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LGBT+ rights have been at the forefront of the political agenda over the past year, but rarely for positive reasons.
April’s Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman in the Equality Act, which only refers to biological gender and doesn’t include trans women, has been condemned by resident doctors, and critics say it only perpetuates the polarisation on the issue, despite prime minister Sir Keir Starmer claiming it brought clarity.
It makes this Pride month particularly important as we champion those in the LGBT+ community who are trailblazers in their field – from sports to music, politics to fashion. It’s why we need to shine a light not just on the annual showcase of culture and rights, rooted in both celebration and protest, but on what is happening all year round.
Around the world, the far right continues to weaponise LGBT+ rights, with Donald Trump’s re-election rolling back progress. We’ve witnessed a slew of policies imposing restrictions on LGBT+ culture, erasing transgender, diversity, equity and inclusion programming not only in government, but also across education and business too, including giants such as Meta, which critics are calling dangerous and immoral. Even more alarmingly, where America goes, other countries often follow.
In October, Georgia enacted a law criminalising the promotion of LGBT+ rights, while December saw Mali’s new junta outlaw homosexuality altogether.
There are glimmers of hope and positivity, including Australia voting to bolster its LGBT+ rights and protection with legislation that explicitly includes sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex status in its hate crime laws. Certain Australian jurisdictions has also banned gay conversion therapy.
Despite the growing hostility towards the trans community in the UK, the number of lesbian, gay and bisexual people (especially among the young) are continues to grow, according to recent ONS figures.
Previous Pride lists have included the likes of presenter Graham Norton, fashion editor Edward Enninful, comedian Rosie Jones and drag artist Bimini Bon Boulash, while honorary mentions have been dedicated to those no longer with us but who made a lasting impact, such as comedian Paul O’Grady.
Their omission from this year’s list is not to say their value is no longer felt. This list specifically champions achievements over the past 12 months and was compiled by a panel at The Independent.
Reflecting The Independent’s philosophy of making change happen, the Pride List is not just a roll-call of big names but honours the influence of those making a difference to LGBT+ lives in Britain and beyond. Publishing the list today celebrates Pride Month, and looks ahead to the annual Pride in London march on Saturday 5 July.
1. Victoria McCloud
Britain’s first trans judge, Dr Victoria McCloud is leading the charge, as she plans to take the UK government to the European Court of Human Rights for violating Article 6 of her human rights. It follows the Supreme Court’s (the highest court in the UK) ruling that the legal definition of woman only meant biological gender, excluding trans women. This affects around 8,000 people in the UK who have a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC), as of the end of March 2024. She says the ruling leaves her being two sexes at once.
McCloud resigned as a judge last year in order to apply to intervene in the Supreme Court appeal brought by campaign group For Women Scotland. However, McCloud was unable to present any argument, and no voice from the trans community was heard during the trial. She says this is unjust, claiming the decision is not reflective of the basic decency of British people.
She has been trans since her twenties, and previously told The Independent her experience was “incredibly positive” and came at a time when “things were much more accepting”, yet she thought trans rights were regressing. She was also the youngest judge of the King’s Bench when appointed aged just 40 in 2010.
Upon hearing she was included in the list, McCloud said: “I’m delighted and honoured that The Independent has included me in their Pride List again this year. In 2025, more than ever before, amid increasing oppression and segregation at home, with Court and State against us people from the trans community yearn to be bathed in rainbow light. These are uniquely dark times, but we will challenge those who wish to marginalise us be they government or activists with money and the odd mega-yacht to spare. We have been here for centuries; we will be here for centuries to come. The quiet majority walk with us.”
2. Juno Dawson
Trans activist Juno Dawson has been using her platform as a journalist and author to speak up for the rights of the LGBT+ community for over a decade now. After April’s Supreme Court case ruling on what a woman is, the No 1 Sunday Times bestselling author wrote a powerful statement on her Instagram that resonated with many. It read: “While judges and obsessed transphobes spend millions deciding what the word woman means, I want every trans person and their friends to get offline and go for a cup of tea and a little cake.
“I am a woman today, I was a woman yesterday, I will be a woman tomorrow. A judge who wouldn’t ever hear from a single trans person doesn’t know us better than we know ourselves. We are who we say we are, and they are very sad people.”
At the start of the year, it was announced Dawson had joined the writing team of the 15th series of Doctor Who, making her the series’ first openly transgender writer.
3. Bella Ramsey
Perhaps best known for their role in Game of Thrones, actor Bella Ramsey, who identifies as non-binary, has quickly become one of the most successful young actors around. This year sees Ramsey returning to the role of Ellie in HBO’s zombie post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us. Based on the PlayStation video game that achieved a cult-like popularity, the second series, which aired in April, has received critical acclaim, earning Ramsey an Emmy nomination and The Independent’s chief TV critic, Nick Hilton, gave it four stars.
Though, Ramsey has recently spoken on Louis Theroux’s podcast about the problem of Hollywood’s gender binary after she was nominated in the Best Actress category, they said there was still a need to preserve women’s categories and that they don’t see accidental misgendering as an attack on their identity. Earlier this year, in an interview with British Vogue, the 21-year-old spoke about how liberating their autism diagnosis was, receiving it while filming the first series of The Last of Us.
