8 LGBT People Who Deserve an Out Profile

Out magazine Wednesday published an eight-page profile on Breitbart tech editor Milo Yiannopoulos that, understandably, angered many people within the LGBT community. The gay British journalist has made a name for himself as one bigoted, hate-mongering face of the alt-right movement. He incited a Twitter riot that chased black actress Leslie Jones off the social media platform and has frequently derided people of color, immigrants, trans people, PC culture, feminism, and many other aspects of progressive and inclusive ideology.

Since glossy features in a national magazine effectively give people a larger platform to share their thoughts and ideals (whether good or bad), we came up with a quick list of other well-known LGBT folks who deserve a profile within the pages of Out. LGBT folks who, unlike Milo, work very hard to make sure the community is as inclusive and accepting as possible.

Kat Blaque

PRIDEopinion vlogger and trans artist Kat Blaque uses her popular YouTube channel to speak out on and raise awareness of many social justices issues that affect so many people across the globe. Her takes on topics such as feminism, trans visibility, and the Black Lives Matter movement (just to name a few) are very much needed in a world where too many people turn a blind eye to marginalized identities. Her continuously growing base of subscribers and followers is indicative of the awesome and inclusive work she does.

Amandla Stenberg
After coming out as bisexual earlier this year, Amandla Stenberg has increasingly become one of the most vocal and visible voices for young queer women of color. The actress, who already has roles in projects like The Hunger Games and Beyoncé’s Lemonade under her belt, uses her celebrity to talk about the intersections of being black and being queer, and is one part of a wave of millennial activists who use their art to shine a light on some of the issues and struggles that people face and live with.

Rowan Blanchard
Just like her fellow woke queen and friend Amandla, Girl Meets World star Rowan Blanchard came out as queer earlier this year, and since then (and even before that) has always been vocal on issues regarding marginalized people and their identities. In a speech given to the United Nations Women’s Conference, she talked about the importance of feminism and why gender equality should always be strived for.

Sam Tsui
Although Sam Tsui is famous for his extraordinary singing voice, his dedication to being a positive role model for young queer people is equally impressive. After his wedding video had gone viral, Tsui discussed how his international audience was particularly important to him because many of those fans don't have access to LGBT content or creators. Tsui told PRIDE, "Many of my fans are in Asia, and outside of YouTube, they don't see same-sex couples in the media often. I have a responsibility to represent queer culture in a positive way, and it's important to me."

Elena Delle Donne
An Olympic gold medal winner and WNBA MVP with the Chicago Sky, Elena Delle Donne came out casually in a Vogue interview prior to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this summer. Beyond her prowess on the court, Elena, who is engaged to her longtime girlfriend Amanda Clifton, speaks openly about her struggles with Lyme disease and how it affects her training. Perhaps what’s most impressive is Elena’s devotion to her older sister Lizzie, who has autism and cerebral palsy and has been blind and deaf since birth. In a moving short film produced by Gatorade, Elena shares her story of leaving the dream university for women’s hoops, the University of Connecticut, behind to attend college closer to Lizzie in Delaware. But Elena lovingly shares in the video that she didn’t leave UConn to take care of her sister. She says that her sister takes care of her. Elena’s love for her sister and her quiet activism are helping to bring awareness to issues that otherly abled people face. 

Elliot Fletcher
An actor and musician, Elliot Fletcher is offering up the best kind of transgender visibility just by being himself. The television landscape is still sparse for trans men, but he landed two plum roles in one year. Fans first fell for him on MTV’s Faking It’s final season before it was prematurely canceled, but Freeform’s inclusive family drama The Fosters wisely scooped him up for its fourth season, and it looks as though he’s here to stay. He’s currently the only trans man in a starring or recurring role on a television series. 

Saeed Jones
As the executive editor for culture at BuzzFeed, Saeed Jones is a Pushcart Prize-winning poet who's dedicated to improving diversity in mainstream media. This self-proclaimed "ungrateful black writer" spearheads challenging conversations and lends his voice to the queer community.

Ingrid Nilsen
She's a Teen Choice Awards nominee for Choice Web Star for fashion and beauty, and it seemed like nothing could surpass YouTuber Ingrid Nilsen’s emotional coming-out video from June 2015, but just six months later she sat down with President Obama and asked him about the tax that women pay on sanitary items, which he had no idea existed. It became clear in that moment that Ingrid was a force to be reckoned with for women and queer people. 

Note to readers: PRIDE is owned by Here Media, which owns Out and The Advocate.