List Of LGBT People From Chicago
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This is a list of notable
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
people from the city and
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
.


Activists

*
Jane Addams Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860May 21, 1935) was an American Settlement movement, settlement activist, Social reform, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, philosopher, and author. She was a leader in the history of s ...
–
settlement Settlement may refer to: *Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), downward movement of a structure's foundation *Settlement (finance), where securities are delivered against payment of money *Settlement (litigatio ...
activist, social reformer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and co-founder of Chicago's
Hull House Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of Chicago, Hull House, named after the original house's first owner Charles Jerald Hul ...
* Gaylon Alcaraz – community organizer, activist, and former executive director of the
Chicago Abortion Fund The Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF) is a Nonprofit organization, non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to people seeking abortions. It is affiliated with the National Network of Abortion Funds. In 2019, CAF spent $160,000 to he ...
*
Lorrainne Sade Baskerville Lorrainne Sade Baskerville is an American social worker, activist, and trans woman best known for founding transgender advocacy group ''trans''GENESIS. After living in Chicago for most of her life, Baskerville moved to Thailand in the early 2000s, ...
– social worker, activist, and founder of transgender social service agency TransGenesis *
Charlene Carruthers Charlene A. Carruthers is a black queer feminist activist and author whose work focuses on leadership development. Carruthers has worked with high-profile activist organizations including Color of Change and Women's Media Center, and she was an i ...
– activist and physical education teacher who director of Black Youth Project 100 and board member of
SisterSong The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, also known as SisterSong, is a national activist organization dedicated to reproductive justice for women of color. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, SisterSong is a national member ...
* Shannon Downey – activist and crafter known for her work as a
cross-stitch Cross-stitch is a form of sewing and a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches (called cross stitches) in a tiled, raster graphics, raster-like pattern are used to form a picture. The stitcher counts the threads on a ...
er in
craftivism Craftivism is a form of activism, typically incorporating elements of anti-capitalism, environmentalism, solidarity, or third-wave feminism, that is centered on practices of craft - or what has traditionally been referred to as "domestic arts". C ...
*
Henry Gerber Henry Gerber (June 29, 1892  in Passau, Bavaria– December 31, 1972) was an early gay rights activist in the United States. Inspired by the work of Germany's Magnus Hirschfeld and his Scientific-Humanitarian Committee and by the organisati ...
– activist who founded the
Society for Human Rights The Society for Human Rights was an American gay-rights organization established in Chicago in 1924. Society founder Henry Gerber was inspired to create it by the work of German doctor Magnus Hirschfeld and the Scientific-Humanitarian Committee ...
, the first LGBT rights organization in the country *
Vernita Gray Vernita Gray (December 8, 1948 – March 18, 2014) was an African-American lesbian and women's liberation activist from the beginning of those movements in Chicago. She began her writing career publishing in the newsletter ''Lavender Woman''. Aft ...
– married her wife in Illinois's first same-sex marriage, helped organize Chicago's first
pride parade A pride parade (also known as pride event, pride festival, pride march, or pride protest) is an event celebrating lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) social and self-acceptance, achievements, LGBT rights by country o ...
, and helped found ''
Lavender Woman ''Lavender Woman'' was a lesbian periodical produced in Chicago, Illinois, from 1971 to 1976. The name ''Lavender Woman'' comes from the color lavender's prominence as a representation of homosexuality, starting in the 1950s and 1960s. It is belie ...
'', the city's first lesbian newspaper *
Peg Grey Margaret Ann "Peg" Grey (May 15, 1945 – February 24, 2007) was an American physical education teacher and sports organizer based in Chicago. She was the first female co-chair of the Federation of Gay Games. She was inducted into the Chicago LG ...
– activist, physical education teacher, and athlete who served as the first woman co-chair of the
Federation of Gay Games The Gay Games is a worldwide sport and cultural event that promotes acceptance of sexual diversity, featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) athletes, artists and other individuals. Founded as the Gay Olympics, it was sta ...
*
Miss Major Griffin-Gracy Miss Major Griffin-Gracy (born October 25, 1946), often referred to as Miss Major, is an American author, activist, and community organizer for transgender rights. She has participated in activism and community organizing for a range of causes, ...
– LGBT rights activist and former executive director at the
Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project The Transgender Gender-Variant & Intersex Justice Project (TGI Justice Project or TGIJP) is a San Francisco-based nonprofit organization working to end human rights abuses against transgender, intersex, and gender-variant people, particularly tran ...
who was present at the pivotal
Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...
in 1969 *
Jean Hardisty Jean V. Hardisty (June 18, 1945 – March 16, 2015) was a political scientist and lesbian radical feminist activist who became a national resource for human rights movements seeking social and economic justice and an end to bigotry based on race, g ...
– activist who founded
Political Research Associates Political Research Associates (PRA), formerly Midwest Research, Chicago (1981–87), is a non-profit research group focused on social justice and the pursuit of building a just democracy. The PRA is located in Somerville, Massachusetts. Missi ...
and Chicago's first
battered women's shelter A women's shelter, also known as a women's refuge and battered women's shelter, is a place of temporary protection and support for women escaping domestic violence and intimate partner violence of all forms. The term is also frequently used to ...
* Mary Morten – activist, documentary filmmaker, and author *
Pidgeon Pagonis Pidgeon Pagonis (born 1986) is an American intersex activist, writer, artist, and consultant. They are an advocate for intersex human rights and against nonconsensual intersex medical interventions. Early life and education Pagonis was born in ...
– advocate for intersex people, documentary filmmaker, and youth leadership coordinator at
Advocates for Informed Choice Advocates for Informed Choice, dba interACT or interACT Advocates for Intersex Youth, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization advocating for the legal and human rights of children with intersex traits. The organization was founded in 2006 and fo ...
*
Craig Rodwell Craig L. Rodwell (October 31, 1940 – June 18, 1993) was an American gay rights activist known for founding the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop on November 24, 1967 - the first bookstore devoted to gay and lesbian authors - and as the prime mo ...
– gay rights activist known for founding the
Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop The Oscar Wilde Bookshop was a bookstore located in New York City's Greenwich Village neighborhood that focused on LGBTQ works. It was founded by Craig Rodwell on November 24, 1967, as the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop. Initially located at 291 Me ...
in
Greenwich Village, New York Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...
*
Ellen Gates Starr Ellen Gates Starr (March 19, 1859 – February 10, 1940) was an American social reformer and activist. With Jane Addams, she founded Chicago's Hull House, an adult education center, in 1889; the settlement house expanded to 13 buildings i ...
– settlement activist, social reformer, and co-founder of Chicago's Hull House with Jane Addams *
Phill Wilson Phill Wilson is an American activist who founded the Black AIDS Institute in 1999, and served as its CEO, and is a prominent African-American HIV/AIDS activist. Career Phill Wilson's career in activism started after he and his partner, Chris ...
– advocate for people of color with AIDS and former executive director of the
Black AIDS Institute The Black AIDS Institute (The Institute), formerly known as the African American AIDS Policy Training Institute, is a non-profit charitable organization founded in 1999 by Phill Wilson to promote awareness and prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS b ...


Aviation and military

* Allen R. Schindler Jr. –
U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...
radioman Radioman (RM) was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology. History of the rating The rating was created originally in 1921. In 1997, under the direction of Ch ...
who was murdered by two of his shipmates for being gay *
Amanda Simpson Amanda Renae Simpson (born March 26, 1961) is an American pilot, businessperson and politician. Simpson is an advisor and consultant on aerospace, energy, and DEI as Founder and CEO of Third Segment LLC. She is a nationally renowned speaker ...
– Airbus Americas vice president, former deputy
assistant Secretary of Defense Assistant Secretary of Defense is a title used for many high-level executive positions in the Office of the Secretary of Defense within the U.S. Department of Defense. The Assistant Secretary of Defense title is junior to Under Secretary of De ...
, and the first openly transgender federal political appointee in the United States * Karen Ulane –
transsexual A transsexual person is someone who experiences a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desires to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (incl ...
pilot whose firing led to an ultimately unsuccessful 1983 lawsuit against
Eastern Airlines Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
under the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...


