For LGBT+ Pride Month we shine a light on LGBT+ heroes who have shaped culture. Historically, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month (LGBT Pride Month) was established to honor the 1969 Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, NY.
Credit: Levi Saunders [Public Domain] via Unsplash, modified
Get inspired by films, stories and art about LGBT+ heroes!
For LGBT+ Pride Month we shine a light on LGBT+ heroes who have shaped culture. Don't forget to check out our LGBT+ History Month page to read about activists who advanced LGBT+ rights.
Family-Friendly Films
TRANSPARENCY: Becoming Oliver
Tessa Grace Morell
Experimental short film made to visually accompany the original poem "Becoming Oliver" written by Oliver Marino.
I Have Four Parents
Daniel Roy
This video is a magical rendition of the story of my very unique four-parent family. Everything I talk about in the video is true, and these are the answers to the questions I most commonly get asked.
Love Has No Labels
Produced by:Prod. The Ad Council / Dir. R/GA
The Love Has No Labels campaign challenges us to open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, others and institutions.
Austin Police Department & LGPOA: It Gets Better
Produced by:Steven McCormick/Shawn Northcutt
The Lesbian & Gay Peace Officers Association sends a message to LGBTQ youth that it does get better.
Janet Miller
Produced by:The Working Group
Janet Miller leads her students to stand up for their LGBT peers.
For Younger Readers, By Younger Readers
Freddie Mercury
By: Dean Gervais
Tell us about your hero
Credit: MH
These films offer a variety of LGBT+ voices from young to old.
The Mayor of Castro Street: The Triumphs and Tragedies of Harvey Milk
Angela Kim
As a gay rights pioneer, Harvey Milk made history being the first openly gay elected official in California and one of the first in the country.
Interview with Georgia Bridgers (LGBTQ YouTuber)
Kitty Richardson
An interview with Georgia Bridgers, a YouTuber, on how she uses her channel to promote LGBT acceptance.
David Bowie: As Told by Ziggy
Katie Graubart, Animation by: Jessica Ordaz
David Bowie: As Told by Ziggy gives a history of the hero that was David Bowie.
Love Has No Labels
Produced by:Prod. The Ad Council / Dir. R/GA
The Love Has No Labels campaign challenges us to open our eyes to our bias and prejudice and work to stop it in ourselves, others and institutions.
The Toothmans
Hansen Bursic
Deb and Jim Toothman and their transgender daughter Cooper Toothman, talk about their struggles with acceptance both within their family and in the community.
Top 10 Important LGBTQ Movements In US History
Produced by:Jaimie Roussos
In honor of Pride month, this film looks at at the most important LGBTQ milestones in US History.
T(he)y
Caroline Callender & Silver Liftin
Each day, different people experience and view the world through entirely different lenses, based on those identities. Often, we forget that this is the case.
From AIDS to Advice: LGBTQ+ Seniors Tell Their Stories
Sophie Kim
Nine LGBTQ+ senior citizens share their experiences, including coming out stories, life during the HIV/AIDS crisis, and advice for LGBTQ+ youth, parents, and allies.
Call to Action
Listening can be a radical act. For LGBT+ Pride Month, the call to action is to listen and learn from the LGBT+ community.
Stories about LGBT+ Heroes
Lady Gaga (aka Stefani Joanne Germanotta)
By: Chase Cooper
Chase from San Diego writes about his hero Lady Gaga because of her humility: "She tells us that we cannot be self-centered in order to be truly successful.
Naya Rivera: Performer, Mother, Daughter, Friend, and Inspiration
By: Cara Jonas Delos Reyes
Naya Rivera was an actress who portrayed Santana Lopez on the TV show Glee and was a pioneer in Afro-Latinx and gay Latinx representation.
Alan Turing
By: Keegan Goodwin
Lili Elbe
By: Eren Knudsen
Lili Elbe was one of the first transgender women to receive sex reassignment surgery.
