When Anne Hathaway’s brother Michael came out to the family, their LGBTQ advocacy started with the whole family leaving their Catholic faith because of Catholicism’s views on homosexuality as an abomination. In 2008, after continuing her work on behalf of her brother and the rest of the LGBTQ+ community, Anne received a Human Rights Campaign Ally award.
In 2012, when the Oscar winning actress married, she and new husband sold their wedding photos to tabloids and donated all proceeds to nonprofits advocating for same-sex marriage. Along with her husband, Hathaway was able to raise $500,000 for the Win More States Fund.
What doesn’t this stellar actor do to raise visibility of the LGBTQ+ community? Since coming out publicly as trans in 2020, Page has become one of the most outspoken LGBTQ+ actors in Hollywood. He has always tried to use his platform to make the world safer, acquire more equal rights, and give everyone the same opportunities.
Not only does Page collaborate with the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice (who does work to advance LGBTQI rights around the world), but he also serves as a board member of the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for health, economic justice, and representation for LGBTQ+ girls and women.
The Scandal star has done much in her career to advance the fight for equality for the LGBTQ+ community. For example, at the 2015 GLAAD (Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Awards, Washington delivered a powerful speech about LGBT rights that compared the law banning same sex marriage to the law that used to ban interracial marriage.
In 2017, the GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network) honored Washington with the Inspiration Award at their annual Respect Awards ceremony for her activism being an integral part of her film and television career. In a statement, GLSEN said, “We are proud to honor Kerry Washington at this year’s GLSEN Respect Awards. Her incredible activism focuses on uplifting everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, nationality, and class, to have an equal opportunity to succeed in schools and communities around the country.”
In 2009, the Harry Potter star made a major donation to support the Trevor Project, a non-profit organization that operates the only nationwide, around the clock crisis and suicide prevention helpline for LGBTQ youth. He made donation in hopes that his support could raise the organization’s visibility so that even more youth would be made aware of the resources available to them.
For his continued work and commitment to the Trevor Project, in 2011 the Trevor Project honored Radcliffe with Hero Award for his contributions to their mission. He was “recognized as an individual who serves as an inspiration to sexual minority youth and increases visibility and understanding of the LGBTQ community.”
Matthew Morrison is a triple threat in Hollywood. The Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe nominee, and most notably, Glee actor has been known to use his platform to publicly support the LGBT community. In 2013, he partnered with the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) in support of LGBTQ equality.
As a matter of fact, Morrison committed partial proceeds from his 2013 album “Where it All Began” to the HRC in addition to recording a public service announcement video for the HRC to release for their Americans for Marriage Equality campaign.
Between 2006 and 2012, Pitt was often quoted as saying that he and (then girlfriend) Angelina Jolie would “consider tying the knot when everyone else in the country who wants to be married is legally able.” Before the national legalization of gay marriage, he donated $100,000 to the HRC in 2012 to support the National Marriage Fund.
In an email to HRC, Pitt stated, “It’s unbelievable to me that people’s lives and relationships are literally being voted on in a matter of days. Every person’s right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is enshrined in our country’s Declaration of Independence, but powerful, well-funded groups are flooding the airwaves with lies trying to take those rights away from certain people…and we can’t stand for it.”
Can we even speak about LGBTQ+ rights without mentioning Lady Gaga? What hasn’t she done for the LGBTQ community since coming out publicly in a landmark interview with Barbara Walters in 2008? In 2009, while accepting her first award in her music career at Canada’s MuchMusic Video Awards, she gave thanks to “God and the gays.” Also, in 2009, she participated in the National Equality March in Washington D.C. and attended the subsequent rally held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol Building.
She’s been known to take drastic measures to have her message heard. For instance, in 2010, Gaga wore raw meat to protest the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell act and urged senators to overturn it until in 2011, the act was finally repealed. This list could literally go on and on. Let’s just say the LGBTQ community is lucky to have Lady Gaga on its side.
Back in 2009, in an interview with The Advocate, Evans accidentally outed his brother, Scott Evans, telling the details of when he came out. In same interview Evans stated, “As for gay marriage, it’s mindboggling and appalling that human beings are being denied civil rights in this country. But time will heal all. I have to believe that in 10 years we won’t be having this conversation.”
In 2012, the Captain repeated his beliefs in an interview with Playboy, “It’s embarrassing and it’s heartbreaking. It goes without saying that I’m completely in support of gay marriage. Evans attended the 2013 GLAAD awards along with his gay brother Scott and his mother, Lisa and together the three spoke out with Evans saying, “Tonight, I’m coming out as an ally for equality.” To which Scott said, “And I already came out.” Followed by Lisa adding, And I’ve known since the day he was born.” To which Chris followed up, “And I’ve never cared either way.”
