20 Years of LGBTQ+ History Month: 20 Influential Figures You Should Know

The cause of equality and inclusion for LGBTQ+ people has come a long way in the past 70 years, and none of this would have occurred without those who dared to live authentically and fight for their rights in a world that was far less accepting than today. As we mark the 20th anniversary of LGBTQ+ History Month in the UK this year, we couldn’t imagine a more fitting theme than social change and activism.  

To trace the journey through LGBTQ+ history to the present, our LGBTQ+ Network has curated a list of 20 activists, past and present, whose work has helped to advance the cause of equality for LGBTQ+ people in the UK and around the world.

1. Olaudah Equiano (c. 1745 – 1797)

Olaudah Equiano, who was renamed Gustavas Vassa upon his enslavement from Nigeria and transport via the West Indies to America, was an abolitionist and author. After being sold twice, Equiano purchased his freedom in 1766 and moved to London where he supported and became a contributor to the British abolitionist movement. He was also a member of the Sons of Africa, an abolitionist group of men from the African diaspora. In 1789, he published an autobiography, “The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano”, or “Gustavas Vassa, the African”. It is the earliest known example of published writing by an African writer. Though there is significant debate as to the veracity of these reports, it is alleged that Equiano had relationships with numerous men throughout his teenage years before marrying his wife in his twenties.

2. Octavia Hill (1838 – 1912)

Octavia Hill was a Victorian social reformer, who bought and renovated ‘slum housing’ across London with the aim of improving conditions for tenants. She founded the National Trust in 1895 and coined the term ‘the green belt’ through her attempts to preserve greenery by preventing excessive urban growth around cities. She allegedly had a relationship with Sophia-Jex Blake, one of the first woman doctors in Britain. She is buried in Kent next to her long-term partner of 30 years, Harriet Yorke.

3. Annie Kenney (1879 – 1953)

Annie Kenney was a working-class suffragette and socialist feminist. She co-founded the first branch of the Women’s Social and Political Union. She was jailed 13 times as a result of her involvement in the suffragette movement and underwent force-feeding many times. Though contemporary accounts sought to obscure the romantic nature of many of her relationships, there is evidence to suggest that Kenney’s lovers included Christabel Pankhurst and Mary Blathwayt. Kenney went on to marry James Taylor in 1920.

4. Ivor Cummings, OBE (1913 – 1992)

In 1941, Ivor Cummings was the first Black person to obtain a position in the Colonial Welfare Office. His recruitment and support of African and Caribbean medical professionals into the NHS has since led to him being affectionately dubbed the “gay father of the Windrush generation”. Cummings was by all accounts a gay man, who used the term ‘queer’ long before the LGBTQ+ community reclaimed it in the 1990s.

5. Patrick Trevor-Roper (1916 - 2004)

An eye surgeon by profession, Patrick Trevor-Roper was one of only three gay men who spoke before the Home Office’s Wolfenden Committee on homosexual offences in 1955. The Committee’s report two years later led directly to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. Trevor-Roper’s testimony covered the many forms of persecution of gay men at the time, including blackmail and police entrapment, and its consequences for the victims. Trevor-Roper went on to be a key figure in both ophthalmology and gay rights. One of his many achievements was helping to found the Terrence Higgins Trust, known today as the UK’s leading AIDS organisation.

6. Reed Erickson (1917 – 1992)

Reed Erickson was a transgender man whose philanthropy and activism impacted “almost every aspect of work being done in the 1960s and 1970s in the field of gender affirmation in the US” through the Erickson Educational Foundation (EEF). Erickson himself set legal precedent in the state of Louisiana through his legal and medical transition in 1965. Through the EEF, Erickson donated millions of dollars to LGBTQ+ causes, with a particular emphasis on transgender research. The EEF also provided information and counselling to transgender people and their families.

7. Harvey Milk (1930 – 1978)

Harvey Milk was the first openly gay man elected to public office in California. Having moved to the Castro, a gay neighbourhood in San Francisco, Milk built a public profile through running for local government and soon found himself leading the gay rights movement in campaigning against anti-gay initiatives in the city. In 1977, Milk was elected city supervisor. He used his role to sponsor a bill banning discrimination based on sexual orientation in public accommodations, housing and employment. Sadly, on 27 November 1978, Milk was assassinated by a disgruntled former city supervisor. He is remembered, in the words of Time’s 100 Heroes and Icons of the 20th Century, as "a symbol of what gays can accomplish and the dangers they face in doing so".

8. RuPaul (1960 – present)

The self-proclaimed “Queen of Drag”, RuPaul has revolutionised the worldwide perception of drag and brought it into the mainstream throughout a career that has spanned TV, film and music. Her most notable project is undoubtably RuPaul’s Drag Race, a reality competition series for drag queens that has spawned a plethora of international spin-offs and platformed countless queer stories. RuPaul has also used her platform to campaign for gay rights and has been politically active throughout her career.

9. Mark Ashton (1960 – 1987)

Mark Ashton was a gay rights activist and socialist widely remembered for co-founding Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners (LGSM) along with his friend Mike Jackson. LGSM was an alliance of gay men and lesbians who supported the National Union of Mineworkers through its year-long strike by raising approximately £22,500 to support the mining families who were on strike (equivalent to £86,000 in 2023). More recently, the 2014 film Pride dramatized the work of the LGSM. Ashton contracted HIV/AIDS and sadly died on 30 January 1987 aged just 26. However, the impact of his activism and his belief in a better world will always be remembered. 

