
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π Andrew Scott (21/10/1976 - )
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π Andy Warhol (06/08/1928 - 22/02/1987)  American artist and queer cultural icon whose Pop Art and Factory scene reshaped LGBTQ visibility in modern art. View details
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π Angela Davis (26/01/1944 - )  Scholar and activist known for work on civil rights, prisons, and social justice. View details
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π Angelica Ross (14/11/1980 - )  Actor and entrepreneur advocating for trans rights. View details
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π Annie Leibovitz (02/10/1949 - )  American photographer and LGBTQ cultural figure, known for intimate portraits and her long relationship with Susan Sontag. View details
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π April Ashley (29/04/1935 - 27/12/2021)  Model and one of the earliest British trans women in the public eye. View details
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π Arca (14/10/1989 - )  Trans musician whose experimental work and visibility advanced gender-nonconforming representation in music. View details
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π Arlo Parks (09/08/2000 - )  Queer singer-songwriter whose work highlights LGBTQ intimacy and mental health in modern pop. View details
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π Armistead Maupin (13/05/1944 - )  Author of Tales of the City and chronicler of queer life. View details
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π Asia Kate Dillon (15/11/1984 - )  Non-binary actor whose prominent roles expanded mainstream understanding of non-binary identity. View details
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π Audre Lorde (18/02/1934 - 17/11/1992)  Poet and activist who shaped Black feminist and queer thought. View details
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 Trans Latina activist and community leader whose organising advanced health and rights for trans people. View details
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π Barbara Gittings (31/07/1932 - 18/02/2007)  Lesbian rights pioneer whose organising and visibility campaigns helped catalyse modern LGBTQ equality movements. View details
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π Barbara Jordan (21/02/1936 - 17/01/1996)  Civil-rights leader and U.S. congresswoman known for powerful constitutional speeches. View details
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π Bayard Rustin (17/03/1912 - 24/08/1987)  Civil-rights strategist and lead organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. View details
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π Bayard Taylor (11/01/1825 - 19/12/1878)  Poet and diplomat whose letters suggest same-sex relationships. View details
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π Bessie Smith (15/04/1894 - 26/09/1937)  Influential blues singer who was openly bisexual. View details
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π Beverly Glenn-Copeland (01/06/1944 - )  Singer and composer who came out as trans later in life. View details
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π Big Freedia (28/01/1978 - )  Bounce music star and LGBTQ icon whose gender expression and visibility expanded queer representation in hip-hop culture. View details
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π Billie Jean King (22/11/1943 - )  Tennis legend and equality advocate in sports and society. View details
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π Billy Porter (21/09/1969 - )  Actor and singer known for challenging gender norms in fashion. View details
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π Billy Strayhorn (29/11/1915 - 31/05/1967)  Composer and jazz legend who collaborated with Duke Ellington. View details
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π Boy George (14/06/1961 - )  English singer and style icon, frontman of Culture Club, known for androgynous fashion and chart-topping 1980s hits. View details
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π Candy Darling (24/11/1944 - 21/03/1974)
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π Cara Delevingne (12/08/1992 - )  English model and actor, queer icon whose openness as pansexual and genderfluid broadened LGBTQ visibility in fashion and film. View details
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π CeCe McDonald (12/02/1989 - )  Trans justice advocate whose case and organising strengthened trans rights and abolitionist movements. View details
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π Chaz Bono (04/03/1969 - )  American transgender activist and cultural figure whose visibility advanced understanding and acceptance of trans identities. View details
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π Chely Wright (25/10/1970 - )  Country music singer who came out publicly in 2010. View details
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π Cherrie Moraga (25/09/1952 - )
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π Christine and the Queens (01/06/1988 - )
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π Christine Jorgensen (30/05/1926 - 03/05/1989)  One of the first Americans to become widely known for gender-affirming surgery. View details
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π Christopher Isherwood (26/08/1904 - 04/01/1986)
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π Clea DuVall (25/09/1977 - )  American actor-director and lesbian icon whose work and visibility helped strengthen LGBTQ representation in film and television. View details