Arts and entertainment


Actors

*
Alexandra Billings Alexandra Scott Billings (born March 28, 1962) is an American actress, singer, and teacher. A trans woman, Billings played one of TV's first openly transgender characters in the 2005 film '' Romy and Michele: In the Beginning''. She is also know ...
– actor, teacher, and LGBT advocate known for playing Davina on '' Transparent'' *
Leyna Bloom Leyna Bloom is an American actress, model, dancer, and activist. She has attracted press as a trailblazer for Trans woman, transgender performers in the entertainment and fashion industries. In 2019, Bloom made her feature film acting debut in ' ...
– actor, dancer, and model who was the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in ''
Vogue India ''Vogue India'' is the Indian edition of the monthly fashion and lifestyle magazine '' Vogue''. It is the 17th international edition of ''Vogue'' and the first edition in South Asia. ''Vogue India'' is published by Condé Nast India Pvt. Ltd., ...
'' * Pat Bond – actor and performer known for appearing in the documentary ''
Word Is Out "Word Is Out" is a song by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, recorded for her fourth studio album ''Let's Get to It'' (1991). Written and produced by English production team Mike Stock and Pete Waterman, without Matt Aitken whom ...
'' (1978) *
Megan Cavanagh Megan Cavanagh (born 1960) is an American actress. Early life and education Cavanagh was born in 1960 in Chicago, the daughter of Jim and Rita. Raised in River Forest along with her four siblings, Cavanagh went to Oak Park and River Forest High ...
– played Marla Hooch in ''
A League of Their Own ''A League of Their Own'' is a 1992 American sports comedy drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL). It stars Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Ma ...
'' and voiced
Judy Neutron This is a list of characters in the United States, American film ''Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', its subsequent television series ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius'' and other media of the Jimmy Neutron (franchise), franchise. Cast ta ...
in several ''
Jimmy Neutron James Isaac "Jimmy" Neutron, commonly known as Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, is the protagonist and title character from the 2001 animated film ''Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'' and its Nickelodeon television series adaptation ''The Adventures of Jimm ...
'' movies and TV shows *
Parvesh Cheena Parvesh Singh Cheena is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Gupta in the TV series ''Outsourced'' and as Sunil Odhav on ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend''. He also voices Bodhi in '' T.O.T.S.'' and Blades in '' Transformers: Rescue Bots'' ...
– actor known for roles in '' Outsourced'' and ''
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' is an American romantic musical comedy-drama television series that premiered on October 12, 2015, on The CW and ran for four seasons, ending on April 5, 2019. The series was created, written, and directed by Rachel Bloo ...
'' *
Peter Coffield Peter Tenny Coffield (July 17, 1945 – November 19, 1983) was an American actor. Coffield worked as an actor in theater, television, and film. He is best known for his role in the film ''Cry Rape!''. His other films include ''Times Square'' ...
– actor known for his performance in the film ''Cry Rape'' *
Barry Dennen Barry Dennen (February 22, 1938 – September 26, 2017) was an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Pontius Pilate on the original 1970 recording of ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' as well as the subsequent 1971 stage musical and 1 ...
– actor, voice actor, and singer known for playing Pontius Pilate in ''
Jesus Christ Superstar ''Jesus Christ Superstar'' is a sung-through rock opera with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Tim Rice. Loosely based on the Life of Jesus in the New Testament, Gospels' accounts of Passion of Jesus, the Passion, the work interprets ...
'' *
Cameron Esposito Cameron Anne Young Anastasia Esposito (born October 17, 1981) is an American actress, comedian, and podcaster known for her show '' Take My Wife'', as well as her stand-up comedy and her podcast, '' Queery''. Esposito substantially focuses on top ...
– actor in and co-creator of the television show '' Take My Wife'', stand-up comedian, and creator of the podcast ''
Queery ''Queery'' is an American podcast created and hosted by comedian Cameron Esposito. As the name suggests, the podcast is centered around queerness—the facets of the LGBTQ experience—and self-identifying queer guests. Guests range from widely k ...
'' *
John Franklin Sir John Franklin (16 April 1786 – 11 June 1847) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and colonial administrator. After serving in the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812, he led two expeditions into the Northern Canada, Canadia ...
– actor who appeared in ''
The Addams Family The Addams Family is a fictional family created by American cartoonist Charles Addams. They originally appeared in a series of 150 standalone single-panel comics, about half of which were originally published in ''The New Yorker'' between 193 ...
'' (1991) *
Kathleen Freeman Kathleen Freeman (February 17, 1923August 23, 2001) was an American actress. In a career that spanned more than 50 years, she portrayed acerbic maids, secretaries, teachers, busybodies, nurses, and battle-axe neighbors and relatives, almost i ...
– character actor known for her work with
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
, ''
The Blues Brothers The Blues Brothers (formally, The Fabulous Blues Brothers’ Show Band and Revue) are an American blues and soul music, soul revue band founded in 1978 by comedians Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who met and began collaborating as original cast ...
'', and '' Naked Gun : The Final Insult'' * Garcia – actor and production assistant known for portraying Jake Rodriguez in ''
Tales of the City ''Tales of the City'' is a series of ten novels written by American author Armistead Maupin from 1978 to 2024, depicting the life of a group of friends in San Francisco, many of whom are LGBTQ. The stories from ''Tales'' were originally seri ...
'' *
Alexandra Grey Alexandra Jordan Grey (born January 4, 1991) is an American actress, singer, songwriter and producer. She is best known for her roles as Melody Barnes on the Fox music drama series ''Empire'', Elizah Parks on the comedy series '' Transparent ...
– played roles on ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'', ''Transparent'', and ''
MacGyver Angus "Mac" MacGyver is the title character and the protagonist in the TV series ''MacGyver''. He is played by Richard Dean Anderson in the MacGyver (1985 TV series), 1985 original series. Lucas Till portrays a younger version of MacGyver in Mac ...
'' *
Sean Hayes Sean Patrick Hayes (born June 26, 1970) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. Known for his performances on stage and screen, he gained acclaim for his role as Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom ''Will & Grace'', for which he won a Primet ...
– actor, comedian, and producer known for his role as
Jack McFarland John Philip "Jack" McFarland is a fictional character on the American television sitcom ''Will & Grace'', played by Sean Hayes. Character overview Jack is Will Truman's (Eric McCormack) best friend in the American television sitcom ''Wil ...
on the sitcom ''
Will & Grace ''Will & Grace'' is an American television sitcom created by Max Mutchnick and David Kohan. Set in New York City, the show focuses on the friendship between best friends Will Truman (Eric McCormack), a Gay men, gay lawyer, and Grace Adler (Debra ...
'' *
Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular film stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades, and was a prominent figure in the G ...
– prominent actor of the 1950s and 60s who portrayed leading roles in movies such as ''
All That Heaven Allows ''All That Heaven Allows'' is a 1955 American melodrama film directed by Douglas Sirk, produced by Ross Hunter, and adapted by Peg Fenwick from a novel by Edna L. Lee and Harry Lee. It stars Jane Wyman and Rock Hudson in a tale about the social ...
'', ''
Magnificent Obsession ''Magnificent Obsession'' is a 1929 novel by American author Lloyd C. Douglas. It was one of four of his books that were eventually made into blockbuster motion pictures, the other three being ''The Robe'', ''White Banners'' and ''The Big Fish ...
'', and ''
Pillow Talk ''Pillow Talk'' is a 1959 American romantic comedy film in CinemaScope directed by Michael Gordon and starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day. The supporting cast features Tony Randall, Thelma Ritter, Nick Adams, Allen Jenkins, Marcel Dalio and ...
'' *
Pepi Lederer Pepi Lederer (born Josephine Rose Lederer; March 18, 1910 – June 11, 1935) was an American actress and writer. She was the niece of actress Marion Davies, the longtime mistress of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst. After her parents d ...
– actor, writer, niece of
Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies left the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...
, and daughter of
Reine Davies Reine Davies (born Irene Douras; June 6, 1883 – April 5, 1938) was an American singer and actress. Life and career Davies was born on June 6, 1883, in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Bernard J. Douras, a lawyer and judge in New York City; ...
*
Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. Known for playing starring and recurring roles in comedic television, her accolades include one Golden Globe, five Primetime Emmys and two Screen Actors Gui ...
– actor, comedian, and author best known for playing
Sue Sylvester Susan "Sue" Rodham Sylvester is a fictional character of the Fox musical comedy-drama series, ''Glee''. The character is portrayed by actress Jane Lynch, and appears in ''Glee'' from its pilot episode, first broadcast on May 19, 2009, through t ...
on ''
Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...
'' *
Lauren Patten Lauren Marie Patten (born September 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, and writer best known for originating the role of Jo in the Broadway musical ''Jagged Little Pill'', as well as playing Officer Rachel Witten in the crime series ''Bl ...
– actor, singer, and writer who originated the character Jo in the musical ''
Jagged Little Pill ''Jagged Little Pill'' is the third studio album by Canadian-American singer Alanis Morissette, released by Maverick (company), Maverick on June 13, 1995. Recorded in Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood at Westlake Recording Studios, Westlake wit ...
'' *
David Pevsner David Pevsner (born December 31, 1958) is an American actor, singer, dancer, and writer. Pevsner appeared in the 1990 revival of ''Fiddler on the Roof'', 1991 revival of ''Rags'', and some other theatrical productions. He also wrote three songs fo ...
– actor, singer, dancer, and playwright *
Anthony Rapp Anthony Deane Rapp (born October 26, 1971) is an American actor and singer who originated the role of Mark Cohen in the Broadway theatre, Broadway production of ''Rent (musical), Rent''. Following his original performance of the role in 1996, he ...
– actor, writer, director, and photographer known for playing Mark Cohen as part of the original cast of ''
Rent Rent may refer to: Economics *Renting, an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property *Economic rent, any payment in excess of the cost of production *Rent-seeking, attempting to increase one's share of e ...
'' *
Robert Reed Robert Reed (born John Robert Rietz Jr.; October 19, 1932 – May 12, 1992) was an American actor. He played Kenneth Preston on the legal drama '' The Defenders'' from 1961 to 1965 alongside E. G. Marshall, and is best known for his role as pa ...
– actor best known for portraying Mike Brady in ''
The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired five seasons from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three gir ...
'' *
Brendan Scannell Brendan Scannell (born June 20, 1990) is an American actor and comedian known for playing the lead roles of Heather Duke in the Paramount Network series ''Heathers'' (2018) and Pete Devin in the Netflix dark comedy series ''Bonding'' (2019–202 ...
– actor and comedian known for his roles in '' Bonding'' and ''
Heathers ''Heathers'' is a 1988 American teen dark comedy crime film written by Daniel Waters and directed by Michael Lehmann, in both of their respective film debuts. The film stars Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, Shannen Doherty, Lisanne Falk, K ...
'' *
Jussie Smollett Jussie Smollett (, born June 21, 1982) is an American actor and singer. He began his career as a child actor in 1991 debuting in '' The Mighty Ducks'' (1992). From 2015 to 2019, Smollett portrayed musician Jamal Lyon in the Fox drama series '' ...
– actor and singer known for playing
Jamal Lyon Jamal Joseph Lyon is a fictional character from the American musical drama, ''Empire'' on Fox. Portrayed by Jussie Smollett, Jamal is the middle son of hip-hop mogul Lucious (Terrence Howard) and his wife Cookie ( Taraji P. Henson). Jamal, a ta ...
on ''
Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
'' and for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself *
Theo Germaine Theo Germaine is an American actor, best known for playing James Sullivan on the Netflix television series ''The Politician''. Career Germaine acted in plays at Steppenwolf and The Goodman in Chicago before being cast in 2019 in ''The Poli ...
– actor known for playing James on
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
's ''
The Politician ''The Politician'' is a Caroline era stage play, a tragedy written by James Shirley, and first published in 1655. Publication ''The Politician,'' along with another Shirley play, '' The Gentleman of Venice,'' was published by the bookseller Hu ...
'' *
Nico Tortorella Nico Tortorella (born July 30, 1988) is an American actor and model, known for screen roles including the slasher film ''Scream 4'' (2011), the Fox crime drama series ''The Following'' (2013–2015), and the TV Land comedy drama series '' Younge ...
– actor and former model known for ''
Scream 4 ''Scream 4'' (stylized as ''SCRE4M'') is a 2011 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. Produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films, it is the sequel to ''Scream 3'' (2000) and ...
'', ''
The Following ''The Following'' is an American crime thriller television series created by Kevin Williamson (screenwriter), Kevin Williamson, and jointly produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television. The The Following (season 1), first s ...
'', and '' Younger''