Singer, actress, dancer, producer, activist—Jennifer Lopez does it all. One example of her using her celebrity and resources to advance the visibility of the LGBTQ community was when she decided to produce the popular show The Fosters, a show depicting same-sex families and transgender struggles. The show won many accolades for its progressive take on LGBTQ issues and won Lopez the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2014.
In 2016, Lopez teamed up with fellow Puerto Rican and American composer of Hamilton, Lin-Manuel Miranda to record a charity single called Love Make the World Go ‘Round for which all proceeds were donated to the Hispanic Federation’s Somos Orlando Fund, which provided care and resources to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.
It’s no secret that Disney princess Kristen Bell and husband, actor Dax Shepard are allies to the LGBTQ community. Bell has, in fact, been a supporter of Friendfactor, which is a website that combines the power of celebrity with the reach of social networking to make mainstream support for gay marriage impossible to ignore, since the organization’s founding in 2011.
She co-hosted the website’s launch party alongside Chelsea Clinton and wore and Old Navy Pride t-shirt because: “I thought it was absurd that New York hadn’t passed a marriage equality bill yet. In about 10 year, knock on wood, I think we’re going to be embarrassed as a nation about our behavior on this issue,” the actress said.
That’s right! The Boss is also a staunch LGBTQ ally and he’s used his voice and celebrity to contribute to the fight for equality as long as we can remember. One example took place in 2009 when he spoke out for gay marriage in New Jersey, via his official website on Dec 9—one day before the State Senate would ultimately vote down the state’s marriage equality bill.
In a blog post he agreed with then New Jersey Governor Corzine’s statement about the marriage equality bill being a civil rights issue. He wrote, “I couldn’t agree more with that statement and urge those who support equal treatment for our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters to let their voices be heard now.
George Clooney has one of the highest profiles in Hollywood and he’s been using his voice and celebrity to champion many causes throughout his career. The most prominent and lasting cause he’s supported being the LGBTQ community’s right to equality.
The first time Clooney spoke out publicly against Proposition 8 was in 2008 saying, “At some point in our lifetime, gay marriage won’t be an issue,” he told E! Online. “Everyone who stood against this civil right will look as outdated as George Wallace standing on the school steps keeping James Hood from entering the University of Alabama because he was black.”
In 2014, the popstar founded the Happy Hippie Foundation whose mission is “to rally young people to fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations.”
2015 was a big year for Miley as not only did she come out to the world as pansexual, but she also partnered with Instagram to start the #InstaPride campaign. This initiative showcased members of the LGBTQ community to educate followers on the struggles trans people face.
Kelly Ripa says that her and husband Mark Consuelos are blessed to have been able to work and live in New York City. 2010, Ripa told The Advocate, “Mark and I both feel fortunate that we’ve spent our entire adult lives in New York City, where we work, live, and play with some of the best and brightest gay and lesbian people in and outside of the industry—people I’m honored to call my friends and family.”
In 2019, the couple was honored by The Trevor Project at the annual TrevorLIVE gala awards. They were presented with the Champions Award for their commitment to supporting the organization’s mission to end suicide among LGBTQ youth. In a joint statement, the couple said “The Trevor Project is a remarkable nonprofit we’ve been proud to support for nearly a decade. Their work, now more than ever, is so incredibly important…”
Lili Reinhart is relatively new to her celebrity but is no stranger to fighting for LGBTQ visibility. Reinhart plays Betty Cooper in the popular CW show Riverdale. In 2019 the cast and creators received the Game Changer Award at the GLSEN Respect Awards for their “groundbreaking storytelling about LGBTQ relationships.”
If that wasn’t enough, although Reinhart has been linked in a relationship with Riverdale costar Cole Sprouse, Lili came out publicly as bi-sexual in June of this year and then promoted and joined an LGBTQ+ for Black Lives Matter Protest that took place in June this year.
Although Dwyane Wade made his name through sports instead of Hollywood, he and wife, actress Gabrielle Union, have been teaching parents how to love and accept their children, no matter what, since 2019. April 2019, 11-year-old son Zion came out as gay and in response, Wade and family took part in the Miami Beach Pride parade along with Zion.