4. Cynthia Erivo
After an acting career spanning almost 15 years, it was 2024 that catapulted the actor and singer Cynthia Erivo into the stratosphere with her lead role as Elphaba Thropp in the first part of Wicked, the film adaptation of the stage musical with co-star Ariana Grande.
For the role, Erivo was nominated for Best Actress at this year’s Oscars (as she was in 2020 for her role in Harriet as abolitionist Harriet Tubman and its soundtrack, “Stand Up”, won Best Original Song). In her review, The Independent’s chief film critic, Clarisse Loughrey, said the actor’s performance “showcases phenomenal vocal ability” and she plays the role with “real purity”.
Erivo is in a relationship with screenwriter Lena Waithe, and as a singer and songwriter, she continues to be one of the most visible Black bisexual women in the UK. Earlier this year, Evrio called for a light to be shone on those who are “invisible” in the LGBT+ community, such as non-binary people, as she picked up a prize from the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (Glaad).
5. Wes Streeting
Health secretary Wes Streeting is the most prominent gay man in Westminster politics, with his job never previously held by an openly gay person. He retained his Ilford seat at the 2024 election with a wafer-thin majority and has stated his aim to lead the NHS out of years of crisis.
Many disagree with his stance on trans people, including his plan to segregate trans people on hospital wards and his ban on puberty blockers for under-18s; earlier this year, he said it is not right to say that trans women are women.
He’s been a patron of LGBT+ Labour for a few years and previously worked at Stonewall. Though in July of last year, Pride in Labour was formed as an alternative to LGBT+ Labour, following Streeting’s maintaining the ban on puberty blockers for under-18s.
Streeting came out as gay in his second year of university while at Cambridge and has been with his fiancé Joseph Dancey for 12 years. He’s also a practising Anglican and has spoken about how his faith made it hard for him to accept his sexuality.
6. David Hockney
Age doesn’t get in the way of artist David Hockney, as this April he opened his third show in as many years – and one of the biggest of his career – at the age of 87.
Opening in Paris’s Fondation Louis Vuitton to critical acclaim, the show is named, “David Hockney 25”, and as it sounds, features works spanning the past quarter-century from one of the most influential and recognisable artists of the 20th century.
The Independent’s Mark Hudson claimed “this could be the most monumental David Hockney Show any of us will see”, adding that it’s “imbued with the same sense of freedom and play that defines the British artist’s earliest works”.
Hockney came out as gay in 1960, aged 23, when it was still illegal before the Sexual Offences Act of 1967, which decriminalised it. Many of his artistic works have explored sexuality, especially in domestic situations, such as Peter Getting Out of Nick’s Pool (1966), portraying a naked man, and Man in Shower in Beverly Hills (1964).
7. James Lee Williams (The Vivienne)
As the winner of the first series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2019, The Vivienne played a key role in putting drag artists on primetime television.
But in January, tragedy hit when The Vivienne sadly died aged just 32, prompting an outpouring of love and affection for their infectious joy and spirit.
Off-stage, they were known as James Lee Williams, and their stage name and act was inspired by their love of designer Vivienne Westwood, and the late Paul O’Grady’s character, Lily Savage.
Although The Vivienne had spoken while appearing on Drag Race about problems with addiction, they had been sober for some time. The artist died following a cardiac arrest caused by ketamine use. Working with charity Adferiad, their sister Chanel is campaigning to erase the stigma around substance abuse.
8. Joe Lycett
Already popular for his waspish quips, take downs of big brands and wild stunts – including “shredding” £10,000 of his own money to highlight David Beckham’s £10m World Cup deal with Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal – the comedian this year saw the launch of a new TV show, Joe Lycett’s United States of Birmingham, which critics loved. As an ode to his hometown, it sees him travel around 18 other places named Birmingham in a campervan.
In his stand-up, he refers to himself as both bisexual and pansexual, saying that people understand bisexual more, but the most accurate way to describe himself is pansexual – being attracted to a personality rather than a gender.
Though he’s very outspoken himself, he keeps his private life as such. So private, in fact, that in October fans were shocked after he announced he’d become a father to a son, with his girlfriend, whom he only refers to as “Denise”, a joke between them as she reportedly hates the name.
9. Tom Daley
With a professional diving career spanning half of his life, Tom Daley certainly made a splash from a young age, and is the UK’s most decorated and successful diver with a huge fan base, including 3.9 million Instagram followers.
He’s competed at five Olympic Games, concluding with last year’s in Paris, where he won silver for his 10-metre synchro dive with Noah Williams. Encapsulating his career is his new biographical documentary, Tom Daley: 1.6 seconds, streaming on Discovery+ now. The name refers to the amount of time from leaving the 10-metre board to entering the pool. In it, he opens up about his struggles with bulimia and body dysmorphia, and how they weren’t seen as issues affecting men at the time.
Daley came out in 2013 via a YouTube video (aged 19), a rarity in the sporting world; he was inspired by Australian diver, Matthew Mitcham who came out in 2008, before winning gold in Beijing (the first openly gay man to win a gold medal).