Adult entertainment

*
Mia Isabella Mia Isabella is a retired American transgender pornographic actress. Early life Isabella was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, but spent most of her childhood in Tennessee before returning to Chicago as a teenager. Between the ages of 8 and ...
– transgender porn star *
Scott Masters Scott Masters (1934?–2020) was an American gay pornographic film director and studio owner active in adult film since the mid-1960s. Masters used the pseudonym "Robert Walters" when he directed his early films, which include ''Greek Lightning.' ...
–
gay pornography Gay pornography is the representation of Sexual practices between men, sexual activity between males with the primary goal to sexual arousal, sexually arouse its audience. Softcore pornography, Softcore gay pornography also exists; which at o ...
producer and director who founded
Nova Studios Nova Studios was an independent gay pornographic film studio established by Scott Masters in 1977. It closed in 1986.Hardesty, "Nova Studios, Part One: The Pre-Sound Years," ''Manshots,'' July 1997. Genesis of the studio In 1969, Masters (then us ...
*
Dom Orejudos Domingo Francisco Juan Esteban "Dom" Orejudos, Secundo (July 1, 1933 – September 24, 1991), also widely known by the pen names Etienne and Stephen, was an openly gay artist, ballet dancer, and choreographer, best known for his ground-breaking ga ...
–
leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...
artist, dancer, and choreographer who founded Kris Studios with Chuck Renslow *
Chuck Renslow Charles "Chuck" Renslow (August 26, 1929 – June 29, 2017) was an American businessman, known for pioneering homoerotic male photography in the mid-20th-century US, and establishing many landmarks of late-20th-century gay culture and leather cult ...
– gay erotica publisher, businessman, and activist who founded one of the first leather bars in the world with Dom Orejudos


Comedians

* Matt Bellassai – comedian, writer, and internet content creator * Whitney Chitwood – stand-up comedian known for her comedy album ''The Bakery Case'' *
Matteo Lane Matthew "Matteo" Lane (born June 28, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, singer, and illustrator. He has made appearances on ''The Late Show with Stephen Colbert'', ''Late Night with Seth Meyers'', and HBO's '' Crashing''. Lane was recognized ...
– comedian and singer who starred in
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
's ''
Guy Code ''Guy Code'' is an American reality comedy television series on MTV2. The series debuted on November 15, 2011, and features various pop culture entertainers, top comics, athletes, and specialized experts who tell the story of the special code o ...
'' and ''
Joking Off A joke is a display of humour in which words are used within a specific and well-defined narrative structure to make people laugh and is usually not meant to be interpreted literally. It usually takes the form of a story, often with dialogue, ...
'' *
Paula Pell Paula Pell (born April 15, 1963) is an American comedy writer, producer, and actress. She is best known for her work as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2013. For her work on ''SNL'' and '' 30 Rock' ...
– comedy writer, producer, and actor best known for her work on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
'' * Irene Tu – stand-up comedian, actor, and producer *
Danitra Vance Danitra Vance (July 13, 1954 – August 21, 1994) was an American comedian and actress who was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) during its eleventh season in 1985. Raised in Chicago's South Side, ...
– comedian, actor, and repertory player on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
s eleventh season, the first black woman to hold such a role *
Jaboukie Young-White Jaboukie Young-White (born July 24, 1994) is an American comedian, actor, writer and musician. Early life Young-White was born to Jamaican immigrants and raised in Harvey, Illinois. He later attended Marian Catholic High School followed by DePa ...
– stand-up comedian, television writer, and correspondent for ''
The Daily Show ''The Daily Show'' is an American late-night talk show, late-night talk and news satire television program. It airs each Monday through Thursday on Comedy Central in the United States, with extended episodes released shortly after on Paramount+ ...
''


Culinary arts

* Art Smith – celebrity chef and founder of Common Threads, a children's charity


Dance

*
Gerald Arpino Gerald Arpino (January 14, 1923 – October 29, 2008) was an American dancer and choreographer. He was the co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet and succeeded Robert Joffrey as its artistic director in 1988. Life and career Born on Staten Island, ...
– choreographer, artistic director, and dancer who co-founded the
Joffrey Ballet The Joffrey Ballet is an American dance company and training institution in Chicago, Illinois. The Joffrey regularly performs classical and contemporary ballets during its annual performance season at the Civic Opera House, including its annual ...
with his romantic partner
Robert Joffrey Robert Joffrey (December 24, 1930 – March 25, 1988) was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan in Se ...
*
Brian Friedman Brian L. Friedman (born May 28, 1977) is an American dancer and choreographer. Friedman has created the choreography for many popular music artists – such as Britney Spears, Cher, Beyoncé Knowles, and Mariah Carey – as well as for music ...
– creative director, choreographer, and dancer known for appearing as a judge on '' So You Think You Can Dance?'' and for choreographing celebrities' music videos *
Loie Fuller Loie Fuller (; born Marie Louise Fuller; January 15, 1862 – January 1, 1928), also known as Louie Fuller and Loïe Fuller, was an American dancer and a pioneer of modern dance and theatrical lighting techniques. Auguste Rodin said of her, "Lo ...
– dancer, actor, and author known for creating the
serpentine dance The serpentine dance is a form of dance that was popular throughout the United States and Europe in the 1890s, becoming a staple of stage shows and early film. Background The Serpentine is an evolution of the skirt dance, a form of burlesque danc ...
and for her innovations in
theatrical lighting Stage lighting is the craft of lighting as it applies to the production of theater, dance, opera, and other performance arts.
* Craig Hall – ballet dancer, former soloist with the
New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...
, and faculty member at the
School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional voc ...


