Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and More Celebrity LGBTQ Allies: See How They Show Their Support

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Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and More Celebrity LGBTQ Allies: See How They Show Their Support

Standing up for what they believe in! Whether celebrities are outspoken like Lady Gaga, extremely supportive like Miley Cyrus or ready to fight back on social media like Marlon Wayans, many are vocal about their dedication to the LGBTQ community. Wayans, who is a proud father of an openly gay daughter named Amai, isn’t afraid to share her story. During Pride Month in June 2019, the Scary Movie actor posted a heartfelt tribute to Amai and was quick to hit back when he received backlash from some followers. “Happy pride to my pride and joy,” Wayans captioned a sweet Instagram picture of his girl. “I wouldn’t change one effing thing about you. Love you to the moon around the sun through the galaxies and back again.” And when one troll took the comments section saying his daughter wasn’t “old enough” to understand her sexuality, papa bear’s claws came out. “She’s 19,” the White Chicks star quipped back. “She’s who she is until or until she don’t [sic] choose different. Love her for her not what I want her to be.” He also explained why it was important for him to address trolls about the topic. “I thought of erasing [the derogatory comments] but I need the world to see the ignorance that still exists,” the actor explained. “Objective without obstacles is a worthless triumph. We all will some day get to unconditional love. Because of my daughter I am one step closer. I am not God, i don’t judge i just LOVE. And still pray for the haters because i refuse to judge them too just love.” Gaga, meanwhile, often speaks out about her “moral obligation” to defend gay rights and accept people for who they are. Cyrus, for her part, has been a huge advocate of the LGBT community for years, even declaring in 2015 that she is pansexual — which means gender and biological sex are not factors in her love life. Scroll down to see which other famous faces stand with the LGBT community!

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Jodie Sweetin

After her former Full House costar Candace Cameron Bure made a controversial comment about Great American Family’s dedication to “traditional marriage” stories, Sweetin sided with the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to showing love on social media for JoJo Siwa, who slammed Cameron Bure in November 2022, the UnSweetined author made a candid comment about her advocacy.

"I have always been an outspoken ally for LGBTQ communities, for Black Lives Matter,” Sweetin told Entertainment Tonight in December 2022. “I've always tried to fight for equality and love for everyone. … I feel like if you have a voice and you have a platform, it is incumbent on you to be loud and use it. Whether people like it all the time or not, sometimes."

The Merry & Bright actress added: “I love my LGBTQ siblings. They are amazing people. They are a wonderful family. I love and support them so much.”

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Chris Evans

The leading man discussed the controversial same-sex kiss in Lightyear in June 2021. Disney and Pixar refused to edit the brief smooch out of the film in some international territories, some of which (including Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E. and Kuwait) ultimately banned the movie.

"It’s tough to not be a little frustrated that it even has to be a topic of discussion," Evans told Variety at the time. "The goal is that we can get to a point where it is the norm, and that this doesn’t have to be some uncharted waters, that eventually this is just the way it is. That representation across the board is how we make films. Look, it’s an honor to be a part of something that is taking those steps, but the goal is to look back on this time and just be shocked that it took us this long to get there."

Evans also supports his younger sibling, Grace and Frankie actor Scott Evans. "I do have a gay brother, Scott," the Captain America star told The Advocate in 2009. "I'm down with the gays. Mostly I'm hanging out with him and his gay buddies, who are f--ing hilarious. They're the funniest people I know."

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Joshua Bassett

Following speculation about his sexuality, the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star posted an inspiring message on social media.

"My entire life, people have told me my sexuality," Bassett tweeted in May 2021. "People have shamed me for things they know nothing about. I want to say thank you to those of you who stand for love and acceptance. It's 2021. We are the generation of love and growth, it's time we start acting like it. Whether you love me, hate me or damn me to hell, I love you all the same."

The singer concluded with a powerful reminder about choosing love. "Love who you love shamelessly," he wrote. "It's OK to still be figuring out who you are. Life's too short to let ignorance and hatred win. I choose love. ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜."

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Kylie Minogue

In 2020, Gay Times magazine presented the pop icon, long beloved by the LGBTQ community, with the Honour for Allyship. “I am incredibly honored to receive this award," she said in a video speech accepting the award. “As we strive for a more inclusive world, my hope is that we can all support and love and be allies for each other.”