In an interview with British Vogue this year, Daley said, “with every Olympics, there are more and more out athletes,” which he feels is powerful. In 2022 on the eve of the Commonwealth Games, he condemned homophobia in Commonwealth nations. His statement was part of his documentary, Tom Daley: Illegal To Be Me, about gay rights in Commonwealth countries.
10. Yasmin Benoit
British model, Yasmin Benoit, is a multi award-winning asexual activist and campaigner, focusing on what it really means to be asexual and is also the creator of #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike. As a research fellow at King’s College London’s Policy Institute, she worked on a landmark study on public perceptions of asexuality and launched the UK’s first asexual rights initiative with Stonewall. The research published earlier this year found that one in four people believed asexuality was a mental health problem and could be cured by therapy.
Her work challenges stigma, promotes inclusivity, and pushes for legal recognition of asexuality, further cementing her role as a leading voice for underrepresented identities within the LGBT+ community.
In 2021, she co-created the International Asexuality Day (IAD). Celebrated annually on 6 April, it raises awareness and normalises asexual identities through advocacy, celebration, education and solidarity.
She says, acephobia (the fear, dislike, or prejudice directed towards asexual individuals) is on the rise, and spoke out to criticise JK Rowling’s acephobic post on X (Twitter) last IAD.
11. Munroe Bergdorf
Trans model and activist, Munroe Bergdorf rose to fame in 2017 when she became the first trans face of L’Oréal. Though it was shortly followed by controversy, she’s continued to be one of the most prominent voices for trans equality and transphobia.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the legal definition of a woman, she penned a very powerful piece for British Vogue on anti-trans policies, the lack of medical healthcare access, and what she called an “overwhelming anti-trans media bias”. It follows on from her saying, in 2023, that even though Gen Z are the most out queer generation, they’re growing up in the most transphobic time in memory.
This year, her new documentary Love & Rage comes out in June, which focuses on the trans activist’s journey, which she describes as a love letter to her community. Bergdorf published her book, Transitional: In One Way or Another, We All Transition in 2023. Part moving memoir and part powerful manifesto, where she used her own experience to show transitioning is deeply rooted in human experience.
12. Cindy Ngamba
Though talented boxer Cindy Ngamba, originally from Cameroon, had been training with Team GB, she wasn’t able to represent them in the Paris Olympics last year, as she wasn’t a British passport holder. Yet, she went on to win a bronze medal in the middleweight division while representing the Refugee Olympic Team.
In doing so, she made history and became the first ever Refugee Olympic Team medalist, highlighting this underrepresented team of talented athletes. Speaking to BBC Sport, she said: “I hope it will change people’s perception of refugees, not only in sport, but in life in general.” An inspirational message that needs amplifying.
After moving to the UK, aged just 11 to live with her father, she came out as a lesbian aged 16 and faced deportation in 2019, along with her brother. She was terrified of being sent back, as in Cameroon, where homosexuality is punished by up to five years in prison, though reportedly people can be killed for it too.
13. Ubaid-ul Rehman
In 2024’s New Year’s Honours list, Ubaid-ul Rehman was awarded an OBE, a landmark achievement as it made him the first openly gay Muslim to ever appear on the list since it began in 1890.
Rehman was recognised for his tireless work in supporting LGBT+ rights and equality within the College of Policing, where he works as a senior diversity and inclusion adviser. Here, he’s the chair of an LGBT+ badminton team that represented the UK at the Gay Games, which are held every four years.
He was also recognised for his work at the charity Imaan that he co-founded (over 20 years ago), and which morphed from a social support group to an activist group after the events of 9/11, as it saw attitudes towards Muslims become increasingly xenophobic. He’s also given talks about how he came out, in the hope of inspiring others in similar Pakistani Muslim cultures who are also gay.
14. Shon Faye
Award-winning author, journalist and LGBT+ activist Shon Faye is a powerful advocate for trans liberation in the UK. She’s been praised for her ability to distil the nature of modern society, while her writing on trans rights is wise and her political analysis always insightful.
After the Supreme Court’s ruling on what a woman is in April, she took to Instagram to tell her followers that “we will carry on” following the “very bleak” decision of the ruling.
She wrote that when she started her transition a decade ago, she says, though it was hard, it was “so so so much easier then”, referencing the growing anti-trans debates and rhetoric now.
Her second book, Love in Exile, published in February, focuses on how love is much wider than the narrow ideals we’ve been sold by capitalism. The book also looks at how love can hard to find, the beauty of queer platonic love, and how our language replicates that used around addiction.
15. Jonathan Bailey
Hailed this year as Hollywood’s most successful gay actor, Jonathan Bailey’s career seemingly knows no bounds. Unless you’ve been under a rock, you’ll know he starred as Prince Fiyero in Wicked, which hit cinemas at the end of 2024, and cast a spell even further over his fandom. But he’s also loved for his role as heartthrob Lord Anthony from Bridgerton, a part he will revive once more as the new season has just been teased for next year on Netflix.
Continuing his streak of big roles, he’s also set to star in Jurassic World Rebirth next year alongside Scarlett Johansson.
