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.

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.

A sports presenter and broadcaster, Clare Balding is openly gay. She has been praised for her work in sports journalism and has been an advocate for LGBTQ+ visibility in the sports world.

Sir Ian McKellen came out during a radio debate discussing the harmful Section 28 in 1988. He then went on to co-found the charity Stonewall in 1989. Ian remains a gay rights activist in the fight against homophobia. Many will know him for his appearances on stage and on screen in films series such as The Lord of the Rings and X-Men. He has been openly gay since 1988.

An actor and singer, Billy Porter gained widespread recognition for his role in the TV series "Pose" and for challenging gender norms with his bold and glamorous fashion choices. Porter is a HIV activist following his diagnosis in June 2007.

As one of the greatest gay filmmakers of the late 20th century, Derek Jarman was a master of combining activism with art. His filmmaking debut Sebastiane – released in 1976 – was one of the very first British film to depict positive imagery of gay sexuality. But it was his 1986 classic Caravaggio that he is most remembered for. Starring Tilda Swinton is was revolutionary for its time, unashamed of its explicit depictions of same-sex love.

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.

Although his early work pre-dates the modern Pride movement, the late Antony Grey was widely regarded as Britain’s first gay rights activist. The former press officer for the British Iron and Steel Federation started
volunteering for the Homosexual Law Reform Society (HLRS) in 1958, which campaigned to change laws that criminalised gay men.

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.

During a time where fear of HIV/AIDS 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.

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.

Turing helped the Allies win the second world war by cracking a Nazi code. Due to his sexuality he was chemically castrated. However, Turing was voted to become the new face of the £50 which will come into circulation later on this year. The Alan Turing Law is now the informal term for the law in the United Kingdom on the Policing and Crime Act 2017 that serves as an amnesty law to pardon men who were cautioned or convicted under historical legislations that outlawed homosexual acts. Turing had been convicted of gross indency in 1952 and was only pardoned after he died in 2013.

“Good afternoon, I’m Chris Smith. I’m the Labour MP for Islington South and Finsbury and I’m gay,” Chris Smith famously said at a rally in Rugby in November 1984. His words made him Britain’s first male Member of Parliament to come out as gay publicly and, as time went on, he used his platform to speak about issues affecting LGBTQ+ people in the UK.

LGBT Foundation is a national charity rooted in Greater Manchester’s local community. It aims to help LGBTQ+ people increase their skills, knowledge and self confidence and is the UK’s largest health and community charity for queer people. Recently celebrating the 45th anniversary of its helpline, some of LGBT Foundation’s biggest achievements include providing 3,623 hours of counselling to 505 Talking Therapies clients from 2019-20 alone, giving out millions of free condom and lube sachets, and working with schools to make them safer for LGBTQ+ students.

Named after Terry Higgins, one of the first people to die of an AIDS-related illness in the UK, the Terrence Higgins Trust has become the country’s leading HIV and sexual health charity. It has spent the last 40 years supporting those living with HIV/AIDS, amplifying their voices and helping them achieve good sexual health. The charity has led several high profile campaigns to tackle sexual health stigma and put these important issues at the forefront of the government’s agenda.

Founded in 1974, Switchboard began as an information and support helpline for LGBTQ+ people. In its first two decades, the helpline was an invaluable source of support for those coming out after the 1967 partial decriminalisation of male homosexuality, as well as one of information during the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the 80s. Today, Switchboard remains an integral resource for the LGBTQ+ community. A 24 hour safe space available over the phone, email, and online for all people to contact, individuals can discuss a range of subjects.