The way the LGBTQ+ community has been portrayed in popular culture has come a long, long way in recent years. Although there's still a lot of work to be done, so many creative queer folks have been making awesome and inclusive movies, music, TV shows, and more that better represents our lives and our stories, so in honor of Pride Month, we're taking the time to honor 25 of these inspiring people! This is the 2019 #PRIDE25!

When Janelle Monáe decided it was time to come out publicly, she held nothing back. Her latest album, Dirty Computer, was unapologetically queer, and the 46-minute film she released alongside it was a pained plea for a more inclusive and accepting society.

Fans have always known Monáe as a private person, and though many in the LGBTQ community recognized a kindred spirit through her music early on, her eventual coming out as pansexual rocketed her to role model status as an out queer black musician.

And it’s the story of her journey that resonates so much to those who have followed it. Her early career saw Monáe hiding behind an adopted persona of an android, something she admitted to Rolling Stone "had to do with the fear of being judged" — something so many LGBTQ fans can relate to. But shedding that mechanical barrier and opening up as Janelle the human created a new opportunity for activism and connecting with fans within the community.

But in addition to opening up to the queer community, Monáe had already been pointedly supporting calls to stop violence against Black Americans from police brutality, performed at the Women’s March in 2017, and even began a movement called Fem the Future to advance opportunities for women in the music industry.

Monáe has always been a champion of a more progressive future, and now she’s continuing that work as her authentic and open self.

And why? She’ll tell you: "My musical heroes did not make the sacrifices they did for me to live in fear."

Stream Janelle's Dirty Computer album on Spotify and watch the Dirty Computer film in the video below!

And check out more of the 2019 #PRIDE25 honorees here!