He’s also become an inspiration for gay actors, as he’s talked openly about breaking through in his career, despite being told to hide being gay in order to protect his career. He’s also said it was while playing the role of a straight man that he became hyper-aware of his sexuality, and always felt he lacked a role model.
16. Sarah Bern
As one of England’s most promising players, Sarah Bern has done for women’s rugby what Beth Mead has done for women’s football, after Bern was inspired by the Lionesses’ glory.
She’s arguably the best prop in the world and some sports writers are suggesting that she could help England win a World Cup later this year.
The Independent’s rugby correspondent, Harry Latham-Coyle, said Bern, (who plays for Bristol Bears at club level) has “been a key cog for the Red Roses since a breakthrough World Cup campaign in 2017”.
Bern, who is in a relationship with fellow rugby player, Mackenzie Carson, uses her platform to speak about body positivity, saying, “if we really want to support women’s rugby, we need to start supporting all shapes and sizes”.
17. Emma Corrin
Golden Globe-winning actor Emma Corrin has had a slew of Hollywood hits as of late. The queer and non-binary actor, who came out in 2021, previously said they don’t feel gender is something that’s fixed.
Following their breakout role in The Crown, playing Princess Diana (for which they won a Golden Globe), last year they played Cassandra Nova in the superhero film Deadpool & Wolverine and featured in the horror remake of Nosferatu.
They’ve also just starred in Charlie Brooker’s dystopian TV series. Black Mirror in the episode “Hotel Reverie”, a dark critique of the blurred lines between technology and real life, and are fresh off the stage from a star-studded performance of The Seagull. Next up, they’re starring in Pride and Prejudice, playing Elizabeth Bennet in a script written by journalist and author, Dolly Alderton.
Aside from their acting, they’re also a style inspiration and are often praised for their avant-garde and gender-fluid looks, refreshing the styles on show on numerous red carpets.
18. Beth Mead
As one of the most prominent faces and talents for women’s football, Beth Mead was awarded an MBE for her services, following the Lionesses’ incredible 2022 Euros win, the first time either England team has won a major trophy since 1966. She’s helped revolutionise the sport and inspire a generation to get on the pitch.
Hoping to strike again at the Euros 2025, the Lionesses will be going full throttle. Off the pitch, along with Lioness teammates Katie McCabe and Kim Little, Mead’s been campaigning about period stigma, which stops 78 per cent of girls from playing sport. They’re keen to encourage both men and women to be educated on it, to help normalise the subject.
For her work, Mead topped The Independent’s Pride List in 2023, and was also featured in the top 15 last year. Along with her partner and fellow former Arsenal player, Vivianne Miedema, who now plays for Manchester City, they made an important documentary about the increasing number of women suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury, known as the ACL, which women are six times more likely to suffer than men.
19. Erin Doherty
One of the year’s biggest TV talking points so far has been Netflix’s gripping yet terrifying crime drama Adolescence. The one-take four-part series was co-created by actor Stephen Graham (who also plays the protagonist’s father, Eddie), which delved into the dark world of incels, teenage murders and online bullying.
One of the breakout roles came in episode three with Erin Doherty (who previously played Princess Anne in The Crown), playing Briony Ariston, the clinical psychologist assessing accused teenage murderer Jamie (played by Owen Cooper). Her portrayal is deeply moving, authentic feeling, and the entire episode is extremely tense, piqued by unwavering sternness, which is where Doherty really showcases her talent.
Earlier this year, the 32-year-old actor said she failed to realise she was gay until she began a “mind-blowing” relationship with a woman aged 25 that changed everything. Now she thinks being a visible gay woman is important to her, to help others who might feel like she did.
20. Alex Scott
Former Lioness and Arsenal footballer, Alex Scott has been a mainstay in the football pundit world since retiring from the game in 2017, as a commentator and presenter. In 2024, she was inducted into the Women’s Super League Hall of Fame, the highest honour within the league. She was recently tipped to be one of the potential replacements of Gary Lineker on Match of the Day and continues to present the BBC’s flagship Saturday lunchtime programme, Football Focus. This year, she hit a new high in her broadcasting career as she presented the FA Cup final for the first time.
Though the women’s game continues to grow and develop, earlier this year, Scott said players from different backgrounds aren’t getting the same opportunities that they used to. She continues to use her platform of more than 2 million followers on Instagram alone to promote inclusivity and diversity within the game, and to speak up for LGBT+ rights, not only on the women's side, but throughout the entire sport.
She’s never really labelled her sexuality, but has had relationships with men and women. Her partner is singer Jess Glynne, and since they were first linked together back in 2023, they’re often seen at events together, looking totally smitten.
21. Carl Hester
As one of the oldest athletes at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Carl Hester is regarded as one of the greatest equestrians of all time. He is in a long-term relationship with fellow trainer Ben Neal.
This year, his sporting achievements will soon take centre stage in a biopic, titled Stride, detailing his childhood on the Channel Island of Sark, where riding a horse was a necessity due to a ban on cars, to then becoming one of history’s best riders, trainers and equestrian athletes.
