The Rainbow List (called the Pink List until 2014) is a list of the most influential openly
LGBT
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term ...
individuals in the United Kingdom, published annually in the British national newspaper ''
The Independent on Sunday
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was published ...
''. The list was started in 2000 to recognise individuals in public life who are openly gay, but has since grown to "
onourthose who have long and brave histories of standing up for equal rights".
History
Pink List
The list was first published in 2000 to recognise openly gay individuals in the public sphere, and initially listed 50 people.
, then editor of the paper, wrote in 2012 that she started the list at the time "to celebrate the huge contribution
hat gay peoplemake to every aspect of modern life".
Rainbow List
The list was renamed for the 2014 edition to be "more inclusive, less old-fashioned and far less like the 'girls' aisle in a toyshop".
The first edition as the Rainbow List was topped by
Labour Peer and former actor
Michael, Baron Cashman.
Criticism
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry (born 24 August 1957) is an English actor, broadcaster, comedian, director and writer. He first came to prominence in the 1980s as one half of the comic double act Fry and Laurie, alongside Hugh Laurie, with the two starring ...
criticised the list in 2010 for its portrayal of
Louie Spence
Louie Spence (born 6 April 1969) is an English dancer, choreographer and television personality, best known for the TV show '' Pineapple Dance Studios''. He was a professional dancer in his youth, performing in West End musicals including ''Mi ...
as a "gay stereotype", whose
15 minutes of fame
Fifteen or 15 may refer to:
*15 (number), the natural number following 14 and preceding 16
*one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015
Music
* Fifteen (band), a punk rock band
Albums
* ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005
* ''15'' (Ani Lorak al ...
was already running out.
Fry later stated that he had been told that the section in which Spence appeared, the "Rogue's Gallery", had been written separately by a journalist "without the deliberators' knowledge or consent."
The list has also been criticised as being unsystematic in its compilation. ''
The Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' columnist "The Guyliner" complained of the 2012 list that "
complicated formulae accompany any piece about the list to tell you how this influence is calculated", and that "it is nothing more than an inventory of names".
References
External links
*
Lists by year
{{Portal bar, LGBT, Journalism
Lists of British people
Publications established in 2000
2000 establishments in the United Kingdom
LGBT-related mass media in the United Kingdom