The "Say Something" singer told Billboard in 2018 that she first became aware of her gay following in the 1980s. "It happened without me knowing it," she recalled. "I was in Sydney and there's a famous bar on Oxford Street called the Albury. ... I was in the car, my manager was in the car with me along with a couple other people, and someone said, 'There's Kylie Night at the Albury tonight.' ... That's the first moment I can remember where it was a thing, and it's been a thing ever since — which is incredible."

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Lili Reinhart

The Riverdale star came out as bisexual via Instagram in June 2020. “Although I’ve never announced it publicly before, I am a proud bisexual woman. And I will be joining this protest today. Come join," she wrote at the time, next to a promotion for an LGBTQ+ for Black Lives Matter Protest happening in West Hollywood. The reveal came one week after Geoge Floyd was murdered by officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. 

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Hugh Jackman

The Logan actor has denied rumors about his own sexuality for many years but remains a staunch ally of the LGBTQ community. “I’m an A," he said during a 2019 concert. “That’s A for ally.” In 2014, he auctioned off his costume from the play The River and donated the proceeds to the nonprofit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.

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Dwyane Wade

The former NBA player opened up about his child Zion’s “strength and courage” in a December 2019 “All the Smoke” podcast episode, saying, “I watched my son, from day one, become into who she now eventually come into. And for me … nothing changes in my love. Nothing changes in my responsibilities. … Me and my wife [Gabrielle Union] are having conversations about us noticing that [Zion] wasn’t on the boy vibe that [my son] Zaire was on. And I had to look at myself in the mirror and say, ‘What if your son comes home and tell[s] you he’s gay? What are you going to do? How are you going to be? How are you going to act?’ It ain’t about him. He knows who he is. It’s about you. Who are you?”

Wade went on to clap back against criticism of his preteen wearing fake nails in a November 2019 family photo. “All these people that’s out there saying these things, look at yourself,” the athlete said. “Understand that you’re the one that’s got the issues. You’re the one that’s got the problem. It’s not the kids, it’s not the ones who decide, ‘Yeah, you born a certain way, you gotta be that way.’ That’s not life, man.”

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z

The couple were honored by GLAAD in 2019 for their support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

“We are here to promote love for every human being,” Beyoncé said in their acceptance speech at the time, according to NBC News. “Let’s tell them they are loved, tell them they are beautiful, speak out and protect them. And parents, let’s love our kids in their truest form.”

For his part, Jay-Z has previously opened up about the experience of learning that his mother is gay.

“For my mother, to have to live as someone that she wasn’t and hide and protect her kids for all this time, and for her to sit in front of me and tell me, ‘I think I love someone,’ I really cried,” he shared during an appearance on Netflix's My Next Guest Needs No Introduction in 2018.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex showed their support for LGBTQIA+ rights during a meeting with delegates of the Commonwealth Youth Forum in 2018.

Jacob Thomas, who won an award for helping to lower the suicide rate within the LBGTQ community in Australia, opened up about the support he received from the royal couple.

“Miss Markle said, and these were her exact words, ‘This is a basic human rights issue, not one about sexuality,’” Thomas told reporters at the time.

Jonah Chinga, another activist at the event, also shared what Meghan and Harry's plans were for the future.  

“Both Prince Harry and Miss Markle said they would put LGBT issues at the front of their work,” he said.

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Prince William

The Duke of Cambridge was named Straight Ally of the Year at the 2017 British LGBT Awards. "It's so important to be proud of the person you are," he said in his acceptance speech. "In recent years, I've become passionate about what we can do to protect people from bullying, particularly online. I have encountered a number of tragic stories about LGBT young people who have sadly felt unable to cope with the abuse and discrimination they face in their lives. It is 2017, and nobody should be bullied for their sexuality, or for any other reason."

The previous year, William became the first royal to cover Attitude, an LGBTQ-focused magazine published in the U.K. The prince invited the outlet to bring members of the LGBTQ community to Kensington Palace to talk about the repercussions bullying has on mental health.

"The young gay, lesbian and transgender individuals I met through Attitude are truly brave to speak out and to give hope to people who are going through terrible bullying right now," he said at the time. "Their sense of strength and optimism should give us all encouragement to stand up to bullying wherever we see it."

