20 LGBTQ+ Figures Who Made History and Changed the World

Alan Turing helped shape the modern computer age and played a crucial role in breaking Nazi codes during World War II. His work at Bletchley Park enabled the Allies to decipher encrypted German communications, which was a significant contribution to the war effort. Turing was later prosecuted in Britain because of his homosexuality, a shameful injustice that tarnished his life and legacy for decades.

Bayard Rustin was one of the principal organizers of the 1963 March on Washington, during which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. A strategist, activist, and longtime advocate for civil rights, labor rights, and nonviolent protest, he faced the homophobia of his time, which led some leaders to try to relegate him to the background. But history has ultimately recognized that Rustin was by no means a mere bit player.

Marsha P. Johnson was a Black transgender activist and a central figure in the LGBTQ+ rights movement in New York. She participated in the Stonewall riots and later helped, alongside Sylvia Rivera, to found STAR, an organization that provides support to homeless transgender youth and sex workers. 

Sylvia Rivera was a transgender activist of Latin American descent who pushed the LGBTQ+ movement to include transgender people, those living in poverty, young people, and those on the margins of society. She was outspoken, fiery, and not one to make established activists feel comfortable. Alongside Marsha P. Johnson, she helped found STAR to support vulnerable members of the community. 

Oscar Wilde became one of the most famous writers of the 19th century thanks to works such as The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Importance of Being Earnest. After being prosecuted for “gross indecency” due to his relationships with men, he was imprisoned and socially ruined. Wilde’s tragedy helped shed light on the cruelty of Victorian moral repression, while his work remains magnificently alive.

Sappho was a poet from ancient Greece, originally from the island of Lesbos, and her work has shaped our understanding of love, desire, and lyric poetry for more than two thousand years. Her writings on affection between women later inspired terms such as “lesbian” and “sapphic.” 

James Baldwin wrote about race, sexuality, America, religion, and identity with extraordinary power and elegance. Works such as Giovanni’s Room, The Fire Next Time, and Go Tell It on the Mountain challenged readers to confront uncomfortable truths. As a Black, gay man, Baldwin understood what it meant to be observed, judged, and misunderstood by multiple worlds at once. 

Harvey Milk became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He was assassinated in 1978, and although his political career was brief, his influence was considerable. He encouraged LGBTQ+ people to come out, organize, and demand political visibility. 

Frida Kahlo revolutionized modern art with deeply personal paintings that explored pain, identity, gender, politics, and the body. She had relationships with both men and women, and her life defied any simplistic categorization. Her style, her self-portraits, and her refusal to sugarcoat her own complexity have made her an icon long after her death. 

Walt Whitman revolutionized American poetry with Leaves of Grass, a work steeped in democracy, sensory experience, nature, and emotional intimacy. Scholars have long debated the homoerotic themes present in his poems and his close relationships with men. Whitman’s work celebrated the body and soul in a way that, for its time, seemed bold and innovative. 

In 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to go into space, thereby transforming the image that millions of people had of scientists and astronauts. She went on to become actively involved in promoting science education, particularly among girls. After her death, it was revealed that she had a long-term partner, making her the first known LGBTQ+ astronaut. 

Michel Foucault was a French philosopher whose writings revolutionized our understanding of power, knowledge, sexuality, punishment, and social control. Works such as Discipline and The History of Sexuality have influenced philosophy, sociology, history, gender studies, queer theory, criminology, and political thought. As a gay man interested in how societies define “normality” and “deviance,” Foucault helped provide researchers and activists who followed him with a new approach to analyzing identity and authority. 

Audre Lorde was a poet, essayist, feminist, lesbian, and civil rights activist who strongly asserted that identity and justice were inseparable. Her work denounced racism, sexism, homophobia, and silence with relentless clarity. Lorde described herself as “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet,” and she meant every word. 

Magnus Hirschfeld was a German physician and sexologist who was one of the first advocates for LGBTQ+ rights. He founded the Institute for Sexology in Berlin, which supported research, education, and advocacy related to sexuality and gender. The Nazis destroyed his institute and burned his documents, demonstrating just how much knowledge can threaten authoritarian regimes. 

Alan L. Hart was a physician, radiologist, and researcher specializing in tuberculosis who was one of the first to use X-ray screening to detect tuberculosis more quickly. Hart was also one of the first transgender men in the United States to undergo gender-affirming surgery, making his life historically significant both in the medical field and in the history of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Leonardo da Vinci revolutionized the world through art, science, engineering, anatomy, and innovation. Although the concept of sexual orientation did not exist in Renaissance Italy, most contemporary historians agree that he was gay, even though this issue is still the subject of some debate. What is certain is that Leonardo transcended conventions in more ways than one, and that his genius helped define the Renaissance.

Eleanor Roosevelt revolutionized the role of First Lady and established herself as a passionate advocate for human rights, civil rights, and social reform. Her close relationship with journalist Lorena Hickok has been the subject of extensive analysis by historians, and the letters that have survived bear witness to a deep emotional bond between them. 

Billie Holiday revolutionized music with a voice that brought sorrow, injustice, and desire to life so vividly that they became painful. She had relationships with both men and women, even though her sexuality was not always discussed openly in the language we use today. Her rendition of “Strange Fruit” has become one of the most poignant artistic testimonies against lynching in the entire history of the United States. 

Ma Rainey, often called the “Mother of the Blues,” helped shape American music in the early 20th century. Her songs openly addressed desire, independence, and relationships between women. She influenced the blues and jazz artists who followed her, while paving the way for a more rebellious form of female expression. 

Lord Byron was a prominent figure of the Romantic movement, known for his poetry celebrating passion, rebellion, beauty, and emotional intensity. His relationships and desires extended to both men and women, making him an important figure in queer literary history. Byron’s scandalous life and magnetic public image helped shape the image of the famous, brilliant, and rebellious artist, thereby granting him great influence in both cultural and literary spheres.