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π Courtney Act (18/02/1982 - )  Drag performer and LGBTQ advocate whose media work promoted queer acceptance and equality. View details
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π Cynthia Nixon (09/04/1966 - )  American actor and queer icon whose public life and advocacy increased LGBTQ visibility in mainstream culture and politics. View details
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π Dan Levy (09/08/1983 - )  Queer creator whose work helped normalise LGBTQ joy and love in mainstream television. View details
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π David Bowie (08/01/1947 - 10/01/2016)  Musician whose gender expression influenced queer culture. View details
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π David Sedaris (26/12/1956 - )  American humorist and gay icon whose essays and storytelling brought queer life into mainstream literary culture. View details
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π Del Martin (05/05/1921 - 27/08/2008)
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π Derek Jarman (31/01/1942 - 19/02/1994)  British filmmaker and gay icon whose AIDS-era art and activism shaped queer cinema and culture. View details
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π Divine (19/10/1945 - 07/03/1988)
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π Dora Richter (16/04/1891 - 26/04/1966)  One of the earliest known trans women to undergo surgery. View details
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π Ed Wood (10/10/1924 - 10/12/1978)
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π Edith Windsor (20/06/1929 - )  Lesbian rights icon whose case helped bring marriage equality to the United States. View details
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π Edmund White (13/01/1940 - )
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π Ellen DeGeneres (26/01/1958 - )  Comedian and TV host whose coming out advanced LGBTQ+ visibility. View details
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π Elliot Page (21/02/1987 - )  Actor and producer who publicly came out as transgender. View details
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π Elton John (25/03/1947 - )
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π Emma Donoghue (24/10/1969 - )  Author of Room and writer of historical queer fiction. View details
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π Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick (02/05/1950 - )  Foundational queer theorist whose writings reshaped how sexuality is studied in culture and literature. View details
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π Fallon Fox (29/11/1975 - )  Trans MMA fighter whose career pushed public debate on trans athletes and visibility in combat sports. View details
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π Federico Garcia Lorca (05/06/1898 - 19/08/1936)  Spanish poet and playwright executed during the Spanish Civil War. View details
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π FΓ©lix GonzΓ‘lez-Torres (26/11/1957 - 09/01/1996)  Cuban-American gay artist whose conceptual work, shaped by AIDS, became central to queer contemporary art. View details
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π Frank Kameny (21/05/1925 - 11/10/2011)  Gay rights pioneer who challenged state discrimination and helped build the early US LGBTQ civil rights movement. View details
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π Frank Ocean (28/10/1987 - )  American singer-songwriter and queer icon whose openness helped expand LGBTQ visibility and representation in popular music. View details
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π Freddie Mercury (05/09/1946 - 24/11/1991)  Queen frontman and one of the most influential singers in rock. View details
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π Frida Kahlo (06/07/1907 - 13/07/1954)  Painter known for groundbreaking self-portraits and bisexual identity. View details
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π George Michael (25/06/1963 - 25/12/2016)  Pop musician who became an LGBTQ+ icon after coming out publicly. View details
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π George Takei (20/04/1937 - )  Actor and activist known for LGBTQ+ advocacy and speaking on incarceration history. View details
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π Georgina Beyer (27/11/1957 - 06/03/2023)  Trans political pioneer, first openly trans MP, who advanced LGBTQ and sex-worker rights through legislation. View details
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π Gertrude Stein (03/02/1874 - 27/07/1946)  Writer and art patron at the center of Parisian modernism. View details
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π Gigi Gorgeous (20/04/1992 - )  Trans creator whose online visibility helped mainstream trans narratives for a new generation. View details
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π Gladys Bentley (12/08/1907 - 18/01/1960)  Harlem Renaissance performer who defied gender norms. View details
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π Glenn Burke (16/11/1952 - 30/05/1995)
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π Gloria Anzaldua (26/09/1942 - 15/05/2004)  Scholar whose work bridged queer theory and Chicana feminism. View details
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π Hannah Gadsby (12/01/1978 - )  Australian comedian and non-binary queer icon whose work broadened LGBTQ visibility through candid storytelling and critique. View details