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Taylor Swift

The Grammy winner has become an advocate for the LGBTQ community over the years, with one of her first references of support appearing in 2014’s “Welcome to New York.” The song, which appears on 1989, includes the lyric: “And you can want who you want / Boys and boys and girls and girls.” She also dropped a pro-LGBTQ anthem ahead of her surprise Stonewall Inn appearance in June 2019, titled, “You Need to Calm Down.” The bubbly pop song features lyrics such as, “Why are you mad? / When you could be GLAAD?” and “Sunshine on the street at the parade / But you would rather be in the dark age.”

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Miley Cyrus

The “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" songstress, who identifies as pansexual, is often vocal about her love and support for the LGBT community. Her most predominant work, however, came in 2014 when she founded the Happy Hippie Foundation. "Our mission is to rally young people to fight injustice facing homeless youth, LGBTQ youth and other vulnerable populations,” the mission statement on the nonprofit’s site reads.

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Benedict Cumberbatch

The Doctor Strange actor has often shared his strong beliefs on people’s right to love who they want to love. “People are being beheaded in countries right now because of their beliefs or sexual orientations. It’s terrifying. It’s medieval — a beheading! I’d take up arms against someone who was telling me I had to believe in what they believed or they would kill me,” Cumberbatch said in an interview with The Guardian in October 2014. “I would fight them. I would fight them to the death.”

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Anne Hathaway

The Hustle actress and her family left the Catholic Church when she learned her brother Michael was gay. “The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my older brother came out," Hathaway told British GQ in May 2011. "Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?"

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Marlon Wayans

“Bye,” the actor clapped back after a commenter told him they were going to unfollow him for being supportive of his gay daughter. 

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Jane Fonda

The Grace and Frankie actress has been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community since the ‘70s. Following the San Francisco’s White Night Riots in 1979, Fonda said in an interview, "Culturally, psychologically, economically, politically — gays and lesbians are discriminated against.”

Fonda made her point clear after being asked whether she thought she or her advocacy group, Campaign for Economic Democracy, were being used by the LGBTQIA+ community.

“What am I here for if not to be used by good people for good things? I’m part of an organization and you could also be cynical as you are and ask me isn’t the organization using me?" she answered. “But you could also think, aren’t I using the organization just the way the gays and lesbians here are using the organization they’re a part of if it helps give us perspective, helps us keep our values intact, it increases our power — because as individuals we don’t have very much, but altogether, we have a lot of power.”

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George Clooney

The ER alum took a stand in 2019 when he called for a boycott of nine hotels because of their ties to Brunei — the country where a law was passed in April 2019 that allows homosexual acts to be punishable by death. "Every single time we stay at, or take meetings at or dine at any of these nine hotels we are putting money directly into the pockets of men who choose to stone and whip to death their own citizens for being gay or accused of adultery," Clooney said in a statement at the time. "Are we really going to help pay for these human rights violations? Are we really going to help fund the murder of innocent citizens?"

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Sally Field

The Mrs. Doubtfire actress — who is the proud mom of her openly gay son, Sam Greisman —  shared heartfelt advice to parents of gay children during a SiriusXM interview in 2016. “Sexuality is a human, glorious part of existence. In Sam’s case, certainly, nature told him what to be. It wasn’t something he looked to be, and he found it difficult to grapple with,” she said. “I welcomed him to welcome himself, and find that part of his life.” She added: “Don’t be frightened, and don’t put your own prejudices or fears about sexuality on your children.”

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Jennifer Hudson

The American Idol alum shared her support for LGBT equality in her 2015 music video for “I Still Love You.” The video follows shows the emotional last minute decision a father makes to attend his gay son's wedding.

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Jennifer Lopez

The “Jenny From the Block” songstress penned a love letter to the LGBT community during pride month in 2017, which included a personal nod to her openly gay aunt. “When I was growing up in the Bronx, I always thought my aunt Myrza was the coolest. She lived in NYC and wanted to be an actress. I wanted to be just like her. What I didn’t realize was that she was struggling with being gay. At that time, families didn’t sit around a dinner table and talk about tolerance and acceptance. Life was different and it is heartbreaking for me to think about it now,” Lopez said in the letter published by Billboard.

“The people she watched on TV didn’t represent her," the Hustlers star continued. "Movies didn’t represent her. She thought she was alone. That is why I'm proud of The Fosters, a show celebrating its 100th episode. A show that holds a mirror to society and shines a light on what love looks like. It doesn’t matter your race or sexual orientation. Love is love.”

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Bruce Springsteen

The “Born in the U.S.A.” singer pulled out of North Carolina concert in April 2016 over an anti-LGBT law. “To my mind, it’s an attempt by people who cannot stand the progress our country has made in recognizing the human rights of all of our citizens to overturn that progress,” Springsteen said in a statement at the time.