As well as several medals, there are numerous firsts to his name, including in 2012, being Team GB’s only openly gay Olympian (where he also won gold in the team dressage event). As Paris was his seventh Olympics, it’s likely his last in the saddle.
22. Kae Tempest
Back in March, hip-hop poet and playwright Kae Tempest released a powerful new track, “Statue In The Square”. The song addresses themes of identity, transformation, and societal challenges, marking their first new music since 2023.
Their new material resonates deeply with LGBT+ audiences and has further cemented their role as a voice for marginalised communities. In 2020, they came out as non-binary and began their transition.
The track speaks to some of Tempest’s own experiences, and has hard-hitting lyrics, such as “It’s not a disorder or a dysfunction/ Disgusting the way they discuss us,” along with more affirming lines like, “It’s fine, we don’t need permission to shine”.
23. Joelle Taylor
Poet and author Joelle Taylor has provided a powerful voice in queer literature and activism and is recognisable for her sharp tweed suits and perfectly quaffed short hair.
This year, she published The Night Alphabet, which is a bold exploration of violence, resilience, and queer identity. In December 2024, she headlined the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence festival at Manchester Poetry Library, sharing work that confronts gendered violence and celebrates butch lesbian culture. Taylor remains a central figure in LGBT+ literary spaces, using her platform to amplify marginalised voices and challenge societal norms. Previously, she won the prestigious TS Eliot Prize for poetry in 2022 with her poetry book C+nto & Othered Poems about butch culture.
24. Nat Sciver-Brunt
As the new women’s England cricket captain, Nat Sciver-Brunt is only the country’s fourth permanent captain of the women’s team since 2000, after being named in April.
She told The Independent in a recent interview about her plans to rebuild the side and how she’s adjusting to her “new normal”, after returning for the promotion just off the back of having a child with partner Katherine Sciver-Brunt, who was the carrier. Though she was entitled to four months’ maternity leave, she only took three weeks following becoming captain.
Nat is the first mother to play for England since Arran Brindle, who played her last international in 2014. In such a pivotal sporting role, she’s been a key player in discussing equality in maternity provisions, including egg freezing treatment and returning to fitness, for the LGBT+ community. This led to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announcing an update to its maternity policy at the end of May.
25. Ellen Jones
A leading voice in LGBT+ advocacy, award-winning author, campaigner and speaker, Ellen Jones released her debut book, Outrage: Why the Fight for LGBTQ+ Equality Is Not Yet Won and What We Can Do About It, in January.
It examines the ongoing discrimination people in the LGBT+ community face, and importantly, it offers actionable steps for creating a more inclusive society. As well as this, she also campaigns for mental health issues, as well as autism and marginalised communities.
Jones has also provided diversity and inclusion training for organisations such as Google, Adobe, and the Tate, and was featured in the WACL Represent Me campaign in collaboration with Snap, YouTube, and Pinterest. Her work continues to inspire and drive meaningful change within and beyond the LGBT+ community.
26. Phyll Opoku-Gyimah
This year marks two decades of UK Black Pride, which was co-founded by Dr Phyll Opoku-Gyimah (also fondly known as Lady Phyll), who has long been a prominent activist in the LGBT+ community. UK Black Pride is now the world’s largest celebration for LGBT+ people of African, Asian, Caribbean, Latin American and Middle Eastern descent, and was formed from the need to see people like her within Pride celebrations, who are often not visible or excluded.
Since 2023, she’s been the CEO of the movement too, following her previous role as its executive director and before that, her background was in the civil service where she worked in the Department for Work and Pensions for 13 years.
Her committed work on race, gender and LGBT+ rights has been unwavering for decades. It’s this that’s seen her included in the Pride List for the third consecutive year.
27. Jacqueline Wilson
Though she only came out as gay in 2020, aged 75, after revealing she had a long-term partner of 18 years, author Dame Jacqueline Wilson very quickly became a gay icon.
For millennials, she’s been an idolised children’s author for years thanks to her coming-of-age novels, covering relatable issues such as adoption, divorce, bullying and mental health issues. Last year, she made her comeback with her first novel, Think Again. Published 22 years after the original Girls series, it feels a pleasing return to both Wilson’s writing and the characters, especially since readers will have grown up along with them. It also features a same-sex relationship, as Ellie turns 40, she divorces her husband and falls in love with a woman, drawing parallels to Wilson’s own life. Wilson was also listed in the last New Year’s Honours list and was made Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire.
28. Sonia Bompastor
As the French manager of the Chelsea women’s football team, Sonia Bompastor rose to fame thanks to her title of being undefeated for her first 28 games during her first season. In doing so, she quickly became one of the most successful women’s coaches of our time.
Off the pitch, earlier this year she also spoke out about her 13-year relationship with her assistant Camille Abily for the first time, and also revealed they have four children together. She opened up about their private life on the eve of the publication of her autobiography, titled Sonia Bompastor: Breaking Barriers and Inspiring Generations in Women’s Soccer. Bompastor says they work well together as they’re both professional, supportive and efficient within their roles. Though she says she found it difficult to openly say she was in a relationship with a woman, after growing up only seeing relationships between men and women.