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π Harvey Milk (22/05/1930 - 27/11/1978)  One of the first openly gay elected officials in the U.S. and a movement icon. View details
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π Hayley Kiyoko (03/04/1991 - )  Musician and actor known as a modern lesbian pop icon. View details
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π Ian McKellen (25/05/1939 - )
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π Indya Moore (17/01/1995 - )  Actor and model advocating for trans and nonbinary visibility. View details
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π Jack Halberstam (15/12/1961 - )  Transmasculine scholar whose work influenced contemporary thinking on gender, sexuality, and queer culture. View details
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π Jack Wrangler (11/01/1946 - 07/04/2009)  Actor and performer prominent in queer theater. View details
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π James Baldwin (02/08/1924 - 01/12/1987)  Writer whose work examined race, sexuality, and American power structures. View details
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π James Barry (01/01/1789 - 25/07/1865)
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π James Beard (05/05/1903 - 21/01/1985)  Chef and writer who helped define modern American cuisine. View details
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π James Dean (08/02/1931 - 30/09/1955)  Actor and cultural icon often discussed as bisexual. View details
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π Janelle Monae (01/12/1985 - )  Musician and actor who advocates for queer visibility and identifies as nonbinary. View details
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π Janet Mock (10/03/1983 - )  Writer and producer advocating for transgender women of color. View details
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π Jason Sutton (Miss Jason) (27/02/1968 - 22/04/2024)  Jason Sutton, also known under his stage name as Miss Jason, was an English actor, comedian, drag artist, pantomime dame, and a community and philanthropic activist. View details
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π Jazz Jennings (06/10/2000 - )  Trans activist and media figure whose early visibility helped shift public understanding of trans youth. View details
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π Jean-Michel Basquiat (22/12/1960 - 12/08/1988)  Influential artist whose work explored race, power, and identity. View details
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π Jennie Livingston (24/02/1963 - )  Director of Paris Is Burning documenting ballroom culture. View details
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π Jodie Foster (19/11/1962 - )  American actor-director and lesbian icon whose acclaimed career and public visibility strengthened LGBTQ representation in film. View details
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π John Waters (22/04/1946 - )  Queer filmmaker whose transgressive cinema and champions of drag shaped LGBTQ counterculture. View details
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π Jonathan Groff (26/03/1985 - )  Gay actor whose Broadway and screen success increased LGBTQ visibility in mainstream theatre and TV. View details
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π Jonathan Van Ness (28/03/1987 - )  American non-binary TV personality and LGBTQ icon whose visibility on Queer Eye broadened acceptance of gender diversity. View details
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π JosΓ© Sarria (12/12/1922 - 19/08/2013)  Drag performer and one of the first openly gay political candidates. View details
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π Josephine Baker (03/06/1906 - 12/04/1975)  Performer and civil-rights activist; a queer cultural icon. View details
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π Judith Butler (24/02/1956 - )  Queer theorist whose work on gender and performativity shaped LGBTQ scholarship and activism. View details
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 Transfeminist writer and bi icon whose work on transmisogyny influenced LGBTQ thought and activism. View details
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π Justin Vivian Bond (03/02/1963 - )  Performance artist and gender-nonconforming icon. View details
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π K.D. Lang (02/11/1961 - )  Canadian singer-songwriter and lesbian icon whose artistry and visibility helped expand LGBTQ representation in music. View details
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π Kara Swisher (11/12/1962 - )  Lesbian journalist whose influence in tech media increased LGBTQ visibility in a major industry. View details
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π Kate Bornstein (15/03/1948 - )
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π Kate McKinnon (06/01/1984 - )  American comedian and lesbian icon whose mainstream visibility helped widen LGBTQ representation in TV and popular culture. View details
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π Kathy Kozachenko (11/03/1953 - )  First openly lesbian elected official in the U.S. View details
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π Kehlani (24/04/1995 - )  Queer R&B star whose openness helped normalise fluid sexuality in mainstream music. View details
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π Keith Haring (04/05/1958 - 16/02/1990)  Artist whose work addressed sexuality, AIDS, and social justice. View details
