In alphabetical order
This category recognises LGBT+ ceebrities who have come outin the face of adversity or who support the LGBT+ community in a positive way.
AMANDLA STENBERG
The acclaimed star of The Hunger Games and The Hate U Give has been inspirational in publicly exploring issues around biracial identity, gender, sexuality, mental health and cultural appropriation. Stenberg came out as bisexual in 2016, but came out for a second time as gay in 2018. She told Seventeen magazine: “’Gender and sexuality are so fluid—it’s okay to change your mind a million times and figure out what works for you.” She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the HRC Visibility Award for her LGBT+ activism and the African-American Film Critics Association Breakthrough Role award for The Hate U Give.
ANDREW SCOTT
Following his much-acclaimed role as the “hot priest”, Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s love interest in the second season of BBC’s hugely popular comedy Fleabag, Andrew Scott was awarded the Hugo Boss Standout Performance Award in the GQ Men of the Year Awards. Andrew, who says that he left his native Ireland due to feeling “shamed as a gay man”, previously came to fame as Moriarty in Sherlock, for which he won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Supporting Actor. Andrew has also starred in Black Mirror, in Victor Frankenstein alongside Daniel Radcliffe, as well as in the James Bond movie Spectre.
BILLY PORTER
Actor and theatrical singer Billy Porter caused a stir at the Oscars when he appeared in a black velvet tuxedo gown – releasing himself from the constraints of gender expectations. “I’m not a drag queen,” he said at the time. “I’m a man in a dress.” He has continued to wow on the red carpet with a series of magnificent costumes, including a Sun God outfit for the Met Ball that celebrated camp as an art form. Billy starred in the FX TV series Pose which shone a spotlight on New York’s underground ball culture of the 80s and 90s. Earlier, he won both Tony and Grammy awards for his portrayal as Lola in Kinky Boots. He is married to Adam Porter-Smith.
CARA DELEVINGNE
Carnival Row actor Cara Delevingne has long been open about her bisexuality, and in 2018 announced in Vogue magazine that she identified as gender fluid. Her ongoing message to her 44 million Instagram followers is “embrace your weirdness, stop labelling, start living”. She was awarded a Trevor Project award this year in recognition of her LGBT+ advocacy work, supporting the charity which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to young people.
EZRA MILLER
Actor Ezra Miller first came to fame as the breakout star of We Need to Talk About Kevin, followed by The Perks of Being a Wallflower. The actor, who identifies as queer, has recently been seen in J K Rowling’s Fantastic Beast series of films as well as playing The Flash in three DC Comics movies. Ezra is also a member of a band called Sons of an Illustrious Father. He recently spoke to Playboy magazine about being involved in a polyamorous relationship, and says his gender identity is fluid, explaining: “I don’t identify as a man. I don’t identify as a woman. I barely identify as a human”. He is a strong supporter of the #MeToo movement.
HANNAH GADSBY
Australian stand-up comedian Hannah Gadsby came to international fame with her Netflix comedy series Nanette, chronicling her experiences as a gay woman through the years. She was brought up in Tasmania, where being gay was illegal until 1997 and evidently 70% of people think it still should be. As she said on the TV show, at first: “The only thing I knew how to do when I came out of the closet was to be invisible and to hate myself.” Gadsby recently appeared as a guest star on a fund-raiser for Stonewall, where she delighted the audience with a 15-minute set focussing on the importance of achieving LGBT equality.
JONATHAN VAN NESS
The wonderfully gif-able Jonathan Van Ness is a non-binary American hairdresser known best as a presenter on Queer Eye. Described as a Jesus look-a-like by Jane Fonda, this prismatic TV personality’s life hasn’t been easy. In his autobiography, Over The Top, Jonathan bared his most personal struggles, including his HIV+ status, a history of addiction and being a sexual abuse survivor. It’s no wonder that the Gay of Thrones contributor is beloved by many, especially in the LGBT+ community.
LILLY SINGH
A comedian, entertainer, actor and author, Lilly Singh’s massive online following has catapulted her into mainstream celebrity status. She has been tweeting and creating YouTube videos showing her support for the LGBT+ community for many years, but in February 2019 she delighted her fans by coming out as bisexual in a tweet that simply said “Female, coloured, bisexual”. Singh’s debut book A Guide to Surviving Conquering Life became a #1 New York Times Best Seller, while her new late night talk show has had an overwhelmingly positive response.
OLLY ALEXANDER
The incredibly photogenic Olly Alexander can be described as nothing less than a powerhouse. Frontman and vocalist in Years & Years, Alexander is also a songwriter, actor and LGBT+ advocate – being openly gay himself. Known for his role in Skins and his BBC documentary Growing Up Gay, he recently landed his dream role in Russel T Davies’ starstudded 1980s AIDS drama, Boys, which is set to air on Channel 4 during summer 2020. Alexander also speaks openly about his own mental health to help raise awareness.
ZOË KRAVITZ
Zoë Kravitz’ career is on a high right now. In 2019, not only did the Big Little Lies actor marry her boyfriend, fellow actor Karl Glusman, at a star-studded event held at father Lenny’s mansion in Paris, but she also announced she had secured her dream role of Catwoman in the upcoming The Batman movie. She also dramatically celebrated the impeachment of Donald Trump and broke the internet at the same time by sharing on her Instagram feed a picture of her topless and biting into a peach. More recently, Zoë played bisexual character Rob, in the remake of the John Cusack’s High Fidelity, and is lined up to play Catwoman, in Matt Reaves’ The Batman.