29. Sir Elton John
As one of the biggest icons and voices of the LGBT+ community, Sir Elton John needs little introduction. Nor does his contribution to the community. He came out in 1976 by telling Rolling Stone magazine he was bisexual, aged just 29, and since then has often used his platform to speak up for marginalised groups.
Now aged 78, he’s released a new album, Who Believes in Angels?, with 11-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile from Washington. The pair have been friends for two decades and the album covers issues of resilience, hope, loss and the complexities of being LGBT+. The Independent’s chief album critic, Helen Brown, gave it four stars and called it: “Outsized, old-school, dad-rockin’ fun”.
John’s documentary, Never Too Late, came out in September 2024, and is made up of real-time historic footage, journal entries and other personal tidbits, and looks back over his prolific 50-year career, including both his highs and lows.
30. Scott Mills
Radio 2 DJ Scott Mills, and his then-fiancé Sam Vaughn, went on to win the celebrity edition of 2024’s Race Across the World in South America in a neck-and-neck finale, which aired last September. Mills and Vaughn, who took part just ahead of their wedding in June 2024, were the first gay couple in the show even as it entered its fifth series. Their affection and strength in their relationship was not only heartwarming to watch, but it also shone a light on real life same-sex relationships on TV.
31. Jackie Kay
Former Scottish poet laureate (also known as Scots Makar) Jackie Kay, is a Scottish-Nigerian poet who has been winning awards for her poetry, playwriting, novels and performances since 1991.
In October last year, she released her highly acclaimed collection, May Day. It’s an autobiographical collection, following the aftermath of the deaths of her adoptive parents. Other themes also include activism, race, nationality, and sexuality. Kay says writing brings her solace and she’s previously spoken about her struggles growing up in rural Scotland, feeling like the only Black lesbian.
Kay has been open about her sexuality (she was in a 15-year relationship with fellow poet, Carol Ann Duffy) and identifies as a lesbian, but has said before that she wants to be seen as more than just that one label, and also describes herself as a mother, Black, a writer and Scottish.
32. Danny Beard
Finishing second in this year’s Celebrity Big Brother (CBB) was drag queen, Danny Beard, who has continued to be a lovable face on TV. They first appeared on our screens back in 2016, wowing judges with their rendition of The Rocky Horror Show’s “Sweet Transvestite” on Britain’s Got Talent, making it to the semi-finals. Real name Daniel Curtis, they also won RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2022, filled in on Radio 1’s weekend show, and now have their own podcast, The Gossip Gays.
Beard wanted to do CBB without what they called their “drag armour”, and instead wanted to feel accepted for who they were, aside from the drag act. They’ve also used their platform in support of the trans community, as well as other marginalised groups.
33. Sir Stephen Fry
After coming out in the Eighties, actor, comedian, writer and presenter, Sir Stephen Fry has been one of the most visible gay men in the country. He often spoke openly about his sexuality. He’s been with husband, Elliott Spencer since 2012, who he married three years later and is 30 years his junior.
Fry’s contribution to culture has been second to none over the decades, acting in films, TV and theatre, as well as presenting his own documentaries. He’s also written four novels, and narrated the Harry Potter and Paddington Bear audiobooks.
For this, Fry is on his way to national treasure status, and for his services to mental health charity, Mind (of which he’s now the president, after he was diagnosed with bipolar disease aged 37), he was given a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours List. He said he was “startled and enchanted” to receive the honour.
34. Molly McCann (Meatball Molly)
Former mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete, Liverpudlian Molly McCann is an influential sportswoman who is vocal about poverty and charity work. She’s talked openly before about growing up in poverty and with a mother suffering from addiction.
For her, sport enabled her to shine as she suffered from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and couldn’t retain information in lessons. She retired earlier this year, following breaking her fibula at UFC 304 in Manchester last July.
Nicknamed Meatball Molly, after she worked at Subway to support herself early on in her career, she’s now in a relationship with Fran Parman, who was previously in The Only Way is Essex.
35. Deborah Frances-White
Known as The Guilty Feminist, comedian turned author Deborah Frances-White’s podcast has been going strong for 10 years and centres around the fact that nobody is perfect, with the idea of discussing other viewpoints and encouraging critical thinking.
White, who came out as bisexual in 2020, is Australian but has lived in the UK for 25 years, and her latest book, Six Conversations We’re Scared to Have, was published in April. It focuses on tackling the subjects we’re often afraid to interact with, inspired by the increasing polarisation of the modern world.
It draws on her own experience of growing up in a religious cult and looks at cancel culture, free speech and gender identity. It’s been designed to be a starting point for conversations rather than offering the answers, and hoping people will learn to disagree peacefully.
36. GK Barry
Grace Eleanor Keeling, better known as GK Barry to her 5.4 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, is the youngest regular panellist on daytime TV show, Loose Women. And aged just 25, she’s quickly making her mark on television and in the LGBT+ community with the help of her huge social presence.
She only recently came out to her parents and shared the heartfelt story while she was a campmate in I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! at the end of 2024.