Drag

*
Daya Betty Daya Betty is the stage name of Trenton Clarke (born February 19, 1996), an American drag performer who competed on the fourteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and the tenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars''. Early life Trenton ...
- drag performer, contestant of (fourteenth season) *
Sigourney Beaver Sigourney Beaver is an American drag performer who competed on the fourth season of ''The Boulet Brothers' Dragula''. Career Sigourney Beaver has described herself as a "female impersonator impersonator". She was a runner-up on the fourth s ...
- drag performer, contestant of ''
The Boulet Brothers' Dragula ''The Boulet Brothers' Dragula'' is an American reality competition television series produced by Boulet Brothers Productions, hosted by the Boulet Brothers. The series originally aired on YouTube and has aired on Netflix in the United States, O ...
'' *
Sister Boom Boom Sister Boom Boom, also known as Sister Mary Boom Boom, was the drag nun persona of astrologer Jack Fertig (February 21, 1955 – August 5, 2012). He was a prominent member of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, a gay activist group founded in ...
– drag nun and astrologer * Kim Chi – drag queen, artist, and cosmetics entrepreneur known for appearing on
season 8 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
of ''
RuPaul's Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the Drag Race (franchise), ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder (company), World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, ...
'' *
Shea Couleé Jaren Kyei Merrell (born February 8, 1989), known professionally as Shea Couleé, is an American drag queen, singer, rapper, actor, podcaster, and fixture of the Chicago nightlife scene. Born in Warsaw, Indiana, they began their drag career in 2 ...
– drag queen, model, and podcast host who appeared on
season 9 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', fifth season, and seventh season *
Denali Denali (), federally designated as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak on land, measuring . On p. 20 of Helm ...
– drag entertainer and ice skater who appeared on season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and the tenth season *
Detox Detoxification or detoxication (detox for short) is the physiological or medicinal removal of toxic substances from a living organism, including the human body, which is mainly carried out by the liver. Additionally, it can refer to the period o ...
- drag performer, recording artist, contestant of fifth season and second season * Miss Foozie – drag performer *
Silky Nutmeg Ganache Silky Nutmeg Ganache (born December 31, 1990) is an American drag queen, drag performer most known for competing on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 11), eleventh season (2019) of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and on the RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars (se ...
– drag queen who appeared on season 11 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Gigi Goode Gigi Goode (born December 2, 1997) is an American drag queen, Fashion design, fashion designer, and reality television personality known for being a runner-up on the RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12), twelfth season of the Drag (clothing), drag com ...
– drag queen known for appearing on
season 12 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Gia Gunn Gia Gunn is the stage name of American drag performer Gia Keitaro Ichikawa (born May 10, 1990). She is known for competing on the sixth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', the second season of '' The Switch Drag Race'', and '' RuPaul's Drag Rac ...
– drag performer and competitor on
season 6 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'',
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
of
The Switch Drag Race ''The Switch Drag Race'' is a Chilean reality competition television series, presented by Mega as a Chilean version of the hit American show ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. The purpose of the series is to find Chile's top ''transformista'' (''transform ...
, and
season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album ...
''RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars'' *
Kahmora Hall Kahmora Hall (born September 13, 1991) is the stage name of Paul Tran, a drag performer most known for competing on season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Career Kahmora Hall was the first contestant eliminated from season 13 of ''RuPaul's Drag ...
- drag performer, contestant of the thirteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Monica Beverly Hillz Monica Dejesus-Anaya, known by the stage persona Monica Beverly Hillz, is an American drag queen, reality television personality, and transgender activist best known for appearing on the fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2013, as well as ...
– drag queen and transgender advocate known for appearing on fifth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and eighth season *
Brooke Lynn Hytes Brooke Lynn Hytes is the stage name of Brock Edward Hayhoe (born March 10, 1986), a Canadian-American drag queen, ballet dancer, and television personality. After working as a dancer with Cape Town City Ballet and Les Ballets Trockadero de Mont ...
- drag queen, ballet dancer, contestant of the eleventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'', host and judge of
Canada's Drag Race ''Canada's Drag Race'' is a Canadian reality competition television series based on the American series ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and is the Canadian edition of the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by Blue Ant Studios. In a similar format to t ...
*
Tony Midnite Tony Midnite (Sept. 20, 1926 - Aug. 31, 2009) was a female impersonator, costume designer, activist, and book reviewer. Early life Midnite was born Tony Murdoch on Sept. 20, 1926 in Texas. He worked in the defense industry at Hunter's Point Navy ...
– female impersonator, costume designer, and activist *
Naysha Lopez Naysha Lopez is the stage name of drag performer and beauty pageant winner Fabian Rodriguez (born June 20, 1984), who won the 2013 Miss Continental competition and appeared on the eighth seasons of both ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and ''RuPaul's Drag ...
- drag performer, beauty pageant winner, contestant of the eight season of "RuPaul's Drag Race'' and eighth season *
Laila McQueen Laila McQueen is the stage name of Tyler Devlin, a drag performer and make-up artist based in Gloucester, Massachusetts. McQueen competed on season 8 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' in 2016. She has won a Primetime Emmy Award as a make-up artist for t ...
-drag performer, contestant of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' and makeup artist of
We're Here ''We're Here'' is a HBO reality television series featuring former ''Drag Race'' contestants, documenting the drag queens as they travel across the United States to recruit small-town residents to participate in one-night-only drag shows. The sh ...
*
Phi Phi O'Hara Jaremi Lee Carey (born Jeremy Lee Carey; October 10, 1985) is an American actor, streamer, singer, cosplay artist, and former drag performer who performed under the name Phi Phi O'Hara. In the O'Hara persona, Carey came to international attentio ...
- former drag queen (contestant of
season 4 Season 4 may refer to: * "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock'' See also * * Season One (disambiguation) * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album ...
and
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
*
DiDa Ritz DiDa Ritz is the stage name of Xavier Hairston, an American drag performer who competed on season 4 of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Dida Ritz is based in Chicago, where she performs regularly and hosts ''Drag Race'' viewing parties. Her performance ...
- drag performer, contestant on the fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Jade Sotomayor David Sotomayor Jr., known by his stage name Jade (born November 18, 1984), is an American drag queen and television personality best known for competing on the first season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''. Early life Sotomayor was raised in Chicago ...
- drag queen, contestant of the first season of first season * The Princess - drag performer, contestant of the fourth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Soju Soju (English pronunciation: ; ) is a clear and colorless distilled alcoholic beverage from Korea, traditionally made from rice, but later from other grains and has a flavor similar to vodka. It is usually consumed neat. Its alcohol content ...
- retired drag queen, contestant of the eleventh season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' * The Vixen – drag queen and co-founder of the Black Girl Magic drag show known for appearing on
season 10 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Utica Queen Ethan David Mundt (born June 2, 1995), known professionally as Utica Queen, is an American drag performer and fashion designer. She rose to prominence for competing on the thirteenth season of reality competition television series ''RuPaul's Dr ...
- drag performer, contestant of the thirteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' *
Willow Pill Willow Patterson, known by the stage name Willow Pill, is an American drag performer, recording artist, and television personality. She is best known for winning season 14 of ''RuPaul’s Drag Race'' ''in 2022'', where she became the first transge ...
-drag queen, winner of the fourteenth season of ''RuPaul's Drag Race''


Film

*
Allan Carr Allan Carr (; May 27, 1937 – June 29, 1999) was an American producer and manager of stage and screen. He was nominated for numerous awards, winning a Tony Award and two People's Choice Awards, and was named Producer of the Year by the Nation ...
– film and theater producer and talent manager *
Bill Damaschke William Damaschke (born November 20, 1963) is an American film executive and producer who currently serves as the president of Warner Bros. Pictures Animation. Previously, he had spent 20 years at DreamWorks Animation, most recently as Chief Cr ...
– film producer who served as chief creative officer of
DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios or simply DreamWorks) is an American animation studio, owned by Comcast's NBCUniversal as part of Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios, Inc, Universal Stud ...
and president of animation and family entertainment at
Skydance Media Skydance Media, LLC, also known as Skydance Productions, is an American entertainment company, media production company, production and finance company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company specializes i ...
* Angela Robinson – director, producer, and screenwriter known for '' D.E.B.S.'' *
Rose Troche Rose Troche (; ; born 1964) is an American film and television director, television producer, and screenwriter. Early life and education Troche was born to Puerto Rican parents and grew up on the north side of Chicago. In an interview she stated ...
– director, producer, writer, and actor who created the film ''
Go Fish Go Fish or Fish is a card game for approximately two to five players, often played by children. It might be similar to a game called ''Andare e piscere'' which was current in Italy at the end of the 15th Century, of which no contemporary descrip ...
'', which gave visibility to various aspects of lesbian culture *
The Wachowskis Lana Wachowski (born Larry Wachowski, June 21, 1965) and Lilly Wachowski (born Andy Wachowski, December 29, 1967) are American film and television directors, writers and producers. The sisters are both trans women. Together known as the Wacho ...
– filmmaker sisters known for ''
The Matrix ''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
'' trilogy *
Aerlyn Weissman Aerlyn Weissman (born 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is a two-time Genie Award-winning Canadian documentary filmmaker and political activist on behalf of the lesbian community. Career Weissman trained in sound recording in the United States before co ...
– Canadian documentary filmmaker and sound technician known for '' Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives'' * Yvonne Welbon – filmmaker and founder of the nonprofit Sisters in Cinema *
Tanya Wexler Tanya Wexler (born August 6, 1970) is an American film director. Wexler has been working in the film industry since 1998, when her first film ''Finding North'' (1998), was released. Wexler is most known for her 2011 feature film Hysteria (2011 f ...
– filmmaker behind ''
Hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...
''


Internet personalities

* Brittany Ashley – actor and stand-up comedian known for her work with
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...
*
Antoine Dodson Kevin Antoine Dodson (born June 27, 1986) is an American Internet celebrity, singer, and actor. In 2010, while a resident of the Lincoln Park housing project in Huntsville, Alabama, he gave an interview on local television news prompted by the re ...
– internet celebrity, singer, and entrepreneur known for being featured in "
Bed Intruder Song "Bed Intruder Song" is a song by the Gregory Brothers and Antoine Dodson, featuring Kelly Dodson. The song, created for ''Auto-Tune the News'', features processed vocals of a WAFF-48 news interview with Antoine Dodson, who was talking to a repo ...
" *
Dylan Geick Dylan Steven Geick (born September 9, 1998) is an American social media personality, writer, and amateur wrestler. He speaks on his experience as an LGBTQ person in athletics and the army. Geick wrestled for the Columbia Lions from 2017 to 2018. ...
– social media personality, writer, and wrestler


