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!

After blowing away the American Idol judges earlier this year with an emotional, original song, singer-songwriter Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon (who grew up the gay son of a pastor in a super conservative, Christian family) has been inspiring audiences all over the country to be themselves, no matter what.

"I think people have really felt empowered to share their stories with me. A lot of people have reached out and said, 'I came out to my family. I’ve struggled with accepting myself. Thank you for sharing your story. I feel less alone and I feel like you’ve helped me in some way.' There’s been a lot of that and honestly, that’s been so amazing to hear because I know that I’m not alone," Jeremiah, who came in sixth place during Season 17 of the reality singing competition, told Metro Weekly in an interview when asked about the response he's been getting from fans and viewers since being on Idol.

He continued:

"And people, we connect to each other by our stories. We give each other meaning when we do that, and hope. That has been something that I didn’t foresee — such a huge response, as big as it has been. You kind of get the sense you’re a part of something bigger than yourself, and I think that’s been really cool to experience."

Form more of Jeremiah and his music, follow him on Instagram and stream his music on Bandcamp!

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