In the camp, Barry said she met girlfriend footballer Ella Rutherford by accident, through a mutual friend, and nonchalantly told her parents that Ella was her girlfriend when they asked who she was, to which they apparently replied: “Oh cool.” Speaking so candidly about her experience on such a popular programme helps inspire others not to fear the conversation of coming out, as well as showing others how to react.
37. Jack Rooke
Back for a third time earlier this year, the latest instalment of comedian and writer Jack Rooke’s Big Boys has been rated as the best yet. The coming of age story, focusing on a group of misfits at fictional Brent University in 2014 and inspired by his own university days and is loosely based on Rooke’s 2020 memoir, Cheer the F**K Up: How to Save your Best Friend.
It gives insight into the LGBT+ experience as well as covering topics from men’s mental health, coming out and unlikely friendships struck up between total opposites, all laced with Rooke’s signature comedy. The third series has managed to be funny as well as poignant, where Nick Hilton, The Independent's chief TV critic calling it “one of the finest British comedies in a decade”, awarding it five stars.
38. Miriam Margolyes
Though perhaps a controversial figure at times, comedian, author and Bafta-winning actor Miriam Margolyes approaches discussing her sexuality as she would anything else – with crude bluntness, wit and joyous honesty. She’s been with her partner Heather Sutherland since 1968. Never one to shy away from sharing her true thoughts on matters, she continues to be a striking and important older member of the LGBT+ community.
This year, she will have another book published, The Little Book of Miriam, an A-Z pocket guide to the wisdom, stories insights of Margolyes’ world. It follows on from her most recent book in 2023, Oh Miriam!, inspired by the phrase she’s heard for most of her life (usually screeched in a disapproving tone). In the same year, she was also Vogue’s cover star, aged 82, as part of the magazine's Pride celebrations.
39. Carla Denyer
Alongside her co-leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, Carla Denyer has driven her party forward since 2021.
The Bristol Central MP describes herself as bisexual, queer and pansexual and is reportedly the first MP to introduce herself in her maiden speech using her pronouns, as she believes in the importance of seeing diversity in parliament.
One of her first actions after becoming MP was to write to health secretary Wes Streeting to express her disappointment that Labour was maintaining the ban on puberty blockers for under-18s, and accused him of failing to engage with trans people.
In the last election, she led the Greens towards their best ever results, winning 1.84 million votes, a 6.4 per cent share, meaning they had four seats. If the UK had proportional representation, the Greens would have 42 MPs. Despite her success, she recently announced last month that she won’t be standing again as the party’s co-leader.
40. Ncuti Gatwa
Actor Ncuti Gatwa has just finished his tenure as the world’s most famous Doctor in his 15th incarnation. He was not only the first person of colour to play the part in Doctor Who, but also the first openly queer person to do so. It’s a starring role that has given huge visibility to queer people of colour, marking a pivotal moment in the TV show as it celebrated its 60th birthday in 2023.
Gatwa, who came out publicly as queer in August 2023, first appeared in the Christmas Doctor Who specials of the same year, but you may recognise the Scottish-Rwandan actor from Netflix’s hit Sex Education, where he played Eric Effiong and earned a Bafta.
Last year, Gatwa also used his platform to criticise the government’s anti-trans rhetoric. He said trans people have been used as a scapegoat, and openly attacking trans people is being normalised, leading to an increase in hate crimes against the community.
41. Layton Williams
Actor Layton Williams is known for his role in Bad Education and being the second same-sex male couple in Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, with Ukrainian professional dancer Nikita Kuzmin.
This year, he won the 2025 Laurence Olivier for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for his performance in Titanique, for his character Iceberg, a jukebox musical parody of the Titanic film featuring Celine Dion’s legendary soundtrack.
Previously, he’s spoken about the difficulties he faced, being asked to leave the private theatre school he had a scholarship for and how he had to leave London (where he’d come out as gay while working on the Billy Elliot production) and having to move back to his hometown of Bury and return to his old school, meaning he had to hide his queerness.
42. Tayce Szura-Radix (Tayce)
Drag artist, model and presenter, Tayce Szura-Radix, was a joint runner-up in the second series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2020, and made history by winning the Strictly Come Dancing Christmas special on Christmas Day in 2024, watched by a mega 6.7 million viewers.
In doing so, the artist has broken down barriers by not only becoming the first person from the drag community to appear on the show, but also by going on to win the much-loved dance competition. From Newport in south Wales, Szura-Radix said it was “an incredible honour” to be on the dancing show.
43. Peter Tatchell
As one of the UK’s most prolific gay rights campaigners, the veteran Peter Tatchell was integral in organising Britain’s first gay Pride along with other colleagues in 1972.
He’s been open about being gay since 1969, and became a leading member of the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) until its collapse in 1974. His campaigning, activism and protests have included organised sit-ins at pubs that refused to serve gay men, and protests against classing homosexuality as a medical illness.
He’s campaigned for LGBT+ rights since the Nineties and formed the Peter Tatchell Foundation, of which celebrity patrons include Sir Ian McKellen and Paul O’Grady, before he died in 2023.
This year, Tatchell staged a peaceful protest against the state visit to Britain by the emir of Qatar, over the appalling abuse of the human rights of LGBT+ people, women and migrant workers.