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Amy Schumer

The comedian told PrideSource in April 2017 that she “couldn’t remember a time” she didn’t support the LGBT community. ”We’re both people who will stand up to the death for our gay friends and gay people and what’s going on in Chechnya and the fear of the what will happen in the coming years. We’ll be there to fight alongside our gay friends,” Schumer said of herself and her Snatched costar Goldie Hawn.

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Goldie Hawn

Hawn, for her part, added to the PrideSource interview with Schumer: “Being an ally for LGBT people and an ally for all people, transgender or whatever – to me, that’s a human story. I feel there are injustices in the world that I’ll stand up for, and I think that it’s important to realize that the world is filled with these kinds of issues. Love is something in the heart and in the mind, so why would you chastise anyone for that? And this is something that I feel very strongly about.”

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Kerry Washington

The Scandal alum delivered a powerful speech about LGBT rights at the 2015 GLAAD Media Awards. "Women, poor people, people of color, people with disabilities, gay men, lesbians, bisexuals, trans people, intersex people — we have been pitted against each other and made to feel there are limited seats at the table for those of us who fall into the category of 'other.' As a result, we have become afraid of one another. We compete with one another, we judge one another. Sometimes, we betray one another. Sometimes even within our own communities we designate who among us is best suited to represent us and who really shouldn't even be invited to the party.”

Washington added: “When black people today tell me that they don't believe in gay marriage… the first thing that I say is, 'Please don't let anybody try to get you to vote against your own best interest by feeding you messages of hate.' Then I say, 'You know people used to say stuff like that about you and your love.' We need more employment of LGBT people in front of and behind the camera.”

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Daniel Radcliffe

Since 2009, the Harry Potter star has worked with The Trevor Project, a suicide-prevention/support group for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning teens. "If you're feeling helpless or hopeless, there's always a safe place to turn," Radcliffe said in a March 2010 PSA.

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Kristen Bell

The Scream 4 actress partnered with FriendFactor to help make gay marriage legal. Bell hopes her friends in NYC — "the city that once encouraged us to be unique and celebrate our differences — will one day be "allowed to legally marry the one they love."

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Kathy Griffin

The Emmy winner is a strong supporter of gay marriage. "It's a civil rights issue, and even though I'm a heterosexual female, I am kind of immersed in the gay community," she told Larry King in August 2010. "I think it's no different than interracial marriage."

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Adam Levine

Although he's "not into dick," the Maroon 5 frontman told The Advocate in 2007 that "it would be so much easier" if he were. "Because, you know, men have a certain camaraderie with each other that's easygoing and kind of simple, when you think about it."

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Lady Gaga

“I’ve always had gay friends and I have been very involved in the gay community since I was young,” the “Born This Way” singer told Fab Magazine. “I feel a moral obligation to defend my fan base and make the world a better place.”

In June 2019, the Star Is Born actress performed at Pride Live’s Stonewall Day Concert, where she gave a speech directed toward the LGBTQ community: “True love is when you would take a bullet for someone. And you know I would take a bullet for you any day of the week.”

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Pete Wentz

"I believe that [gay marriage] is, and has always been, a civil rights issue," the Fall Out Boy rocker said after California citizens voted in favor of Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage. "We should not allow inequality like this in America."

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Kelly Ripa

Speaking to The Advocate, Ripa said she and hubby Mark Consuelos "both feel fortunate that we've spent our entire adult lives in NYC, where we work, live, and play with some of the best and brightest gay and lesbian people in and outside of the industry — people I'm honored to call my family."

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Eric Stonestreet

"I never want to seem embarrassed or ashamed that I'm playing a gay person," Stonestreet — who plays Jesse Tyler Ferguson's partner on Modern Family — told USA Today in 2010. "So I would never want to be like, 'Hey, I'm not gay.'"

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Kelly Osbourne

"It's wrong to look down upon somebody or not let somebody marry the person they want to marry because of their sexual orientation," the reality star told The Daily Gay in 2010. "It doesn't make sense to me."

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Chelsea Handler

"If you don't believe in gay marriage, don't get married to a gay person," the best-selling author quipped to The Advocate in 2009. "There's no reason you should prevent another person from doing it. You don't go back on civil rights. Can you imagine if we said, 'OK, slavery is legal again?' No."