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| LGBT people from the United States | |
|---|---|
| Name | LGBT people from the United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable for | Contributions across politics, law, arts, science, sports, and culture |
LGBT people from the United States are individuals in the United States who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or with other sexual orientations and gender identities. They have shaped United States history through activism, jurisprudence, arts, science, sports, and public life, interacting with institutions such as the Supreme Court of the United States, the United States Congress, and the White House. Prominent LGBT Americans include figures linked to movements around events like the Stonewall riots and legal milestones such as Obergefell v. Hodges.
Early modern LGBT public figures in the United States appear alongside names like Walt Whitman, Gertrude Stein, James Baldwin, Tennessee Williams, and Langston Hughes, while twentieth‑century visibility increased through people such as Bayard Rustin, Harry Hay, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and Christine Jorgensen. Demographic studies by institutions such as the Williams Institute and surveys by the United States Census Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics document changing self‑identification patterns, mirrored in visibility of figures including Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, and Sam Smith. Regional communities formed in cities such as New York City, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, and New Orleans, and in military and academic settings linked to Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Columbia University, and UCLA. Migration, patterns studied by the Pew Research Center and analyses by scholars at Rutgers University and UCLA School of Law, track intersections with race and ethnicity involving leaders like Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, Phill Wilson, Patrisse Cullors, and Brittney Griner.
Landmark legal cases and statutes involving LGBT people include One, Inc. v. Olesen, Lawrence v. Texas, United States v. Windsor, and Obergefell v. Hodges, with litigants and advocates represented by organizations such as the ACLU, Lambda Legal, and the Human Rights Campaign. Political breakthroughs include openly LGBT public officials like Tammy Baldwin, Barney Frank, Pete Buttigieg, Jared Polis, Maura Healey, and Kate Brown, and appointments to federal positions by administrations in the Bill Clinton era, the Barack Obama administration, and the Joe Biden administration. Legislative efforts and policy disputes involved statutes such as the Defense of Marriage Act and debates around protections like the Equality Act, with advocacy from groups including GLAAD, PFLAG, National LGBTQ Task Force, and the Log Cabin Republicans.
LGBT American creators have influenced literature, film, theater, and music: novelists and poets like Truman Capote, Annie Proulx, Alice Walker, Rita Dove, and Ocean Vuong; playwrights including Tony Kushner and Paula Vogel; filmmakers such as Pedro Almodóvar (international collaborator), Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters, and Lana Wachowski; and musicians including Janelle Monáe, Elton John (UK but influential in US culture), Freddie Mercury (UK but influential), Frank Ocean, Troye Sivan, Melissa Etheridge, Sam Smith, Lil Nas X, and George Michael (UK influence). Television and film performers such as Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Laverne Cox, Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, Kristen Stewart, Richard Rush, and Ian McKellen (UK influence) have expanded representation. Institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Center, Sundance Film Festival, Paley Center for Media, and festivals such as NewFest and Outfest showcase LGBT work.
Organized activism traces from early advocacy by Magnus Hirschfeld allies to United States organizers such as Harry Hay, Frank Kameny, Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P. Johnson, Bayard Rustin, and Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon; organizations include the Mattachine Society, Daughters of Bilitis, ACT UP, Queer Nation, and Black Lives Matter intersections. Direct actions such as the Stonewall riots and protests at institutions like St. Patrick's Cathedral (New York City) and during the AIDS crisis mobilized communities represented by activists like Larry Kramer, Peter Staley, Ed Koch (politician ally), and Sean Sasser. International solidarity and advocacy have linked American activists with events such as WorldPride and associations like ILGA.
Notable political, cultural, and scientific figures include Harvey Milk, Ruth Bader Ginsburg (legal ally contexts), James Baldwin, Audre Lorde, Bayard Rustin, Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris, Anderson Cooper, Rachel Maddow, Ted Haggard (controversial), Laverne Cox, Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Martina Navratilova (Czech–American sports figure), Megan Rapinoe, Billie Jean King, Michael Sam, Jason Collins, Billy Bean (baseball), Carl Nassib, Patricia Arquette, Rose McGowan, Janet Mock, Jazz Jennings, Chaz Bono, Christine Jorgensen, Katherine Johnson (scientist ally contexts), Alan Turing (historical comparative figure), Tim Cook, Peter Thiel, Rachel Levine, Andy Cohen, Diane Sawyer, Martha Nussbaum, Susan Sontag, Tony Kushner, Truman Capote, James Ivory, John Waters, Pedro Almodóvar, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, Billy Porter, Janelle Monáe, Lil Nas X, Frank Ocean, Sam Smith, Melissa Etheridge, and community leaders across neighborhoods such as Greenwich Village, Castro District, Chelsea, Manhattan, Boystown, Chicago, and Silver Lake, Los Angeles.
Public health responses affecting LGBT people involved institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and community clinics initiated by Harvey Milk era organizations and later groups such as GMHC and AIDS Project Los Angeles. Education policy debates engaged university systems including University of California, City University of New York, and Harvard University regarding nondiscrimination, campus resources, and research by scholars at Rutgers University School of Law and the Williams Institute. Employment protections have been litigated in cases before the Supreme Court of the United States and enforced through federal agencies like the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, with corporate policy shifts led by companies such as Apple Inc., Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Starbucks.
LGBT Americans have attained visibility in branches of government and institutions: elected officials such as Tammy Baldwin, Pete Buttigieg, Jared Polis, Mondaire Jones, and Ritchie Torres; judicial figures and appointees including openly LGBT judges at federal and state levels; cabinet and executive appointments during the Barack Obama and Joe Biden administrations; leaders in academia at Harvard University, Princeton University, Yale University, and University of California, Berkeley; and senior corporate leadership at Apple Inc., Facebook (Meta Platforms), and Amazon (company). Representation in sports expanded with athletes like Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova, Jason Collins, Michael Sam, Megan Rapinoe, and Carl Nassib increasing institutional inclusion in leagues such as the National Football League, National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, and National Women's Soccer League.