44. Jake and Hannah Graf
Known as the UK’s transgender power couple, Jake and Hannah Graf are the most visible trans couple in the country. They have been very open about their journeys, which has latterly been described as a lifeline to many others in the community, firstly in their Channel 4 documentary Our Baby: A Modern Miracle which aired in 2020 and more recently, in their book, Becoming Us, published in 2023.
Hannah, a trans woman, is a retired captain in the British army, the highest ranking transgender officer, before leaving the military to begin a career in finance, while Jake – a trans man – is an actor and director. They both give talks on their experiences to help inspire others to come out and know where to find support. They’ve also had two children via surrogate.
This year, they’ve spoken out against what they call the discriminatory EHRC ruling on a definition of a woman, calling it heartbreaking.
45. Nadia Whittome
The Labour MP for Nottingham East, 28-year-old Nadia Whittome, who identifies as queer, is an advocate for and supporter of the LGBT+ community. Earlier this year, she campaigned for Georgia to be taken off the “safe return” list for asylum seekers due to its questionable LGBT+ rights.
Last month, she was included in a book, Letters to My Younger Queer Self, published with the aim of showing that young LGBT+ people aren’t alone in what they’re feeling.
She’s also spoken out about how attacks on trans women harm all women and criticised the government’s stance on the legal definition of a woman. She claims the endless debates on the subject are not about protecting women. In an interview with Glamour, she made the powerful statement that “men don’t need to disguise themselves as women to perpetrate violence against us”.
46. Sir Ian McKellen
Now aged 86, Sir Ian McKellen isn’t exiting stage left just yet. He’s one of the UK’s longest-reigning successful actors across theatre and film, and has been openly gay since 1988. Since then, he’s championed LGBT+ rights and is a co-founder of Stonewall, the LGBT+ rights lobby group. For his work, he was awarded the prestigious honour of the Freedom of the City of London award in 2014.
This year, he will be supporting an all-trans and non-binary performance of Twelfth Night, a play which already toys with gender and fluidity, cross-dressing, shifting gender roles and mistaken identity. It’s scheduled for 25 July, on the eve of the Trans Pride march through London, and all profits are going to the UK-based trans charity, Not A Phase.
47. Ella Morgan
Starring in the British version of the reality TV show, Married At First Sight (MAFS) in 2023, Ella Morgan was the programme’s first trans contestant, which she says she felt privileged to be able to do.
She’s gone on to be an advocate for the trans community, speaking openly, eloquently and candidly on both social media and TV about the realities of being a trans woman, living with stigma still, having difficulty with dating and being single for a decade, plus being fetishised as someone who has transitioned. Following the Supreme Court ruling, she voiced her concern, saying it is an “excuse to attack trans people even more”.
Previously, she praised MAFS’s producers, who she says just saw her as Ella, after feeling like she’s never been fully accepted for being herself. She added that she didn’t see getting married and having children as something that would happen to her either.
48. Brandi Carlile
Singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile is an 11-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, performer, No 1 New York Times-bestselling author and has become one of the industry’s most respected voices. This year, she collaborated with Sir Elton John on the album, Who Believes in Angels?, where they also performed a one-off concert together at The London Palladium. Carlile also received her first Oscar nomination for her writing and vocal contribution to “Never Too Late” from the Elton John documentary of the same name.
Her best-selling book, Broken Horses: A Memoir, published in 2021 delved into her experiences with faith, sexuality and parenthood. She identifies as a lesbian and married Catherine Shepherd in 2012, with whom she has two daughters. Carlile has openly discussed her queer journey and her experience coming out, including her struggles.
49. Ben Whishaw
An unexpected hit on our TV screens last December was the spy drama, Black Doves. starring Kiera Knightley (playing Helen Webb) and Ben Whishaw, where he plays Knightley’s gay best friend, Sam Young, an assassin.
What looked like it could easily have panned, owing to its Tarantino-esque blood scenes, hammed-up fighting, and trigger-happy gangsters, was actually highly praised by critics.
Whishaw is one of Britain’s most prolific actors, from equipment geek Q in the James Bond films, to voicing Paddington Bear and playing the gay doctor in the TV adaptation of Adam Kay’s hit book, This is Going to Hurt, which has won him Emmy, Globe and Bafta awards.
50. Sue Perkins
Presenter, writer and comedian Sue Perkins has been a mainstay on our screens for more than three decades, making her one of Britain’s most loved and recognisable presenters. This year sees her announce her return to stand-up with her first show in 20 years, titled The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins, which she says draws on her unexpected career in the spotlight.
As well as this, along with her comedy partner Mel Giedroyc, she launched a podcast Mel & Sue: Should Know By Now, asking mostly silly questions that Google could quickly answer, but say it’s more fun to chat through between them. The pair have been friends for almost 40 years and are known for their on-screen chemistry, and the podcast features plenty of hysterical giggling and a lifetime of embarrassing anecdotes.
As a lesbian, Perkin has often talked about her sexuality and experiences of coming out as gay, as well as her infertility. She also says her sexuality is not her identity, that she probably knew she was a lesbian at age 16, and that she thinks sexuality is a spectrum.
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