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π Kim Petras (27/08/1992 - )  Pop singer and first openly trans woman to win a Grammy. View details
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π Klaus Nomi (24/01/1944 - 06/08/1983)  Avant-garde singer and cult figure of the New Wave era. View details
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π Lana Wachowski (21/06/1965 - )  Filmmaker whose work is widely interpreted through a trans lens. View details
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π Langston Hughes (01/02/1902 - 22/05/1967)  Harlem Renaissance poet and writer; widely discussed as a queer cultural figure. View details
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π Larry Kramer (25/06/1935 - 27/05/2020)
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π Laura Jane Grace (08/11/1980 - )  Trans punk icon whose music and openness advanced trans visibility in alternative rock. View details
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π Laverne Cox (29/05/1972 - )  Transgender actress and advocate for trans rights and visibility. View details
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π Lea T (19/02/1981 - )  Trans model whose high-fashion visibility helped normalise trans presence in global fashion media. View details
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π Lee Mokobe (19/11/1992 - )  Poet and performer speaking on nonbinary identity. View details
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π Leigh Bowery (26/03/1961 - 31/12/1994)  Australian performance artist and queer icon whose radical fashion and body art reshaped LGBTQ expression and club culture. View details
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π Lena Waithe (17/05/1984 - )  American writer-producer and lesbian icon whose Emmy-winning work increased LGBTQ visibility and storytelling on television. View details
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π Leonard Bernstein (25/08/1918 - 14/10/1990)  Composer and conductor who shaped American classical music. View details
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π Leslie Feinberg (01/09/1949 - 18/11/2014)  Writer and activist known for transgender liberation and Stone Butch Blues. View details
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 Trans athlete whose participation sparked global debate and intensified focus on trans inclusion in sport. View details
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π Lil Nas X (09/04/1999 - )  Musician who challenged norms by being openly gay in hip-hop. View details
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π Lilly Wachowski (29/12/1967 - )  Filmmaker and co-creator of The Matrix who is openly transgender. View details
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π Lily Tomlin (01/09/1939 - )  American actor-comedian and LGBTQ icon whose long partnership with Jane Wagner and visibility broadened queer representation. View details
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π Lorraine Hansberry (19/05/1930 - 12/01/1965)  Playwright whose work explored race and queer identity. View details
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π Lou Sullivan (16/06/1951 - 02/03/1991)  Trans activist who challenged medical gatekeeping. View details
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π Louise Fitzhugh (04/10/1928 - 19/11/1974)  Author of Harriet the Spy and lesbian literary figure. View details
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π Magnus Hirschfeld (14/05/1868 - 14/05/1935)  Physician and early advocate for homosexual and trans rights. View details
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π Maisie Trollette (15/08/1933 - 12/03/2025)  David Raven, better known by the stage name Maisie Trollette, was a British drag queen who was active for more than 50 years. One of the oldest working drag queens in the world, she was a regular feature of Brighton Pride from 1973. View details
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π Margaret Cho (05/12/1968 - )  Comedian and outspoken LGBTQ+ ally and bisexual icon. View details
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π Marlene Dietrich (27/12/1901 - 06/05/1992)  German-born actress and bisexual icon whose gender-defying style and openness influenced queer culture and representation. View details
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π Marsha P. Johnson (24/08/1945 - 06/07/1992)  Stonewall-era activist and advocate for trans liberation and the unhoused. View details
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π Martina Navratilova (18/10/1956 - )  Czech-born tennis champion and lesbian icon whose openness and activism advanced LGBTQ visibility in professional sport. View details
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π Mary Renault (04/09/1905 - 13/12/1983)
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π Maud Allan (27/06/1873 - 07/10/1956)
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π Megan Rapinoe (05/07/1985 - )  Soccer champion and advocate for LGBTQ+ and gender equality. View details
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π Melissa Etheridge (29/05/1961 - )  Lesbian rock icon whose coming out and activism strengthened LGBTQ visibility in mainstream music. View details
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π Michaela JaΓ© Rodriguez (07/01/1991 - )  Trans actress and LGBTQ icon whose leading roles helped transform trans representation in television. View details
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π Munroe Bergdorf (11/09/1987 - )  Trans activist and model whose public advocacy challenged discrimination and increased trans visibility in the UK. View details
