LGBT+ Icons

This month is LGBT+ History Month and it’s an important time to reflect on the past. In this article we focus on LGBT+ Icons past and present.

Princess Diana

There was a time when there was a huge stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS, some of that still exists today. However, during a time where fear of the virus was rife and there was a severe lack of education, Princess Diana did something unheard of. She said “HIV does not make people dangerous to know, so you can shake their hands and give them a hug,” and she was pictured in 1987 shaking hands with an AIDS patient. As the Princess of Wales she was the most famous woman in the world, she opened the first-ever AIDS ward and she educated the world.

Mark Ashton – LGSM

If you have seen the film Pride, you will know all about Mark Ashton and the part he played in forming Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners. The LGSM groups supported the National Union of Mineworkers during the year long strike of 1984-1985. They raised funds to support the miners and in the end the miners’ groups were among the most outspoken allies of the LGBT community in the 1988 campaign against Section 28.

Nicola Adams (OBE) – Bisexual boxer

With stigma still surrounding professional athletes coming out, we thought it important to include Great Britain’s most successful female boxer of all time. She is a powerful icon as she’s the first British boxer to defend their Olympic title for 92 years and she is openly bisexual.

Alicia Garza, co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement

This American civil right activist is best know for co-founding the international Black Lives Matter movement. She has come out as queer to her family and has been recognised as one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.

Munroe Bergdorf

Munroe is an English model and activist. She has been a campaigner for transgender and black rights. Munroe has found herself in the headlines time and time again as companies were too frightened to work with someone who was an activist with an opinion. This highlighted how many companies were being tokenistic in their approach to equality and has set a precedent for effective work with activists.

Christine Jorgensen

The transgender ex-GI underwent a year and a half of hormone treatment and gender re-assignment surgery back in 1952.

When Christine returned from surgery in Denmark it opened up the conversation on gender identity. Christine was the first person to become widely known in the United States for this and used the spotlight to advocate for transgender people.

Who is your LGBT+ icon?