LGBTQ+ Celebs Leading the Way for Positive Representation

The "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" rapper came out in a song from his debut EP, "7EP"  in 2019. To amplify his message, the artist took to Twitter to encourage folks to give the song a listen — attaching a rainbow emoji.

"Some of y'all already know, some of y'all don't care, some of y'all not gone fwm no more. but before this month end i want y'all to listen to c7osure," he tweeted. Earlier in 2021, he released the music video for "Montero" — an unabashedly (and groundbreaking) queer celebration.

In an industry where so few musicians come out as queer, it's amazing that Lil Nas X is leading the way for the LGBTQ+ community within the rap and hip hop industry. Through art, the rapper is making positive change.

Janelle Monae is a proud queer actress and musician of colour who has been frank about her pansexual identity. Monae has spoken up about what it means to be a black queer woman in today’s world and has been trending hard since her coming out in Rolling Stone in April 2018 — bringing LGBTQ+ terms into the mainstream.

An out and proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, Miley Cyrus has put her money where her mouth is on many occasions. From founding The Happy Hippie Foundation, a non-profit organization with a mission to rally folks to fight injustices against homeless youth (specifically LGBTQ+ youth) to amplifying voices for the trans community and more, Cyrus is a loud activist who won’t allow her queer identity to be erased.

Kate McKinnon began making headlines as Saturday Night Live’s first openly gay woman to join the cast — and then again when she helped deliver the comedy sketch show’s most-watched season in 23 years. Having an out lesbian play such an integral role in bringing and showing the funny to a mainstream audience helped positively promote the LGBTQ+ community and helped to normalize the kind of queer representation we needed on television.

Twilight star KStew revealed it really was a big deal when she came out back on Saturday Night Live in 2017. The actress told The Associated Press this spring that she felt “a huge responsibility” to “pick a side” regarding her sexuality — following her appearance on the funny late night show when she said: “I’m, like, so gay dude!”

While lesbians had been calling out the gay for years, Stewart was still 50 per cent of a celebrity super couple with Robert Pattinson for a long enough while — which makes sense since she’s often talking about how she finds sexuality to be fluid. In case you’re wondering, KStew identifies as bisexual.

The Hunger Games actress took home the Visibility Award at the 2019 Human Rights Campaign gala. The openly gay actress spoke on representation, advocated for more of it (for both racialized and LGBTQ+ folks) and said in her acceptance speech: "It can definitely be strange to be vulnerable in matters of personal identity when you’re navigating it in a public manner, specifically within the very straight confines of Hollywood.”

Star Trek alum George Takei is an actor, activist and influencer. With an acting career spanning more than 60 years, he’s been fighting for social justice, LGBTQ+ rights and marriage equality (back when people didn’t want the gays to wed in North America) — and using social media to raise awareness around these issues — delivering messages directly to his nine million followers on Facebook, 1.4 million Instagram followers and 3.2 million followers on Twitter.

It's been a big year for the Canadian actor. Since coming out as trans in December 2020, Page has since appeared on the cover of Time and did an in-depth interview with Oprah about his transition. The Juno star also uses public appearances as a platform to advocate for equal rights and calls out injustice when he sees it.

Laverne Cox is best known for being the first trans woman of colour to land a leading role in a scripted television series for Orange Is The New Black. But her work goes beyond the screen — Cox is a dedicated, boots-on-the-ground LGBTQ+ activist who has trailblazed for the transgender community (and collected a number of honours and awards along the way).

In addition to her activism, Cox also advocates for self-care.

The legendary Lord of the Rings actor has made headlines for launching a program to support the older LGBTQ+ community. Introducing his program for gay, lesbian, bisexual and trans folks over 50 at Pride in 2019, McKellen tackles social isolation faced by LGBTI in their older years. On screen and off, McKellen brings people together.

From wearing gender-fluid uterus suits to the Tony Awards to calling out straight actors about the “enraging” double standard (when they play gay roles) — Billy Porter is a star on the stage and new to the television world in Pose. Most recently on The Hollywood Reporter’s Actors Roundtable, he called out casting discrimination by pointing out that everyone wants to give straight men awards for playing gay — while typecasting queer folks for flamboyant parts.

From better LGBTQ+ representation in fashion to the rep everyday gays do in their daily lives, we’ve come a long way. But there’s more work to be done and we’re grateful for everyone who helps make the world a better place for all of us.