Queer Icons
Last year, I wrote a piece about my icons and every June is the LGBTQ+ month so I thought I would write a version looking at some of my queer icons. These people may or may not be LGBTQ+, but seem to be very in touch with the issues. I know there aren’t many women of this list, maybe because I’m a man I gravitate towards the male LGBTQ+ role models.
David Ames
David is best known for his portrayal of Dr Dominic Copeland in Holby City. David has played the gay doctor since 2013, throughout his time he has been through many failed relationships but noticeably his relationship with Isaac.
David often says there are bits of himself in Dom, I can see elements of myself in parts of his back story. The abusive relationship with Isaac brought back memories of my relationship with a man, we were kids. But there were moments where I cried.
I remember watching this interview from Lorraine, where he said, “Being on Holby, I’ve had countless tweets and Instagram messages saying you know what you kind of helped me.” Dom, I see a lot of myself in, he is the man I hope to be like.
In real life, what I’ve seen he lives his life as him. His acting seems genuine and relatable, there is a lot I think LGBT youth can learn from his acting how to be open. On his social media, he appears to be living his life as him, sharing what he wants coming across as a genuinely lovely guy.
Ryan O’Connell
Ryan plays himself in a Netflix series called Special, based on his book, I’m Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves, this is something which I could really relate to as a man with Cerebral Palsy. I found one of the most upsetting scene was when the character has sex with a sex worker, something I never want to do.
He made so much of what I feel visually represented on screen just generally, not just the sex. Ryan showed a general overview of life is a little bit of an outsider, is not understood and wanting to be a good writer.
It felt like my story, researching this piece I saw this from an interview, “someone who doesn’t feel like he’s enough and in kind of discovering new self-worth, which I think is really universal.” It represents the marginalised, but due to the current situation filming on series two has been suspended.
I see a lot of myself in him, we are both writers and disabled. Ryan’s series although yes difficult at times gives me upset, the way it explores insecurities of being both disabled and gay is spot on. He created what been described as a ground-breaking series, having a lead disabled character.
Sam Smith
Sam Smith has been outspoken about their issues with body image and gender identity in recent years. Sam came out as gay in 2014 and then as non-binary in 2019, throughout their musical career I feel what they have written has been personal.
The music they write is sad but sums up most of the emotions I have felt over the years, its not something you can listen to when you’re not happy. The connection you make with the music and what it means to you, I have never felt that love from another man before.
You will notice I’m not using he/him pronouns; I’m using them/they because that’s how they have been asked to be referred to. Even if you don’t understand it or think gender is binary, you shouldn’t use that as an excuse not to use their pronouns.
Sam is themselves they don’t care about looking non-binary, I know they have also spoke about their issues with body image. We know that men have issues with their bodies, saying “Being able to talk so openly about my body issues and feeling so safe whilst doing it was truly liberating … It took a lot for me to do this and I was so nervous, so please be kind haha.”
I think Sam is an inspiration as they dared to speak about these difficult personal issues. For males talking these body, issues don’t come easily, you have to say that he came across naturally. Hopeful this leads to more men speaking about these difficult things.
Philip Schofield
Earlier this year Philip Scofield surprised everyone in that emotional This Morning interview in February. Watching this line hit me, “You never know what’s going on in someone’s seemingly perfect life, what issues they are struggling with, or the state of their wellbeing”
Philip has been part of our lives for thirty years, we shouldn’t be joking about the broom cupboard or the impact on Steph being protruded by Philip. It was a difficult thing for him to do, though we can’t link the two at the time his children’s TV career it wouldn’t have been acceptable to be a gay man.
We know Philip is very early on his journey, so I think it is inappropriate to comment further. But has even before this has spoken for LGBT Rights, in 2017 he hit back against, Andrea Williams, the CEO of campaign group Christian Concern, appeared on the show to discuss trans equality, during which the campaigner said children shouldn’t be allowed to identify as trans.
Saying, “’I’m finding this utterly abhorrent. We’ll get back to the show, and back to 2017 and not medieval Britain, in just a moment.”
Again, in May last year, he joined Holly in speaking to an anti-LGBT protester during which he branded their beliefs ‘discriminating’ and ‘encouraging children to be less tolerant’.
Riyadh Khalaf
Riyadh came to my attention at the time when I was starting to figure myself out properly. His mixed British-Iraqi heritage made it difficult for him growing up, I once saw a video where his father admitted he nearly killed himself because of his son’s homosexuality.
His father was formerly devout Muslim. The family’s story struck a chord with people across the country. Riyadh big break was when he made a BBC series looking at Queer Britain and that lead to him writing a guide for young LGBT people.
One of his video’s his father admitted that he thought about suicide0 because of his son’s sexuality. Speaking about that video, he said, “It was very shocking. o many things go through your head: ‘I can’t believe he’s gone through this and didn’t tell us. I can’t believe I was the cause. How is he feeling now? Is he still uneasy with my sexuality?’”