Music

*
Jeffery Austin Jeffery Austin McClelland, Jr. (born April 15, 1991), better known by his stage name Jeffery Austin, is an American pop musician and was a contestant on the ninth season of The Voice, turning a single chair and defaulting to be a member of Gwe ...
– musician known for appearing on
season 9 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
of '' The Voice'' *
Patricia Barber Patricia Barber (born November 8, 1955) is an American songwriter, composer, singer, and pianist. Biography Barber's father Floyd was a jazz saxophonist who played with Bud Freeman and Glenn Miller. She played saxophone and piano from a young a ...
– jazz pianist and singer-songwriter *
Keith Barrow Keith Errol Barrow (September 27, 1954 – October 22, 1983) was an American disco/soul singer and songwriter born and raised in Chicago. He was most known for being the son of civil rights activist and minister Reverend Willie Taplin Barrow. Ba ...
– singer-songwriter, entertainer, and son of civil rights activist
Willie Barrow Willie Beatrice Barrow (née Taplin; December 7, 1924 – March 12, 2015) was an American civil rights activist and minister. Barrow was the co-founder of Operation PUSH, which was named Operation Breadbasket at the time of its creation alongsid ...
* Taylor Bennett – hip-hop artist and brother of
Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, he released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' (2012) during one of his high school suspension ...
* Terry Blade – singer-songwriter and lyricist *
Big Dipper The Big Dipper (American English, US, Canadian English, Canada) or the Plough (British English, UK, Hiberno-English, Ireland) is an asterism (astronomy), asterism consisting of seven bright stars of the constellation Ursa Major; six of them ar ...
– rapper and podcast host *
Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (née Harris; born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, she began her career in 1992 and signed with Jermaine Dupri's So So Def Recordings two years l ...
– rapper and actor behind ''
Funkdafied ''Funkdafied'' is the debut album by American rapper Da Brat. It was released on June 28, 1994, and sold over one million copies, making her the first solo female rapper to go Platinum. ''Funkdafied'' debuted and peaked at number 11 on the ''Bil ...
'', the first rap album by a female artist to go platinum *
Anna DeShawn Anna DeShawn (born August 30, 1983) is an American media personality, podcaster, and LGBT advocate. She is best known for founding E3 Radio, a radio station dedicated to playing queer music and reporting on queer news. She is also the founder a ...
– American media personality, podcaster, and radio host *
Honey Dijon Honey Redmond (known professionally as Honey Dijon) is an American DJ, producer, and electronic musician. She was born in Chicago and is based in New York City and Berlin. She has performed at clubs, festivals, art fairs, galleries and fashio ...
– D.J. and fashion plate *
K.Flay Kristine Meredith Flaherty (born June 30, 1985), better known as K.Flay, is an American singer, musician, songwriter, and rapper. She has released five studio albums: '' Life as a Dog'' (2014), '' Every Where Is Some Where'' (2017), ''Solutions' ...
– singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper known for her debut album ''
Life as a Dog ''Life as a Dog'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist K.Flay. The album was announced in April 2014 and was funded by fans through PledgeMusic.Vaziri, Aidin (2014)Album review: K. Flay, 'Life as a Dog', ''San Francisco ...
'' *
Ezra Furman Ezra Furman (born September 5, 1986) is an American musician and songwriter. Furman was the lead singer and guitarist of Ezra Furman and the Harpoons, formed in 2006, which ended with '' Mysterious Power'' (2011). Her subsequent work has inclu ...
– singer-songwriter and former front person for
Ezra Furman and the Harpoons Ezra Furman and the Harpoons were a four-piece rock band active between 2006 and 2011. The band consisted of Ezra Furman (vocals, guitar), Job Mukkada (bass guitar), Adam Abrutyn (Drum kit, drums), and Andrew Langer (guitar). They formed at Tuft ...
*
Marla Glen Marla Glen (born January 3, 1960) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, United States, who has been based in Germany since 1998. Career Marla, son of Dell Glen ( American-Jamaican) and Cortez Glen (Mexican-American), grew up on the Sou ...
– Germany-based singer, actor, songwriter, and leader of the Marla Glen Band who is known for her album ''This Is Marla Glen'' *
Laura Jane Grace Laura Jane Grace (born Thomas James Gabel; November 8, 1980) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the founder, lead singer, songwriter, and rhythm guitarist of the punk rock band Against Me!. In addition to Against M ...
– punk rock musician, transgender advocate, and author best known for leading the band
Against Me! Against Me! is an American punk rock band, formed in 1997 in Naples, Florida, by singer and guitarist Laura Jane Grace. That same year, Grace moved to Gainesville, Florida, which is considered the band's hometown. Since 2001, the band's lineup ...
*
Steve Grand Steve Grand (born February 28, 1990) is an American singer, songwriter and model from Lemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. He became an overnight internet celebrity and the music video of his first hit "All-American Boy" went viral video, viral ...
– singer-songwriter and model known for his homoerotic country song " All-American Boy" * Tony Jackson – pianist, singer, and composer known for his song "
Pretty Baby Pretty Baby may refer to: * ''Pretty Baby'' (1950 film), a comedy film featuring Dennis Morgan and Betsy Drake * ''Pretty Baby'' (1978 film), a drama film featuring Brooke Shields ** ''Pretty Baby'' (soundtrack), a soundtrack album from the film ...
" *
Juba Kalamka Juba Kalamka (born July 12, 1970) is an African American artist and activist recognized for his work and founding member of homohop group Deep Dickollective (D/DC) and his development of the micro-label sugartruck recordings. Kalamka has coord ...
– musician, hip-hop artist, and co-founder of
Deep Dickollective Deep Dickollective (D/DC) was an LGBT hip hop group based in Oakland, California that were active in the homo hop scene of openly queer/LGBT artists during the 2000s. They were regular performers at the PeaceOUT World Homo Hop Festival curate ...
*
Frankie Knuckles Francis Warren Nicholls Jr. (January 18, 1955 – March 31, 2014), known professionally as Frankie Knuckles, was an American DJ, record producer, and remixer. He played an important role in developing and popularizing house music, a genre of mus ...
– music producer, remixer, and D.J. known as the "Godfather of House" for his contributions to the genre *
Adam Mardel Adam Mardel is an American pop singer best known for his work with Second Alibi and for founding the record label E2A Music Group, LLC. Career Adam was an opening act on Aaron Carter's After Party Tour in 2013. In the spring of 2017 Adam launch ...
– musician, songwriter, and member of the band Second Alibi *
Octo Octa Maya Bouldry-Morrison (born 13 May 1987), better known by her stage name Octo Octa, is an American House music, house producer and DJ based in New Hampshire. In 2016, Bouldry-Morrison came out as transgender, after having already gained prominenc ...
–
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
producer and D.J. *
Chuck Panozzo Charles Salvatore "Chuck" Panozzo (born September 20, 1948) is an American musician best known as a co-founder of the rock band Styx. He is currently a part-time bass player in the band, sharing bass duties with Terry Gowan. Panozzo is living wit ...
– rock musician and bassist known for founding the band
Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...
*
Alan Pierson upright 1.20, Alan Emanuel Pierson Alan Emanuel Pierson (born May 12, 1974, Chicago, Illinois) is an American conductor and producer . His parents are Elaine Pierson and Edward S. Pierson, the latter an engineering professor at Purdue Universi ...
– conductor and artistic director *
Doug Pinnick Douglas Theodore Pinnick (born September 3, 1950), sometimes stylized as dUg Pinnick or simply dUg, is an American musician best known as the bass guitarist, co-lead vocalist, and songwriter for the hard rock and progressive metal band King's X. ...
– bassist and singer for
King's X King's X is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Springfield, Missouri, in 1979. They were first called the Edge and later became Sneak Preview before settling on its current name in 1985. The band's current lineup has remained intact fo ...
and KXM *
Martin Sorrondeguy Martin Sorrondeguy (born December 3, 1967) is the singer of American hardcore punk bands Los Crudos and Limp Wrist, the founder of the DIY record label Lengua Armada Discos, and a prominent figure in both the straight edge scene and the queerco ...
– punk musician, documentary filmmaker, and photographer who founded the bands
Los Crudos Los Crudos is an American hardcore punk band from Chicago, Illinois active from 1991 to 1998 and from 2006 onward. Comprising all Latino members, the band paved the way for later Spanish-speaking punk bands in the United States and helped to ...
and
Limp Wrist Limp Wrist is an American punk rock band, who formed in 1998. Featuring members of Los Crudos, Hail Mary, Devoid of Faith, By the Throat, and Kill the Man Who Questions, the band plays short, fast hardcore punk, hardcore music, and covers them ...
*
Lila Star Lila Martinez (born July 10) also known as Lila Star Escada and known professionally as Lila Star is an American transgender actress, cosmetologist, recording artist, pageant competitor, and performer. She is known for being "the world's first tr ...
– hip-hop artist, actor, and pageant competitor who is the self-proclaimed "first Latina trans rapper" *
Justin Tranter Justin Drew Tranter (born June 16, 1980) is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, ...
– songwriter, musician, and activist who has written music for the likes of
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
,
Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, and businesswoman. Gomez began her career as a child actress, appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), a ...
, and
Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is recognized for his multi-genre musical performances. He was discovered by record executive Scooter Braun in 2008 and subsequently brought to the U ...
*
Jim Verraros James Conrad Verraros (born February 8, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor, who placed ninth on the first season of ''American Idol.'' Raised by deaf parents, he is fluent in American Sign Language and gained notoriety on ''Amer ...
– singer and actor famous for appearing on the first season of ''
American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American Music competition, singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle (company), Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It a ...
''


