Top 10 Celebrity Allies 2022

In alphabetical order

This important award recognises and thanks those outside the LGBT+ community who support the challenges around equality and inclusion.

ALICIA KEYS

As a longstanding ally to the LGBT+ community, Alicia Keys has used her platform to address her hope for better freedom of expression for future generations. As early as 2003, she has been involved in AIDS activism, cofounding the charity Keep a Child Alive. In 2019, Alicia delivered an inspiring speech at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day Concert, where she was also a surprise performer.  

DAN REYNOLDS

Reynolds, the lead singer of the pop/rock group Imagine Dragons, was raised in Las Vegas as a Mormon and worked as a missionary before he was able to learn more about LGBT+ rights. Since then, Reynolds has truly become an active ally, donating his childhood house to LGBT+ organisation Encircle and creating the LGBT+ youth festival LoveLoud. 

DANIEL RADCLIFFE

Britain’s most famous boy wizard, Radcliffe has been an outspoken advocate for LGBT+ rights, especially in recent years. He has used his platform as a household name to speak up on behalf of trans and non-binary people through The Trevor Project, stating, “It’s clear that we need to do more to support transgender and non-binary people, not invalidate their identities, and not cause further harm.”

DAVINA MCCALL

McCall is one of the most recognised TV presenters in the country and has consistently advocated for better diversity. McCall has stated of her support for her community and her understanding of how much work there still is to do, saying, “I’m not naive, I know there’s a long way to go as far as homophobia and racism are concerned.” 

ELLIE GOULDING

Goulding has been one of the biggest pop stars in the UK and the world for well over a decade. In late 2019 she threatened to cancel her half-time show performance at a Thanksgiving NFL game over the Salvation Army’s anti-LGBT+ stance, which they eventually clarified and thanked Goulding for shedding light on the situation. Goulding has performed at many LGBT+ events over the course of her career and it’s no surprise she’s a feature on our list again! 

JAMIE LEE CURTIS

Curtis has starred in many popular and cult films throughout her career, such as Halloween, Freaky Friday, True Lies, Trading Places and, more recently, Knives Out. She is a strong ally of the LGBT+ community, in part due to her personal connection through her daughter, Ruby, who is trans. Even before this, she had long been a supporter of LGBT+-focused or community-related initiatives, including World AIDS Day, and bought the rights to the 2013 memoir How We Sleep at Night, which tells the story of a Christian mother coming to terms with her son’s sexuality. 

JURGEN KLOPP

Klopp is a hero to many around the world, and not only because of his successful career as Liverpool FC manager, which resulted in the club’s first league title win in 30 years in 2020. Klopp is a supporter of the Rainbow Laces campaign and tackles issues of homophobia in the sport head on. After some fans engaged in a homophobic chant at an away match in 2021, Klopp sat down with Paul Amann, founder of Kop Outs (the club’s LGBT+ fan group), to discuss the issue of homophobia in sports and how it can be addressed. 

JADE THIRLWALL

A member of arguably the biggest girl group of the last decade, Little Mix, Thirlwall has taken the industry by storm. This constant ally and supporter of the LGBT+ community has used her platform to advocate for others but also better educate herself on allyship. She has also been a huge supporter of the drag community, featuring as a judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK. 

JODIE WHITTAKER

Whittaker was the first woman to play the role of the Doctor in Doctor Who, a true landmark for this famed TV role. Fans went wild when recent episode Eve of the Daleks explored the potential same-sex relationship between the Doctor and her companion Yaz. Organisations such as Stonewall have since praised the show for this inclusion, with Director of Communications Robbie De Santos stating “we can’t be what we can’t see”. 

LEWIS HAMILTON

Regarded by many as the greatest F1 driver of all time, Lewis Hamilton has blazed a trail in the sport of Formula One racing. Hamilton has spoken publicly about his discomfort with taking part in races in Saudi Arabia due to the repressive laws in the country regarding the LGBT+ community. He has repeatedly told F1 to do more to address these concerns in the country. Hamilton called Saudi Arabia’s laws “terrifying”, sporting a Progress Pride flag helmet at the Grand Prix.