Now his father and mother are supportive, leading the yes campaign in Ireland’s referendum on gay marriage. Riyadh admits he still struggles “to fully accept” himself. “I sometimes catch myself walking past a group of lads and I’ll want to pass as a straight person for my own safety, so I’ll butch it up. Then, afterwards, I hate myself. Why did I change myself?”
He is a broadcaster, journalist and campaigner once going viral with a video where he called the Westboro Baptist Church in America reaching several million views apiece.
Ben Bland
Ben Bland is a presenter and correspondent for BBC News, but throughout his personal profiles, he looks to be in touch with LGBTQ+ issues. He regularly attends prides around the world, on-air he doesn’t appear to be robotic and puts his own stamp on presenting.
I am not speculating about his own sexual orientation; he has a right to keep that private. But some outlets have, even if he isn’t you have to say he is in touch. He often appears on pride/LGBT power lists, Ben can be himself and natural.
If he isn’t LGBTQ+, I think on air he doesn’t need to show it, Bland has the ability to show LGBTQ+ how to be themselves without being obvious about it.
Kylie Minogue
Kylie’s thirty-year career has seen her be embraced by the LGBT community her music is a celebration of being human. They make you want to get up, there have been a handful of ballads, but Kylie is at home when performing synth-heavy, sugary dance-pop.
She headlines prides around the world and was part of the yes campaign during the Australian referendum on legalising same-sex marriage. Kylie has been the darling of the LGBT community since the ’80s. She says, “It happened without me knowing it.”
Also before the legalisation of same-sex marriage in Australia, she refused to marry her boyfriend. Joshua Sasse helped launch the yes campaign in Australia saying “I simply can’t fathom on any level, whether it’s moral or religious or anything, that I have the right to get married and to marry the person that I love and that somebody else doesn’t because of their sexual orientation.”
Throughout her career her music has been uplifting, featuring an LGBT scene in her music videos. Also, charity work, supporting AIDs research and HIV prevention.
Florence Welch
Florence Welch, the lead singer of Florence + The Machine, has been a vocal activist for LGBT rights in the UK. This first became noticeable after the 2015 Orlando Nightclub Shootings, which left 49 dead and 53 wounded.
At her first performance after the shootings, she called out the crowd with a chant: “Love is love is love is love!” she enthusiastically yelled, as the audience roared back with the same message.
Flag symbolism and chant aside, the show of solidarity with the gay community especially struck a chord thanks to the all-too-fitting lyrics of “Spectrum,” delivered as a mighty rallying call: “Say my name and every colour illuminates / We are shining, and we will never be afraid again.”
June we know is pride month, in the song, there’s a line “In those heavy days in June When love became an act of defiance.” Although we don’t know the theme for the song I think it may be a hint towards the
We are hearing about the situation beginning to develop in Hungary at the moment, last year performing at Szigent she said, “the LGBTQ community of Hungary. We love you, we’re family.” Her music I think is a celebration of life and culture, I think that is her aim more is to celebrate life and its diversity.
Tom Daley
I have always looked to Tom, I remember watching that video in 2013 he hasn’t labelled it ‘Gay Bi’ as he admits he still fancies women. But he lives his life going on these adventures being honest about his life while trying to protect his child from the media spotlight.
He has been a strong supporter of LGBT rights, calling on then Prime Minister Thresa May to get the commonwealth to repeal all anti-gay laws. Following the commonwealth games in 2018, Daley said “I feel extremely lucky to compete openly as who I am, not worry about ramifications. But for lots of people living in those countries, it is not the case.”
Daley appears to also be using his platform for good and understands how to use it. He has developed into a content creator and we know his diving carer is likely to be short compared to other athletes, I think that he could become a future presenter.
He has also spoken about bullying in the education system, this would have been post-section 28, saying “it wasn’t socially acceptable to like boys and girls.” Speaking about his child he says that a hetero couple would not be criticised the same way.
In a previous interview, Daley discussed how fatherhood affected his advocacy for LGBT+ rights. “You want your child to grow up having an equal opportunity as everyone else that is born, whether they’re gay, straight, male, female, whatever religion you are, whatever ethnicity you are,” he said
Dawn Butler
Dawn is one of my political idols ever since she entered parliament she was seen as a cleaner. It shows you don’t have to be an LGBT person, to stand up for our rights. Having met Dawn and seen her brilliant work when she was shadow secretary of state for equalities you have to believe she is a defender of our rights.
Dawn echoed something I strongly believe, not only as a gay man but as a human being, “without your rights I can’t have my rights and I quite like my rights and I’m still struggling to get my full rights.” Her voting record on gay rights has always been in favour of improving them.
Having met Dawn, she comes across as a natural campaigner and passionate MP, who most of the time tries to speak her mind using her energy and supporting the rights of everyone. She was the first MP to speak in parliament asking for British Sign Language to be given legal status.
Although she hasn’t got it right alkali the time after last year claiming “90% of giraffes are gay,” I believe that comment may have been designed to show that homosexuality is part of nature.
Throughout the Labour leadership election from what I saw on my Twitter feed, she appeared to have the support of LGBT members. We need to use her as an example of how to be an alie not just to LGBT people, but in her words “anyone who has ticked the other box.”