Photography

* Richard Renaldi – portrait photographer and
Guggenheim fellow Guggenheim Fellowships are grants that have been awarded annually since by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, endowed by the late Simon and Olga Hirsh Guggenheim. These awards are bestowed upon individuals who have demonstrated d ...
*
Edmund Teske Edmund Rudolph Teske (March 7, 1911 – November 22, 1996) was a 20th-century American photographer who combined a career of taking portraits of artists, musicians and entertainers with a prolific output of experimental photography. His use of te ...
– photographer *
Tom Bianchi Tom Bianchi (born 1945) is an American writer and photographer who specializes in male nude photography. Career His 21 books of photographs, poems, and essays primarily cover the gay male experience. In 1990, St. Martin's Press published ''O ...
– photographer, artist, and former attorney who specializes in male nude photography


Reality television

* Milan Christopher – rapper, actor, and model known for appearing on
season 2 Season 2 may refer to: * ''Season 2'' (Infinite album), 2014 * ''2econd Season'', an album by Unk, 2008 * "Season 2", a song by Phoenix from ''Alpha Zulu ''Alpha Zulu'' is the seventh studio album by French indie pop band Phoenix, released on 4 ...
of '' Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood'' *
Andy Herren ''Big Brother 15'' is the fifteenth season of the American reality television series '' Big Brother''. The season premiered on June 26, 2013, broadcast on CBS and Slice in Canada, and ended with a 90-minute season finale on September 18, 2013, a ...
– public speaking professor known for winning
season 15 A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's axial tilt, tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperat ...
of ''
Big Brother Big Brother may refer to: * a brother senior in birth order Literature * Big Brother (''Nineteen Eighty-Four''), a character from George Orwell's novel ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' * ''Big Brother'' (magazine), a skateboarding culture magazine * ' ...
'' * George Kotsiopoulos – fashion plate and editor of ''C'' magazine who was a panelist on the television show ''
Fashion Police ''Fashion Police'' is an American television series that premiered on September 10, 2010, on E!. It was originally hosted by Joan Rivers and featured panelists George Kotsiopoulos, Giuliana Rancic, and Kelly Osbourne commenting on celebrity f ...
'' *
Law Roach Lawrence Roach is an American fashion stylist, best-known for his work with artists such as Zendaya, Céline Dion, and Anya Taylor-Joy. Roach served as a primary judge on the Max competition series '' Legendary'' (2020–2022). He announced his ...
– stylist with celebrity clientele best known for appearing as a judge on '' Legendary''


Television

*
Paris Barclay Paris K. C. Barclay (born June 30, 1956) is an American television director, producer, and writer. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and is among the busiest single-camera television directors, having directed nearly 200 episodes of television ...
– television director, producer, and former president of the
Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of Film director, film and Television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dir ...
, the first black and openly gay person to hold that role *
Christopher Cantwell Christopher Charles Cantwell (born November 12, 1980), also known as the Crying Nazi, is an American white supremacist, neo-Nazi, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, and federal informant. A member of the broader alt-right movement, Cantwell e ...
– television producer, director, and writer who co-created the show '' Halt and Catch Fire'' *
Robert Greenblatt Robert Greenblatt (born 1959/1960) is an American television executive, former chairman of NBC Entertainment and former chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment. He has since launched his production company, The Green Room. Early life and educati ...
– former chairman of
NBC Entertainment NBCUniversal Media Group is the television and streaming arm of NBCUniversal, and the direct descendant and successor of the former division NBCUniversal Television Group, which existed from 2004–19. History NBC Broadcasting In 2006, NBCUniver ...
, former chairman of
WarnerMedia Entertainment Warner Media, LLC (doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City. It was established as Time Warner i ...
, and the first openly gay broadcast television president *
Brittani Nichols Brittani Nichols (born June 20, 1988) is an American producer, actress, comedian, and writer. In 2016, Nichols wrote, produced, and starred in the film '' Suicide Kale,'' which won the Audience Award for Best U.S. Dramatic Feature at 2016 Outfest. ...
– producer, actor, comedian, and writer known for her film ''
Suicide Kale ''Suicide Kale'' is a 2016 American dark comedy film, directed by Carly Usdin and written by Brittani Nichols.
'' *
Joey Soloway Joey Soloway (born Jill Soloway; September 26, 1965) is an American television creator, showrunner, director and writer. Soloway is known for creating, writing, executive producing and directing the Amazon original series '' Transparent'', winnin ...
– director, writer, producer, and filmmaker known for their work with the television show '' Transparent'' *
Burr Tillstrom Franklin Burr Tillstrom (October 13, 1917 – December 6, 1985) was a puppeteer and the creator of ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie''. Early life Tillstrom was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Bert and Alice Burr Tillstrom. He attended Senn High School in ...
– puppeteer and creator of the popular ''
Kukla, Fran, and Ollie ''Kukla, Fran and Ollie'' is an early American television show using puppets. It was created for children, but was soon watched by more adults than children. It did not have a script and was entirely ad-libbed. It was broadcast from Chicago bet ...
'' television show *
Lena Waithe Lena Waithe (; born May 17, 1984) is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series '' The Chi'' (2018–present) and the BET comedy series ''Boomerang'' (2019–20) and '' Twenties'' (2020–2 ...
– television writer, actor, and producer known for her role on ''
Master of None ''Master of None'' is an American comedy drama television series, which was released for streaming on November 6, 2015, on Netflix. The series was created by Aziz Ansari and Alan Yang, with the first two seasons starring Ansari in the lead rol ...
'' *
Randall Winston Randall Keenan Winston is a television producer and director best known for his work on ''Spin City'' and ''Scrubs''. Career He has been an associate producer on such shows as '' Champs'', '' Day By Day'', ''Brooklyn Bridge'' and ''Spin City''. ...
– television producer known for ''
Scrubs Scrub(s) may refer to: * Scrub, low shrub and grass characteristic of scrubland * Scrubs (clothing), worn by medical staff * ''Scrubs'' (TV series), an American television program * Scrubs (occupation), also called "scrub tech," "scrub nurse," ...
'' and ''
Spin City ''Spin City'' is an American sitcom television series that aired from September 17, 1996, to April 30, 2002, on ABC. Created by Gary David Goldberg and Bill Lawrence, the show is set in a fictionalized version of the New York City mayor's off ...
''


Theater

*
Claudia Allen Claudia Allen is an American playwright and educator based in Chicago, Illinois. She is known for writing LGBT characters in her plays, for '' Hannah Free'',Claudia Allen Papers'' DePaul University Special Collections and Archives. Accessed March ...
– playwright and screenwriter known for her lesbian-themed work, including ''
Hannah Free ''Hannah Free'' is a 2009 American lesbian romance film, adapted from Claudia Allen's play of the same name and starring Sharon Gless, Maureen Gallagher, Kelli Strickland, Ann Hagemann, Taylor Miller, and Jax Jackson. Plot Set mostly in a nur ...
'' * Kevin Bellie – former artistic director of
Circle Theatre Chicago Circle Theatre Chicago founded in 1985 by Wayne Buidens, Joe Bass, and Karen Skinner is a theatre company in Oak Park and Chicago, Illinois. They chose the name "Circle Theatre" to represent both Circle Avenue (Forest Park's main thoroughfare) ...
* Sharon Bridgforth – playwright, author, activist, and founder of the root wy'mn theatre company *
David Cerda David Cerda (born June 13, 1961, Hammond, Indiana) is an American performer and playwright based in Chicago. He is currently the artistic director for Hell in a Handbag Productions, which he co-founded in 2002. His campy, highly theatrical plays ...
– playwright and producer who founded Hell in a Handbag Productions *
David Cromer David Cromer (born October 17, 1964) is an American theatre director, and stage, film, and TV actor. He has received recognition for his work on Broadway, Off-Broadway, and in his native Chicago. Cromer has won or been nominated for numerous a ...
– theater director and actor *
Frank Galati Frank Joseph Galati (November 29, 1943 – January 2, 2023) was an American director, writer, and actor. He was a member of Steppenwolf Theatre Company and an associate director at Goodman Theatre. He taught at Northwestern University for many ...
– stage director, professor, playwright, and actor *
E. Patrick Johnson Elondust Patrick Johnson (born March 1, 1967) is an American academic scholar and artist best known as the creator of Quare theory. He is dean of the School of Communication and Annenberg University Professor of Performance Studies and African- ...
– performance studies professor, actor, and author *
Alvina Krause Alvina Krause (January 28, 1893 – December 31, 1981) was an American drama teacher at Northwestern University, theatrical entrepreneur, "maker of stars", and director. Her students called her AK. Her first name is pronounced Al-vine-na P ...
–
Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
professor and theatrical director *
Mark Lamos Mark Lamos (born March 10, 1946) is an American theatre and opera director, producer and actor. Under his direction, Hartford Stage won the 1989 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre and he has been nominated for two other Tonys. For mor ...
– stage director, administrator, actor, and writer *
Scott McPherson Scott McPherson (October 13, 1959 Columbus, Ohio – November 7, 1992 Chicago) was an American playwright. He was influential as one of the first openly gay playwrights when AIDS was severely impacting the nation. Early life McPherson, whose ...
– playwright and actor *
Tanya Saracho Tanya Selene Saracho is a Mexican Americans, Mexican-American actress, playwright, dramaturge and screenwriter. With a background in theater before writing for television, she co-founded in 2000 and was its co-artistic director for ten years. ...
– actor and writer for television and the stage, known for co-founding Teatro Luna, Chicago's first all-
Latina Latina or Latinas most often refers to: * Latinas, a demographic group in the United States * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America. *Latin Americans Latina and Latinas may also refer ...
theatrical troupe Theatrical troupe ( French: ''troupe''), sometimes referred to as an acting company, is a group of theatrical performers working together. They may work in repertory other types of theatres, and may take performances on tour. They are not the sa ...