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π Neil Patrick Harris (15/06/1973 - )  Actor known for stage and screen work and LGBTQ+ visibility. View details
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π Nicola Adams (26/10/1982 - )  Lesbian boxing champion whose success and visibility helped normalise LGBTQ athletes in elite sport. View details
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π Nicole Maines (07/10/1997 - )  Trans actor and activist whose roles and advocacy expanded trans representation in TV and comics. View details
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π Nikkie de Jager (02/03/1994 - )  Trans beauty influencer whose coming out amplified global trans visibility in digital culture. View details
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π Octavia St. Laurent (16/03/1964 - 03/04/2020)
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π Olly Alexander (15/07/1990 - )  Gay pop artist and actor whose openness and work on queer themes boosted LGBTQ visibility in UK culture. View details
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π Oscar Wilde (16/10/1854 - 30/11/1900)  Irish writer whose works and life became central to queer literary history. View details
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π Pabllo Vittar (01/11/1993 - )  Brazilian drag superstar whose global success increased LGBTQ visibility in pop culture. View details
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π Pangina Heals (22/07/1988 - )  Thai drag icon and advocate whose international platform boosted LGBTQ visibility in Asia and beyond. View details
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π Patricia Highsmith (19/01/1921 - 04/02/1995)  Crime novelist best known for The Talented Mr. Ripley. View details
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π Patrick Califia ( - )  Writer and trans activist whose work influenced queer sexuality discourse and transmasculine visibility. View details
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π Paul Lynde (13/01/1926 - 10/01/1982)
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π Pauli Murray (20/11/1910 - 01/07/1985)  Civil-rights lawyer and early gender-equality theorist. View details
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π Pedro Zamora (29/02/1972 - 11/11/1994)  AIDS educator who humanized HIV on television and promoted prevention and compassion. View details
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π Peppermint (31/01/1980 - )  Trans entertainer and activist whose mainstream platform advanced trans visibility and community advocacy. View details
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π Peter Hujar (11/10/1934 - 26/11/1987)  Photographer documenting queer life in New York. View details
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π Peter Tatchell (25/01/1952 - )
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π Phil Starr (31/03/1932 - 18/10/2005)  Phil Starr, birth name Arthur James Fuller, was a gay cabaret comedian, singer, mainstay and regular feature of the London and English south coast gay scene during a career spanning from the 1950s. View details
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π Phoebe Bridgers (17/08/1994 - )  Indie musician who openly identifies as bisexual. View details
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π Phoebe Waller-Bridge (14/07/1985 - )
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π Phyll Opoku-Gyimah ( - )  UK activist who founded UK Black Pride, expanding visibility and community support for Black LGBTQ people. View details
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π Phyllis Lyon (10/11/1924 - 09/04/2020)
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π Quentin Crisp (26/12/1908 - 21/11/1999)  Quentin Crisp was an English writer, raconteur, and flamboyant gay icon known for wit, candour, and defiant individuality. View details
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π Rachel Levine (28/10/1957 - )  Trans public health leader and visibility figure whose federal role marked a milestone for trans representation. View details
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π Rachel Maddow (01/04/1973 - )  Broadcast journalist known for political commentary and public LGBTQ+ visibility. View details
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π Radclyffe Hall (12/08/1880 - 07/10/1943)
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π Rainer Werner Fassbinder (31/05/1945 - 10/06/1982)
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π Rebecca Sugar (09/07/1987 - )  Non-binary creator whose storytelling brought queer themes to childrenβs animation and mainstream TV. View details
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π Rene Crevel (10/08/1900 - 18/06/1935)  Surrealist writer who lived openly as a gay man. View details
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π Renee Richards (15/08/1934 - )  Tennis player and ophthalmologist who fought for trans inclusion. View details
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π Ricky Martin (24/12/1971 - )  Pop star who publicly came out and advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. View details
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π Romy Haag (01/01/1948 - )
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π Rosa Bonheur (16/03/1822 - 25/05/1899)  French painter who lived openly with her female partner. View details
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π Roxane Gay (15/10/1974 - )  American writer and bisexual icon whose essays and cultural criticism amplified LGBTQ visibility and conversations on identity. View details
