Modern LGBT icons

LGBT+
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
MODERN BLACK LGBT+ ICONS

“Your lives matter. Your voices matter. Your stories
matter.”
Laverne Cox is and American actress and LGBT+
advocate. She is most well known for her performance in
‘Orange is the New Black’ and becoming the first openly
transgender person to be nominated for a Primetime
Emmy Award in any acting category. She has been noted
for being a trailblazer for the transgender community,
with her prominence in the media leading to growing
conversation about transgender rights.

“If I was to go back, I'd like to go and have a wee
word with myself and say 'you can fall in love with
who you want to. You can be exactly who you want
to be, you can run towards yourself if you like,
because it's going to be fine.”
Jackie Kay is a Scottish poet, playwright and novelist known
for her works ‘Other Lovers’, ‘Trumpet’, and ‘Red Dust Road’. She
has won a number of prizes for her work. Jackie was born to a
Scottish mother and Nigerian father in Edinburgh, and was
adopted as a baby. She has been open about being a lesbian
and has explored the concepts of identify, imagination and
multiple truths in her writing.

“No amount of bullying, racism, sexism or
misogyny will hold us back”
Lady Phyll is a pioneering activist, famously known for
her landmark achievement as the co-founder and director
of Black Pride. The first event of it’s time to promote and
advocate for spiritual, emotional, and intellectual health
and wellbeing of ethnic minority communities. She has
won numerous awards for her work.

“ hen you become the image of your own
imagination, it s the most owerful thing you could
ever do.”
RuPaul is one of the most commercially successful drag
queens worldwide, famously known for his reality drag
series ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’. RuPaul’s ability to embrace
himself has made him an inspiring icon. RuPaul has been
a prominent figure and has supported LGBT+ rights and
equality throughout his career. Many have credited him
with bringing drag into the spotlight.

“S eak it aloud, state it clearly and without fear, re eat it
like a mantra, you cannot rogress with confidence. As
soon as you are clear about what you want, you can be
clear about how to get it.”.
Rikki Beadle-Blair is a writer, director, composer,
choreographer, designer, producer and performer and the
founder and artistic director of the multi-media production
company Team Angelica. Rikki has been part of creating a
number of important shows and productions relating to LGBT+
rights including ‘Stonewall’ for the BBC, ‘Metrosexuality’ for
Channel 4 and ‘The Roots of Homophobia’. He was ranked fourth
on the Rainbow List of the 101 most influential lesbian, gay,
bisexual, transgender and intersex people in the UK.