Visual arts

* Tom Bachtell – illustrator and caricaturist known for his work with ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'' * Roger Brown – artist and leader in the
Chicago Imagist The Chicago Imagists are a group of representational artists associated with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago who exhibited at the Hyde Park Art Center in the late 1960s. Their work was known for grotesquerie, Surrealism and complete in ...
movement *
Edie Fake Edie Fake (born 1980) is an American artist, illustrator, author, and transgender activist. Fake is known for their comics/zines, gouache and ink paintings, and murals. Fake has an award winning comic-zine series about Gaylord Phoenix, a bird-li ...
– alternative comic book author, painter, illustrator, and artist *
Emil Ferris Emil Ferris (; born 1962) is an American writer, cartoonist, and designer. Ferris debuted in publishing with her 2017 graphic novel '' My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'', which was praised as a "masterpiece" and one of the best comics by a new author ...
– cartoonist, writer, and artist known for ''
My Favorite Thing Is Monsters ''My Favorite Thing Is Monsters'' is a two-volume debut graphic novel by American writer Emil Ferris. It portrays a young girl named Karen Reyes investigating the death of her neighbor in 1960s Chicago. Ferris started working on the graphic nove ...
'' *
Harmony Hammond Harmony Hammond (born February 8, 1944) is an American artist, activist, curator, and writer. She was a prominent figure in the founding of the feminist art movement in 1970s New York. Early life and education Harmony Hammond was born on Febru ...
– artist, curator, scholar, and co-founder of
A.I.R. Gallery A.I.R. Gallery (Artists in Residence) is the first all female artists cooperative gallery in the United States. It was founded in 1972 with the objective of providing a professional and permanent exhibition space for women artists during a time ...
* Greer Lankton – artist known for her work in the medium of
dolls A doll is a physical model, model typically of a human or humanoid character, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have also been used in traditional religious rituals throughout the world. Traditional dolls made of materials such as clay and ...
* Betty G. Miller – artist, deaf advocate, and professor known as the Mother of Deaf View/Image Art *
John Schacht John Schacht (February 12, 1938 – August 10, 2009) was a self-trained, American artist based in the Midwest.Segard, Michel"The Difference that Forty Years Make, John Schacht at Iceberg Projects and Kyle Vu-Dunn at Julius Caesar,"''New Art Exam ...
– artist who explored a variety of styles at the edge of Chicago's art scene * Rupert Kinnard – cartoonist who created the first openly gay African American comic book characters *
Sean Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Hiberno-English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name '' Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; a ...
– cartoonist and activist known for his illustrated gay erotica


Business

*
Fred Eychaner Fred Eychaner (born 1944) is an American businessman and philanthropist. Eychaner is the chairman of Newsweb Corporation. He was included in ''Chicago'' magazine's 2014 list of the 100 most powerful Chicagoans. In 2005, the ''Chicago Tribune'' e ...
– chairman of
Newsweb Corporation Newsweb Corporation is a printer of ethnic and alternative newspapers in the United States, based in Chicago, Illinois. The company also owns AM 750 WNDZ. Newsweb was founded in 1971 by Chicago entrepreneur, political activist, and philanthropis ...
and philanthropist who supports many LGBT causes in Chicago *
Robert Gottschalk Robert Gottschalk (March 12, 1918 – June 3, 1982) was an American camera technician, inventor, and co-founder of Panavision. Early life Born to Gustav and Anna Gottschalk in Chicago, Illinois. His father was an architect who built sever ...
– businessman, camera inventor, and founder of
Panavision Panavision Inc. is an American motion picture equipment company (law), company founded in 1954 specializing in cameras and photographic lens, lenses, based in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, Woodland Hills, California. Formed by Robert Gottschalk a ...
*
Dema Harshbarger Dema Harshbarger (September 8, 1884 — February 20, 1964) was an American businesswoman, concert promoter, and talent manager. Early life Dema E. Harshbarger was born in Abingdon, Illinois, one of the seven children of Richard Henry Harshbarger ...
– businesswoman and talent manager *
Jennifer Pritzker Jennifer Natalya Pritzker (born James Nicholas Pritzker; August 13, 1950) is an American investor, philanthropist, and member of the Pritzker family. Pritzker retired as a lieutenant colonel from the Illinois Army National Guard (ILARNG) in 20 ...
– member of the prominent
Pritzker family The Pritzker family is an American family engaged in various business enterprises and philanthropy, and one of the wealthiest families in the United States (staying in the top 10 of ''Forbes'' magazine's "America's Richest Families" list since th ...
, CEO of TAWANI Enterprises, retired
U.S. army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
, and the world's first transgender billionaire


Education

*
John D'Emilio John D'Emilio (born 1948) is a professor emeritus of history and of women's and gender studies at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He taught at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He earned his B.A. from Columbia College and Ph ...
– professor, LGBT historian, writer, and activist *
J. Michael Durnil John Michael Durnil served as the Executive Director of the Scripps National Spelling Bee from March of 2021 until his retirement in November of 2022. From December 2010 to February 2021, he was President and CEO of the Simon Youth Foundation (SY ...
– president of the Simon Youth Foundation, former senior vice president of the
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since e ...
, and former administrator at
Roosevelt University Roosevelt University is a private university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The university enrolls arou ...
*
Jeannette Howard Foster Jeannette Howard Foster (November 3, 1895 – July 26, 1981) was an American librarian, professor, poet, and researcher in the field of lesbian literature. She pioneered the study of popular fiction and ephemera in order to excavate both ove ...
– librarian, professor, researcher, and pioneer in the study of lesbian literature *
Sarah Hoagland Sarah Lucia Hoagland (born 4 June 1945 in Denver, Colorado) is the Bernard Brommel Distinguished Research Professor and Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Women's Studies at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. Biography She authored '' ...
– professor and author * Tonda L. Hughes – researcher and professor known for contributing to the field of LGBT women's healthcare *
Marie J. Kuda Marie Jayne Kuda (1940–2016) was an American writer, lecturer, publisher, and historian of LGBT culture in Chicago. Her collection contained over 100,000 documents and ephemera and her research extended to LGBT culture from ancient times through ...
– historian, writer, and publisher of Chicago LGBT culture *
Charles R. Middleton Charles R. Middleton served as the President of Roosevelt University from 2002 to 2015 when he retired. Biography Middleton graduated with his bachelor's degree from Florida State University. He received both his master's degree and Doctorate from ...
– historian, educator, and the president of Roosevelt University, making him the first openly gay major university president in the country *
Althea Warren Althea Hester Warren (December 18, 1886December 19, 1958) was the director of the Los Angeles (California) Public Library from 1933 to 1947 and president of the American Library Association in 1943-1944. Martha Boaz, Fervent and Full of Gifts: Th ...
– librarian who headed the
San Diego Public Library The San Diego Public Library is a public library system serving San Diego, California. History The San Diego Public Library was established on May 19, 1882, by an elected board of library trustees, one of whom was civic leader and philant ...
, the
Los Angeles Public Library The Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) is a public library system in Los Angeles, California, operating separate from the Los Angeles County Public Library system. The system holds more than six million volumes, and with around 19 million resid ...
, the
California Library Association Established in 1895, the California Library Association (CLA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organizatioHistory – California Library AssociationMembers of CLA include library staff members, professional librarians, library and information ...
, and the
American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...


