As it is LGBTQ+ History Month, it is more important than ever to remember that much of the widespread inclusion and positivity we now see within media and the arts has been down to many influential LGBTQ+ individuals. Throughout history, members of the LGBTQ+ have fought for acceptance, inclusion and a chance to tell stories and share experiences from LGBTQ+ perspectives; enriching, entertaining and educating audiences all over the world.
To celebrate the more diverse world the community has given us, here are some of the most prolific LGBTQ+ creatives from across history whose works have opened doors, sparked discussions, and changed attitudes regarding LGBTQ+ issues and culture.
Cara Delevingne
After rising to fame throughout the 2010s, Cara has become one of the most well known faces of the fashion industry and has modelled for brands including Burberry, Chanel, Oscar de la Renta, Fendi and Stella McCartney, amongst others. Delevingne has long identified as bisexual, and pansexual, and in 2018 also came out as gender-fluid. Bisexual erasure has long been a common problem both out of and even within the LGBTQ+ community, so seeing a figure as prominent and successful as Cara proudly waving the flag for bisexuality has helped increase visibility and empower countless young bisexual and pansexual people across the world.
Elliot Page
One of the most prolific actors in the world right now, Elliot Page has been a prominent figure in the film industry since he was 10 years old and is known for films and TV series such as Pit Pony, Hard Candy, Juno, Inception, the X-Men franchise and The Umbrella Academy. On December 1st 2020 Page came out as transgender after partially being prompted by both the COVID-19 pandemic and the increasing anti-trans rhetoric and propaganda within politics and the media. Page would go on to appear on the cover of Time magazine in March/April 2021, becoming the first ever openly trans man to do so. He has also received numerous awards and nominations over the course of his career including Academy Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Emmy Awards.
Troye Sivan
After building up an audience on YouTube during the start of his career, Troye has gone on to become one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ musicians of the 21st Century. Sivan began his career as a child actor in the late 2000s before he began creating vlogs on YouTube in 2012. He quickly grew a large, dedicated audience and on August 7th 2013 came out as gay in a video uploaded to his channel which has since amassed 8.8 million views. Since then he has had a hugely successful music career releasing the acclaimed albums Blue Neighbourhood and Bloom, a multitude of Eps and the original song Revelation for the movie Boy Erased, in which Sivan also stars, which follows the son of Baptist parents as he is forced to undergo conversion therapy.
April Ashley
April Ashley was a model, actress and author who is notable for being the second ever Briton to undergo gender-affirming surgery all the way back in 1960. Unfortunately, only a year after undergoing her life changing operation, April was outed after a friend sold her story to one of the national papers at the time. Nevertheless, April didn’t let this betrayal destroy her career or her soul, continuing to have a long and successful life until her passing last December at the age of 86. April was awarded with many honours throughout her life including an MBE for services to transgender equality, a Lifetime Achievement honour at the European Diversity Awards and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Liverpool. An exhibition of her life titled April Ashley: Portrait of a Lady was also held at the Museum of Liverpool between September 2013 and March 2015.
Sir Ian McKellen
One of the country’s most acclaimed and beloved actors, Sir Ian McKellen has an astounding career spanning decades and ranging from Shakespearian theatre to blockbuster movies such as the Lord of the Rings franchise. Sir Ian came out as gay to the general public in 1988 and since then has served as an influential and aspirational figure to LGBTQ+ people the world over. Since coming out McKellen has been a huge activist for the community and was one of the co-founders of the LGBTQ+ rights charity Stonewall in 1989. Since its founding Stonewall has gone on to become the largest LGBTQ+ rights organization in Europe and has contributed toward major advancements for LGBTQ+ people across the country including ending the ban on LGBTQ+ individuals serving in the military, equalizing the age of consent, extending adoption and IVF rights to same-sex couples, introducing civil partnerships and repealing Section 28, the law enacted in 1988 which prohibited “the promotion of homosexuality”.
Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman was a filmmaker who was at the forefront of British filmmaking during the 20th Century. In addition to his filmmaking credentials he was also a stage designer, author and prominent gay rights activist, being a leading campaigner against Section 28 and also raising awareness of AIDS. He is perhaps most famous for his 1993 film Blue, about his own battle with AIDS with the title referring to the fact that Jarman had been rendered partially blind by the disease and could only see in shades of blue by the time of its production. Jarman would unfortunately pass away from AIDS related complications only months after the film’s release, but he leaves behind a legacy that has educated the population on the cruel nature of AIDS in a stunningly authentic way and will continue to do so for many years to come.
Jackie Kay
Jackie Kay is a Scottish poet, playwright and novelist whose work often combines the themes of sexuality and race as Kay draws from her own experiences growing up as a Black lesbian. One of her most famous works; Darling: New & Selected Poems touches on themes such as the bond between mother and son, losing your native tongue, meeting one’s birth mother for the first time and immigration and deportation. Kay is currently a Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and in 2020 was awarded a CBE for Services to Literature.
Words By Andrew Coyle
Photo Credit: Samir Hussein