When 12-year-old Zion came home, admitted that he would rather be referred to as she and her name changed to Zaya, Wade replied, “You are a leader. It’s our opportunity to allow you to be a voice.” Subsequently, in April 2020, the couple made a substantial donation for healthcare support for the LGBTQ community amid the coronavirus pandemic to the CAA Foundation.
International music sensation Taylor Swift has been using her celebrity to highlight LGBTQ struggles as long as she’s been in the spotlight. Most recently, in January of 2020 it was announced that Swift would be Honored with the Vanguard Award for her LGBTQ Advocacy at the 31st Annual GLADD Media Awards for her hit single You Need to Calm Down, which promoted famous faces from the LGBTQ community and featured the message of acceptance.
In 2019, Taylor wrote letters to her senator and state representatives to urge them to support the Equality Act which was passed by the House in 2019 but still sits on hold with the Senate. She has also donated $113,000 to the Tennessee Equality Project to help fight Tennessee’s Slate of Hate, a series of bills that would hurt members of the LGBTQ community
Black Panther actor Michael B Jordan may be relatively new to the world of celebrity, but he’s been quick to do what he can to use his voice and resources to advocate for the LGBTQ community’s rights to equality. When he established his company, Outlier Society Productions, he was the first CEO of such company to include an Inclusion Rider in their official vision and mission for hiring and representing people of all color, race, gender, or disability.
Taking a page out of his book, in 2019, Warner Brothers executives asked Jordan to help write their inclusion policy for the studio. “It just basically means that it’s mandatory in every department to see a person of color, a woman, somebody from the LGBT community. Warner Brothers are stepping up and doing that. It is a huge step. It’s major,” Jordan stated.
The shot heard ‘round the world in 1997 was Ellen DeGeneres’ coming out publicly on her show, Ellen, in a time when being LGBT still had a large stigma attached to it. Ever since, Ellen has been credited as being the pioneer in the fight for LGBTQ rights since she was the first prominent celebrity to come out.
Because she was the first, Ellen has been thanked several times for giving many other celebrities the courage to publicly come out as gay. In 2016, President Barack Obama awarded DeGeneres with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor for her work on behalf of the LGBTQ+ community. In 2018, Variety named Ellen as the person who has done more than any other celebrity or public figure to influence American’s attitudes to gay rights.
In 2014, during the release of The Imitation Game—a film in which Cumberbatch played gay character, computer programmer Alan Turing—Cumberbatch stated that he would “take up arms against fundamentalists who attempt to force their doctrines about sexuality and religion, and fight them to the death.”
Cumberbatch is such a supporter of LGBTQ equality that he became ordained so he could officiate over his gay friends’ wedding. It was announced in Cumberbatch is set to star in another biopic based on the life of LGBT activist and former fighter, Mikey Walsh, in the upcoming Gypsy Boy. In 2019 Benedict was on the British LGBT Awards Top Ten List to be considered for an Ally award.
Comedian and actor Marlon Wayans may be new to the fight for LGBTQ equality, but the point is that he is now a staunch ally of the LGBTQ community. He is the father of openly gay then teenaged daughter named Amai.
In 2019, Wayans posted a photo of his then 19-year-old daughter for Pride Month with the caption “Happy pride to my pride and joy. I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you.” When internet trolls tried to heckle the comedian and actor, he responded. He explained “I thought of erasing the derogatory comments, but I need the world to see the ignorance that still exists.”
Ellie Goulding has been fighting for LGBTQ equality throughout her illustrious music career. The latest stand Goulding made regarding LGBTQ rights was in 2019. She made headlines for refusing to perform at the Dallas Cowboys’ Thanksgiving halftime show that the Salvation Army organizes each year to kick off their Red Kettle Campaign fundraising drive.
Ellie threatened to pull out of the show unless The Salvation Army made “a solid, committed pledge or donation to the LGBTQ community. Instead, The Salvation Army thanked the performer for “shedding light on misconceptions and encouraging others to learn the truth about the Salvation Army’s mission to serve all, without discrimination.” And the show went on.
Adam Levine is no stranger to combatting gay rumors, however, in 2007, when he denied gay rumors to The Advocate, the singer said it would be much easier if he were. Also, in 2011, he stated that he doesn’t mind the gay rumors and told Us Weekly magazine, “Look at the best ones, guys whose sexuality was always questioned. Bowie. Jagger. Freddie Mercury. I wouldn’t be the front man of a band if that question hadn’t come up at some point."
Levine is also an advocate of the LGBTQ community because his brother has come out as gay. When he came out, Adam told Out Magazine that the entire family rallied around him. “We all really wanted to provide some cushion for him and constantly let him know that it’s OK.