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π RuPaul (17/11/1960 - )  Drag performer and media figure who popularized drag worldwide. View details
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π Ruth Coker Burks (21/07/1959 - )  AIDS activist who cared for dying patients abandoned by families. View details
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π Sally Ride (26/05/1951 - 23/07/2012)  First American woman in space; later recognized as a lesbian icon. View details
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π Sam Smith (19/05/1992 - )  Singer-songwriter who publicly identifies as nonbinary. View details
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π Samuel R. Delany (01/04/1942 - )  Black gay author whose groundbreaking fiction and essays expanded queer visibility in literature and criticism. View details
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π Sandi Toksvig (03/05/1958 - )  Lesbian broadcaster whose public visibility and advocacy supported LGBTQ equality and representation. View details
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π Sandy Stone (26/01/1936 - )  Trans scholar influential in transgender studies. View details
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π Sara Quin (19/09/1980 - )  Queer musician whose work and advocacy with Tegan and Sara advanced LGBTQ youth support and visibility. View details
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π Sarah McBride (09/08/1990 - )  First openly transgender state senator in the U.S. View details
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π Sarah Paulson (17/12/1974 - )
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π Sarah Schulman (28/05/1958 - )  Queer writer and AIDS activist whose work preserved ACT UP history and advanced LGBTQ cultural politics. View details
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π Schuyler Bailar ( - )  Trans athlete and speaker whose visibility advanced conversations on trans inclusion in sport and education. View details
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π Seal (19/02/1963 - )
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π SOPHIE (17/09/1986 - 30/01/2021)  Scottish trans artist and producer whose sound reshaped pop and expanded trans visibility in music. View details
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π Stephen Fry (24/08/1957 - )
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π Stephen Sondheim (22/03/1930 - )  Gay theatre giant whose work influenced generations, including queer artists and audiences across musical theatre. View details
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π StormΓ© DeLarverie (24/12/1920 - 24/05/2014)  Butch lesbian and gender-nonconforming icon linked to Stonewall, famed for protecting queer communities. View details
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π Susan Stryker (07/07/1961 - )  Trans historian and lesbian trans icon who helped found transgender studies and preserve trans history. View details
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 Queer musician and producer whose work expanded LGBTQ visibility in R&B and alternative pop. View details
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π Sylvia Rivera (02/07/1951 - 19/02/2002)  Stonewall veteran and organizer who fought for trans and homeless youth. View details
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π Tegan Quin (19/09/1980 - )  Queer musician whose work and advocacy with Tegan and Sara advanced LGBTQ youth support and visibility. View details
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π Tom Daley (21/05/1994 - )  Olympic diver and LGBTQ+ role model with prominent public advocacy. View details
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π Tom Ford (27/08/1961 - )  American fashion designer and gay icon whose high-profile career and visibility influenced LGBTQ representation in style and media. View details
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π Tommy Dorfman (13/05/1992 - )
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 Trans filmmaker and artist documenting Black trans history and strengthening cultural memory within LGBTQ communities. View details
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π Tove Jansson (09/08/1914 - 27/06/2001)  Creator of the Moomins and an influential lesbian artist and writer. View details
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π Valentina Sampaio (10/12/1996 - )  Trans model and visibility figure whose milestones broadened trans representation in mainstream fashion. View details
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π Virginia Woolf (25/01/1882 - 28/03/1941)  Modernist writer whose work explored gender, sexuality, and identity. View details
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π Wanda Sykes (07/03/1964 - )  American comedian and lesbian icon whose public visibility and advocacy helped expand LGBTQ representation in mainstream entertainment. View details
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π Wendy Carlos (14/11/1939 - )  Trans composer whose electronic music innovations and visibility made her a landmark trans cultural figure. View details
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π Willow Pill (22/01/1995 - )  Drag performer and winner of RuPaulβs Drag Race. View details
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π Zoe Leonard (06/10/1961 - )  Artist and AIDS activist known for conceptual photography. View details
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