Top Activists Fighting for LGBTQ+ Rights

Today is IDAHOBILT: The International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, and Transphobia. As we come together to share our experiences and learn more about how we can support each other, we're sharing with you our list of activists you can follow to find out more about LGBTQ+ rights.

Linda Riley

Editor of Diva Magazine and founder of Lesbian Visibility Week, Linda Riley has fought tirelessly for years to increase visibility both for the LGBTQ+ community, but also for marginalised voices within it. Whether it's supporting AKT, the homeless LGBTQ+ youth charity, or when she was the Board Director of GLAAD, you know that Linda Riley cares deeply and passionately about equality. In her work hosting DIVA Community, Linda also provides space for people to discuss and explore topics important to our community, with a safe space to share our thoughts and feelings.

Munroe Bergdorf

Cosmopolitan's 'Changemaker of the Year', trailblazing model Munroe Bergdorf is unashamedly proud of who she is. The first transgender model for L'Oréal, Bergdorf has continued to break ceilings and fight for representation for transgender people, People of Colour, and other marginalised people in environments where they have been historically ignored. Equally, Munroe has been vocal about the abuse she has received being openly trans and a Woman of Colour and has campaigned for socal media to be more responsive in clamping down on this behaviour.

Peter Tatchell

LGBTQ+ rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has been fighting for inclusion and equality since the 1980s, including founding OutRage! to campaign against homohobia. Unafraid of putting himself in the firing line, Tatchell has suffered homophobic campaigns when running for Parliament, and was physically assaulted by Neo-Nazis in Russia when protesting against the Russian government's bans on "gay propaganda". Since 2011, he has been the head of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, working to raise the profile of LGBTQ+ rights globally.

Lady Phyll

Co-founder of UK Black Pride, Lady Phyll understands the importance of intersectionality and how it is vital that we support everyone in our community, not just a select few. the amazing work that Black Pride has done to be the largest pride for People of Colour in Europe is a testament to the effort and commitment Lady Phyll has to uplifting our community. In addition to this, Lady Phyll has also been vocal about issues such as the discrimination facing the LGBTQ+ community in Ghana, especially at a time when there isn't much information available, as well as working with the Kaleidoscope Trust to campaign for better rights for LGBTQ+ people in the Commonwealth.

Edward Enninful

Bursting onto the scene at 18, Edward Enninful was named Fashion Director of i-D - the youngest person to ever have been named an editor of an international fashion magazine. Enninful has worked as editor of countless publications, working to ensure diversity on their covers and in their pages. Living authentically, he takes pride in his identity as a gay man and talks candidly about how the fashion world was an outlet for him, as a sheltered and closeted teenager. His impact on fashion, and the magazines he has edited, will be felt for a long time.

Olly Pike

Actor, Youtuber, Author, Activist: it really seems as though Olly Pike has all bases covered. His focus is simple: to increase the representation of LGBTQ+ stories and people in education, and for young people. Having written a number of LGBTQ+ children's books, which he hopes to see feature in all primary schools, Olly is vocal about the need for young people to see LGBTQ+ role models and stories to understand that they too can be LGBTQ+ without anything to fear. Using his own experiences, growing up feeling isolated because of his sexuality, Olly has turned this into resources that now help LGBTQ+ young people everywhere realise they aren't alone.

Beverly Palesa Ditsie

Openly Lesbian Beverly Palesa Ditsie was the first lesbian woman to address the UN at the World Conference on Women in Beijing in 1995. Originally from South Africa, the moniker "the Rainbow Nation" rings entirely true for Beverly, who continues to fight for LGBTQ+ rights within the context of human rights and the necessity of advancing the liberation of LGBTQ+ people. She also organised the first Pride march in South Africa in 1990, and continued to march despite the discrimination and abuse it brought her.

Urvashi Vaid

The philosophy is clear: to Urvashi Vaid, the inclusion of LGBTQ+ people will only come when institutions are reformed to include marginalised people, and it is our responsibility to help bring this about. Her book, Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation, won a Stonewall Award in 1995 for exploring how mainstreaming LGBTQ+ identities doesn't necessarily transform into acceptance and inclusion. Having worked with a number of LGBTQ+ organisations and authoring more books on the subject, Vaid has made a significant impact on how the movement in America, and beyond, looks today.

Li Tingting

Founding the Lesbian Community Training Group in China in 2012, Li has demonstrated frequently for women's rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and against domestic violence - even when authorities have tried to clamp down on it. Despite being detained and reprimanded in the last, Li has continued to find the resources to support and counsel other LGBTQ+ people, as well as protesting topics such as sexual harassment and forced marriages. For her efforts, she has been blacklisted by Chinese Media, but she hasn't let this stop her from fighting for what she believes in.