Although Hudson has been a staunch LGBTQ ally since her days on American Idol, in 2015 she made sure to make a lasting stand. In 2015 Jennifer debuted a single called “I Still Love You” with an accompanying video telling the song of a son begging his father to attend his gay wedding, to which his father at first refuses and then gives in and attends at the end.
Hudson even went so far to surprise a gay couple in 2015 and sang it at their wedding. Also, in 2015, Hudson became an ambassador for Turn it Up for Change, the W Hotel’s and Human Rights Campaign’s marriage equality initiative. And to cap it all off, the singer backed out of her commitment to perform at President Trump’s inauguration at the urging of the LGBT community in 2017.
This Oscar-winning actress and star of HBO’s series True Blood came out publicly as bisexual in 2010. And she did it with flair. In a public service announcement for the non-profit campaign Give A Damn, the star said, “I’m bisexual” and explained that she was speaking out because of the number of hate crimes committed against the LGBT community in the country.
The Give a Damn PSA was part of Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund which worked to spread awareness and equality for the LGBT community. In 2014, Paquin spoke out loudly and publicly explaining bisexuality to the world at large. Tweeting in June for Pride month “Proud to be a happily married bisexual mother. Marriage is about love not gender.”
Despite being heterosexual, Stonestreet played Cameron “Cam” Tucker, one-half of gay couple on Modern Family, a show that’s been lauded with helping to change the perception towards same-sex relationships. Stonestreet told HuffPost Live in 2015 that he “feels more on the front lines of what it means to stand up for people’s equality. I’m just more active in that community and I feel a bit more responsible for people’s words and actions.”
In 2012, Eric and Jesse Tyler Ferguson (his television husband) joined with the Human Rights Campaign and helped raise funds by offering to host two lucky fans for dinner in a sweepstakes contest. In the video, the two make a case for why they got involved. “Whether you are gay or straight, the family we portray on TV might remind you a little of your own…and this election year couldn’t be more important for securing equality for committed relationships, like the one we are in… on TV.”
2010, along with her mother Sharon Osbourne and LGBT allies Kristen Bell and Chelsea Clinton, joined Cyndi Lauper in the launch of her Give a Damn campaign to bring a wider awareness of discrimination of the LGBT community as a part of the True Colors Fund. The campaign is to bring straight people to stand up with the LGBTQ community and stop discrimination.
Osbourne affirmed her allegiance with the LGBTQ community in 2016 when she revealed a new head tattoo, the word ‘Solidarity,’ in honor of the Pulse nightclub shooting victims in Orlando. In 2017, she disclosed that although she’s only been in relationships with men, she’s definitely not straight. “Everybody’s gay. It is a strictly human thing. You can’t put a gender on love.”
Chelsea Handler has always used her celebrity to give LGBTQ equality rights the spotlight. In 2009, the comedian hosted the GLAAD Media Awards in San Francisco. In addition, in 2017 for gay pride month, Chelsea Handler penned an open letter to the LGBTQ community.
It said: “Every time the LGBTQ community succeeds, the whole world moves forward. We must always focus on the people who will help move our country forward. Love, tolerance, and respect. Thank you for all that you do. You are loved. You are revered.”
Front man for popular band, Fall Out Boy, Wentz is no stranger to being labeled as gay due to his fashion choices and some rather gender-bending habits like kissing his male bandmates on stage at shows and wearing eyeliner. In a Blender interview in March of 2007, Wentz alluded to being bisexual, stating that he has kissed other men and “that anybody above the waist is totally fair game.”
In 2008, Pete Wentz and band Fall Out Boy donated $50,000 to No on 8, the effort to defeat California’s Proposition 8, a measure on the November 2008 ballot that would amend the state constitution to rescind marriage equality for gay and lesbian couples. They told The Advocate, “We believe government shouldn’t legislate love. Vote no on Proposition 8.”
Lena Dunham, writer, and star of HBO’s series Girls was an advocate of LGBTQ+ rights even before her sister came out as gay at the age of 17 years old. In 2014, Dunham earned the Horizon Award for her work in support of the LGBTQ community by gay advocacy group The Point Foundation.
Also, in 2016 she co-produced a documentary for HBO called Suited about Brooklyn-based tailoring company Bindle & Keep, which specializes in designs for transgender and gender fluid customers. The film documents the personal stories of people who have transitioned, are transitioning, or choose not to identify themselves by he or she pronouns.