10. Charlie Kiss (1965 – 2022)

Charlie Kiss was a campaigner, trade unionist and trans pioneer. In 2015, Kiss was the first trans man to run for Parliament in the UK, standing for the Green Party in Islington South & Finsbury. Kiss was heavily involved in the lesbian feminist community as a teenager and set up the Green Party’s first panel to explore gender diversity and trans, intersex and non-binary discrimination. He also fought for better support and NHS funding for trans people. His memoir, “A New Man: Lesbian. Protest. Mania. Trans Man”, was published in 2017. Kiss sadly passed away in 2022, aged 56, from an incurable lung condition called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

11. Jayne Ozanne (1968 – present)

Jayne Ozanne is the chair of the Ban Conversion Therapy Coalition. A gay evangelical Christian, Ozanne has led protests and raised awareness by discussing her own experiences of the harmful practice. In 2017, she founded the Ozanne Foundation, through which she works with religious organisations to eliminate discrimination based on sexuality and gender in religious communities.

12. Margaret Cho (1968 – present)

Margaret Cho is an American comedian and actress. A bisexual woman, Cho has consistently advocated for LGBT rights throughout her career, and she was deputised by the Mayor of San Francisco to perform marriages there when gay marriage was legalised in California in 2008. Cho has won multiple awards for her advocacy relating to sexuality, race and gender.

13. Lady Phyll (Phyll Opoku-Gyimah) (1974 – present)

Few have done as much to advance the rights of others as Dr Phyll Opoku-Gyimah, an advocate for equality for social justice known better as Lady Phyll. Widely lauded throughout her career, Lady Phyll is best known as the co-founder and now CEO of UK Black Pride, which all started with a minibus of queer black women travelling down to Southend-on-Sea in 2006. Lady Phyll has dedicated her life to campaigning for social justice, with her activism focusing on advocating for the rights of black people, LGBTQ+ people and women.

14. Munroe Bergdorf (1987 – present)

Munroe Bergdorf is a transgender woman known for her modelling and activism. She was the first transgender woman to appear on the cover of Cosmopolitan UK. Despite a checkered start with L’Oréal, she was appointed to its Inclusion Advisory Board to create positive change within the company. She has spoken candidly about her experiences as a trans woman, including her experiences with poor mental health, and in 2023 she published her memoir Transitional.

15. Shon Faye (1988 – present)

A London-based writer, activist and journalist, Shon Faye is particularly known for her commentary on trans liberation. Faye hosts the popular podcast Call Me Mother, which shares the stories of older LGBTQ+ trailblazers. In 2021, Shon released her bestselling book, “The Transgender Issue: An Argument for Justice”.

16. Charlie Craggs (1992 – present)

Charlie Craggs is a transgender activist listed as one of the most influential LGBTI people in the UK by The Independent in 2016. She launched her ‘Nail Transphobia’ campaign in 2013, through which trans people provided free manicures at pop-ups in museums and art galleries to enable the public to learn about trans experiences from a trans person. Craggs has referred to her brand of activism as ‘gentle activism’.

17. Tanya Compas (1992 – now)

Tanya Compas is a British youth worker and activist. In 2019, Compas set up the annual event Queer Black Christmas, which provides a safe space for queer Black youth at what can be a challenging time of year, after Compas herself became homeless that same year following a falling out with her family caused by their disapproval of her sexuality. Compas raised over £110,000 for the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 with her Exist Loudly fund which, among other things, allocates physical supplies like breast binders to those who need them.

18. Anick Soni (1995 – present)

Anick Soni is a writer, presenter, researcher, and activist. In 2018, Soni organised the first intersex march at London Pride. Coming out as intersex at the age of 21, Soni has strived to advocate for and represent the intersex community. In 2019, Soni was recognised with the GAY TIMES Honour for British Community Trailblazer award.

19. Rukshana Kapali (1999 – present)

A Newar activist based in Nepal, Rukshana Kapali has campaigned for transgender and intersex rights, as well as protection for the culture and language of the Newar people. Kapali, a transgender woman, founded the Queer Youth Group in the Kathmandu Valley and in 2021, brought a case that ultimately reached Nepal’s Supreme Court seeking recognition as a woman rather than third gender. In November 2023, her case succeeded.

20. Jake Daniels (2005 – present)

In May 2022, a then 17-year-old Jake Daniels became the first male professional footballer in the UK to publicly come out as gay since Justin Fashanu came out in 1990 (whose own coming out was a pre-emptive action triggered by a British Sunday newspaper threatening to expose Fashnau’s homosexuality). Research from the charity Stonewall as part of their Rainbow Laces campaign in 2024 revealed that only 4 in 10 sports fans believe sport is welcoming to the LGBT community. The decision of the Blackpool forward to come out has since been praised by various football associations and players, as well as by Prince William and then Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

As we celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month at Charles Russell Speechlys, we also reflect on our commitment to developing an increasingly diverse, inclusive and supportive culture where everyone can be themselves, feel valued, and that they can thrive and belong. This commitment is supported by our LGBTQ+ Action Plan, which outlines the practical steps our Firm is taking to drive inclusivity for our LGBTQ+ colleagues, clients, and the wider community, and highlights our past achievements in this space. Central to these achievements is our LGBTQ+ Network, which plays an active and pivotal role, not only by providing a safe and supportive space for LGBTQ+ colleagues, but also serving as a representative voice, informing our wider approach. 

As we look to the future, we recognise there is still much more to be done, and we remain dedicated to building on these accomplishments, continuing to champion the interests of the LGBTQ+ community, and ensuring that our culture upholds inclusivity and respect for all.