Ingrid Nilsen
By: Mia Islas
Rebecca Sugar
By: Rosemary Muraca
Felix Gonzalez-Torres
By: Robin Venter
Felix Gonzalez-Torres was a Cuban American visual artist whose work reflected the LGBT community and the AIDS epidemic.
Sasha Fleischman
By: Brian
Sasha Fleischman is an agender youth in Oakland, California, who was attacked by a stranger on the bus, which sparked a movement of support for Fleischman and others in the local LGBTQ+ community.
Ellen DeGeneres
By: Sylvie from Roseville
"I'm not an activist; I don't look for controversy. I'm not a political person, but I'm a person with compassion. I care passionately about equal rights. I care about human rights. I care about animal rights." -Ellen DeGeneres
Danica Roem
By: Kathryn Atwood
Danica Roem is the first transgender person elected official in the state of Virginia.
Freddie Mercury
By: Camellia from San Diego
Freddie Mercury was the memorable lead singer of the band Queen.
Helen Zia
By: Hannah from San Diego
Helen Zia
is an Asian American journalist, scholar and activist for human rights.
MY HERO Contests
Credit: MH
Great for ESL students and the visually impaired!
Click on the Listen and Read Along icon in the following story so you can hear the audio as you read.
My Hero Suggested Viewing
Breaking the Code (1996). Run time: 1h30min
The BBC TV movie based on the stage play of Alan Turing's life.
Source:
Alan Turing
By: Edward Ortiz
Alan Turing was a brilliant British scientist and mathematician who laid the theoretical groundwork for the first computer.
Art Selections that illustrate LGBT+ heroes and the activism required to change our society for the better
Visibility, voice, and expression are a few ways artists amplify and support the LGBT+ community.
Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene
By: Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelites who was noted for his depictions of Jewish life and same-sex desire.
The Aperitif
By: Gerda Wegener
Gerda Marie Fredrikke Wegener was a Danish illustrator and painter. Wegener is known for her fashion illustrations and later her paintings that pushed the boundaries of gender and love of her time.
Harry Hay (1912 - 2002) by Robert Shetterly, AWTT.org was a prominent American gay rights activist and labor advocate
By: Robert Shetterly
Lady Gaga by Yvonne LaPointe
By: Yvonne LaPointe
Lady Gaga is not only a wonderful entertainer but she has started the Born This Way Foundation
Gay Activists depicted by EB protest to change our world for the better
By: EB
Harvey Milk by Marilyn Huerta from California
By: Marilyn Huerta
Harvey Milk was an American politician and first openly gay elected official in California who advocatedfor gay rights
Duilian
By: Wu Tsang
Wu Tsang is a Chinese American artist.
Inspiration by Alex is dedicated her two courageous moms
By: Alex Hunt
Related Pages - More LGBT+ Heroes
LGBT Heroes in the Arts Sciences
Part of LGBT History and LGBT Pride Month celebrations
LGBT Heroes in Media & Entertainment
Part of LGBT History and LGBT Pride Month celebrations
Stories from the Christian Science Monitor
Nemo, Eurovision’s first nonbinary winner, gets a hero’s welcome in Switzerland
By: Kirsten Grieshaber
May 13, 2024 - Eurovision has long been embraced as a haven for the LGBTQ+ community. This year’s competition struck a particular victory for acceptance, crowning the contest’s first nonbinary winner. [CSM Story]
Storytelling is a tool of resilience
Credit: CSM - Brianna Lawrence/Courtesy of Don Abram
what does fairness look like?
Credit: CSM - Isaac Hale/The Salt Lake Tribune/AP
Related Content
Between the Acts Project on their New Queer Play, Self Made
Kitty Richardson
LGBT-friendly Berlin Mosque Deradicalises Muslim Youth
Produced by:Nicky Milne
The stigma around homosexuality in Islam led Tugay to the brink of radicalisation, but an #LGBT mosque helped him turn his life around.
From AIDS to Advice: LGBTQ+ Seniors Tell Their Stories
Sophie Kim
Nine LGBTQ+ senior citizens share their experiences, including coming out stories, life during the HIV/AIDS crisis, and advice for LGBTQ+ youth, parents, and allies.
