19 incredible lesbians who’re loud, proud and making the world a better place

Lesbian Visibility Week (26 April – 2 May) was created by DIVA publisher Linda Riley “both to celebrate lesbians and show solidarity with all LGBT+ women and non-binary people in our community”.

So, what better way to celebrate Lesbian Visibility Week than by honouring lesbians who are proud, visible and making the world a better place for our whole community?

Whether you’re a lesbian or not, take note of these incredible women-loving women.

Billie Jean King. Seventy-seven-year-old former world-class tennis player who has used her platform to speak up for the rights of trans athletes.

Baroness Elizabeth Barker. Lesbian peer and Albert Kennedy Trust ambassador who recently spoke out in the UK’s House of Lords in defence of an inclusive maternity bill.

Jamie Margolin. (WireImage/ Kevin Mazur)

Jamie Margolin. US climate justice activist and co-executive director of Zero Hour at just 19-years-old.

Janet Rozzano. Lesbian Catholic nun and member of Sisters of Mercy, an international community of nuns, who publicly declared that God has called her to “celebrate her lesbian identity”.

Jayne Ozanne. Lesbian evangelical Christian and director of the Ozanne Foundation, which works with faith communities to eliminate anti-LGBT+ discrimination, who recently quit the government’s LGBT+ Advisory Panel over delays to a UK conversion therapy ban.

Jessica Kellgren-Fozard. Lesbian YouTube star and disability advocate, who is raising awareness of the experiences of disabled queer parents while expecting her first baby with wife Claudia.

Judith Butler. Philosopher and feminist icon working hard to show that true feminism must be intersectional, and that “gender critical” feminists are part of a “fringe movement”.

Karine Jean-Pierre. (Gary Gershoff/Getty)

Karine Jean-Pierre. Deputy White House press secretary who this year became the first Black woman to host a press briefing in 30 years, and the first queer Black woman ever to do so.

Kehlani. Music artist who came out as a lesbian this year, and delighted fans by providing visibility for lesbians “on the non-binary scale”.

Lady Phyll Opoku-Gyimah. Co-founder of UK Black Pride, which will return in 2021 with the theme “love and rage”.

Lena Waithe. (Getty/ Alberto E Rodriguez)

Lena Waithe. Screenwriter, producer and actor, working to recruit more people of colour and queer artists in the film and television industries.

Lily Tomlin. Comedian, actor and Grace & Frankie star who last year donated $100,000 to help people left unemployed during the coronavirus pandemic.

Linda Riley. Publisher of DIVA magazine, and architect of Lesbian Visibility Week.

Liz Carr. Actor, comedian and disability rights activist.

Mary Trump, Donald Trump’s neice. (Peter Serling / Simon and Schuster)

Mary Trump. Donald Trump’s lesbian niece, who campaigned tirelessly to get her uncle out of office.

Megan Rapinoe. US soccer star who has become a figurehead in the fight for equal pay, including speaking on the issue before Congress, and is an outspoken trans ally.

Mhairi Black. The youngest MP to be elected to the UK’s House of Commons, fighting for reforms to the Gender Recognition Act (GRA).

Sarah Paulson and Holland Taylor. (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Sarah Paulson. Ratched actor who has spoken out for police reform in the US, is proving that age is just a number with partner Holland Taylor, and iconically once told JK Rowling to “shut up”. 

Wanda Sykes. Actor, comedian and writer using her platform to fight for LGBT+ equality for all queer people, not “just white gay men”.

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