Felons

* Nicole Abusharif –
Villa Park Villa Park is a association football, football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, with a seating capacity of 42,918. It has been the home of Premier League club Aston Villa F.C., Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witt ...
resident convicted of murdering Rebecca Klein, her same-sex domestic partner *
John Wayne Gacy John Wayne Gacy (March 17, 1942 – May 10, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender who raped, tortured and murdered at least thirty-three young men and boys in Norwood Park Township, Cook County, Illinois, Norwood Park Tow ...
– serial killer and sex offender who sometimes made appearances as "Pogo the Clown" prior to his apprehension, conviction, and execution * Michelle Kosilek – convicted murderer who unsuccessfully and repeatedly sued the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
for
sex reassignment surgery Gender-affirming surgery (GAS) is a surgical procedure, or series of procedures, that alters a person's physical appearance and sexual characteristics to resemble those associated with their gender identity. The phrase is most often associat ...


Philanthropy and nonprofits

*
Robert Allerton Robert Henry Allerton (March 20, 1873 – December 22, 1964), born in Chicago, Illinois, United States, was the son and heir of First National Bank of Chicago co-founder Samuel Allerton. He was a philanthropist who served as a trustee and ho ...
– philanthropist and son of stockyard magnate Samuel W. Allerton who patronized the
Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the United States. The museum is based in the Art Institute of Chicago Building in Chicago's Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park. Its collection, stewa ...
and the Honolulu Academy of the Arts and whose name is borne by green spaces in
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
and
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
. *
David Bohnett David C. Bohnett (born April 2, 1956) is an American philanthropist and technology entrepreneur. He is the founder and chairman of the David Bohnett Foundation, a non-profit, grant-making organization devoted to improving society through social ...
– philanthropist and founder of
GeoCities GeoCities, later Yahoo! GeoCities, was a web hosting service that allowed users to create and publish websites for free and to browse user-created websites by their theme or interest, active from 1994 to 2009. GeoCities was started in November 1 ...
who has funded many programs for the advancement of LGBT people * Marty Mann – public health pioneer, founder of the National Council on Alcoholism, and one of the first women to embrace
Alcoholics Anonymous Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) is a global, peer-led Mutual aid, mutual-aid fellowship focused on an abstinence-based recovery model from alcoholism through its spiritually inclined twelve-step program. AA's Twelve Traditions, besides emphasizing anon ...
*
Laura Ricketts Laura Marie Ricketts (born December 15, 1967) is an American political activist and former attorney who is co-owner of the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago Stars Football Club. Ricketts is also a board member of Lambda Legal and the Housing Opportun ...
– board member of
Lambda Legal The Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, better known as Lambda Legal, is an American civil rights organization that focuses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) communities as well as people living with HIV/AIDS ( PWAs) throug ...
and co-owner of the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
*
Mary Rozet Smith Mary Rozet Smith (December 23, 1868 – February 22, 1934) was a Chicago-born US philanthropist who was one of the trustees and benefactors of Hull House. She was the partner of activist Jane Addams for over thirty years. Smith provided the finan ...
– philanthropist and companion of Jane Addams who helped fund Chicago's Hull House


Politics and law

*
Kelvin Atkinson Kelvin Atkinson (born April 8, 1969) is a former Democratic member of the Nevada Senate, representing District 4. He previously served in the Nevada Assembly, representing Clark County District 17 from 2002 to 2012. On April 22, 2013, during a d ...
– former Nevada state Assemblyman,
state Senator A state senator is a member of a State legislature (United States), state's senate in the bicameral legislature of 49 U.S. states, or a member of the unicameral Nebraska Legislature. History There are typically fewer state senators than there ...
, and state Senate majority leader who resigned amid a campaign finance scandal that ultimately led to his conviction and imprisonment. *
James Cappleman James Cappleman (born October 26, 1952) is an American politician and a former member of the Chicago City Council. He was elected to the Council in 2011 as the alderman for the city's 46th ward, which includes parts of the Uptown and Lakeview nei ...
– politician serving as alderman for Chicago's 46th ward *
Kelly Cassidy Kelly Cassidy (born 1967/1968) is an American politician from Chicago. She is a Democrat and a member of the Illinois House of Representatives. She was appointed to represent the 14th district, on Chicago's North Side, in April 2011 following i ...
– politician and activist who represents the 14th district in the
Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 representativ ...
*
Thomas R. Chiola Thomas R. Chiola (born March 18, 1952) served as a judge of the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County from 1994 to 2009. He was the first openly gay person elected to public office in Illinois.Byron FlitschHistory-making gay judge set to retire ' ...
– former
Cook County Circuit Court The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 25 Illinois circuit courts, circuit courts (trial courts of original jurisdiction, original and general jurisdiction) in the judiciary of Illinois as well as one of the largest unified cour ...
judge and the first openly gay elected official in Illinois * Phillipe Cunningham – Minneapolis city councillor among the first openly transgender men to be elected to office in the United States *
Jay Paul Deratany Jay Paul Deratany is an American lawyer, filmmaker and writer. He is the founder of Deratany & Kosner in Chicago and focuses his practice on human rights issues. He is the writer and producer of the feature film ''Foster Boy'' as well as the play ...
– lawyer, LGBT advocate, filmmaker, and playwright *
Maria Hadden Maria Elaine Hadden is an American politician and community activist from Chicago. She is a member of the Chicago City Council, serving as alderperson for the city's 49th ward. She won election to that office after defeating 28-year incumbent Jo ...
– politician and activist serving as alderman for Chicago's 49th ward, the first openly gay black woman to serve on the city council * Renee C. Hanover – attorney and LGBT rights activist, believed to be the first openly lesbian lawyer in the United States * Greg Harris – member of the Illinois House of Representatives and the state's first openly gay House majority leader * Pearl M. Hart – attorney, activist, professor, and political candidate who focused on defending the rights of children, women, immigrants, and LGBT people *
Patricia Ireland Patricia Ireland (born October 19, 1945) is an American administrator and feminist. She served as president of the National Organization for Women from 1991 to 2001 and published an autobiography, ''What Women Want'', in 1996. Early life Ireland ...
– attorney, activist, and former president of the
National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...
*
Lotta Hetler James Lotta Hetler James (1876 - March 18, 1945) was an American public speaker, active in civic, church and community projects.She was also a candidate for Governor of California. Early life Lotta Hetler was born in 1876 in Chicago, Illinois. Career ...
– civic worker, candidate for
governor of California The governor of California is the head of government of the U.S. state of California. The Governor (United States), governor is the commander-in-chief of the California National Guard and the California State Guard. Established in the Constit ...
, and community member active in child welfare, women's clubs, and education in
Hanford, California Hanford is the most populous city and the county seat of Kings County, California, located in the San Joaquin Valley region of the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley. The population was 57,990 at the 2020 United States census, ...
*
Andrea Jenkins Andrea Jenkins (born May 10, 1961) is an American politician, writer, performance artist, poet, and transgender activist. She is known for being the first Black openly transgender woman elected to public office in the United States, since Janua ...
– politician, performance artist, poet, activist, and former political aide who was elected to the Minneapolis City Council in 2017, making her the first openly transgender black woman to be elected to public office in the United States * William B. Kelley – lawyer and gay activist *
Jim Kolbe James Thomas Kolbe (June 28, 1942 – December 3, 2022) was an American politician who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives. He represented Arizona's 5th congressional district from 1985 to 2003 and its 8 ...
– former
United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
and second openly gay Republican member of Congress *
Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American politician and attorney who was the mayor of Chicago#List of mayors, 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, she ...
– politician and attorney currently who served as the 56th
Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of city Government of Chicago, government in Chicago, Illinois, the List of United States cities by population, third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsib ...
, the first black lesbian person to hold that office *
Raymond Lopez Raymond is a male given name of Germanic origin. It was borrowed into English from French (older French spellings were Reimund and Raimund (disambiguation), Raimund, whereas the modern English and French spellings are identical). It originated as ...
– politician serving as alderman for Chicago's 15th ward * Larry McKeon – member of the Illinois House of Representatives and gay activist who was the state's first openly gay legislator *
Carlos Ramirez-Rosa Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (born February 18, 1989) is an politics of the United States, American politician and the incumbent superintendent and CEO of the Chicago Park District. He previously served as Alderperson for Chicago's 35th Ward from May 2015 ...
– politician and Chicago's first openly gay Latino alderman * Judith Rice – politician and Cook County Circuit Court judge who previously served as the
City Treasurer of Chicago The city treasurer of Chicago is an elected official of the City of Chicago. Current occupant The current city treasurer of Chicago is Democratic Party (United States), Democrat Melissa Conyears. Conyears was elected by Chicago citizens on April ...
* Mary M. Rowland – federal judge for the
Northern District of Illinois The United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (in case citations, N.D. Ill.) is the federal trial court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois. It is one of the busiest federal trial courts in the Uni ...
*
Tom Tunney Thomas M. Tunney (born August 22, 1955) is an American politician and entrepreneur from Chicago, Illinois. From 2003 to 2023, he served as an alderman on the Chicago City Council. He represented the 44th Ward of the city, which includes major to ...
– politician and
restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...
who is the
vice mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of city Government of Chicago, government in Chicago, Illinois, the List of United States cities by population, third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsib ...
and an alderman on the
Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the Law and government of Chicago, government of the Chicago, City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 Wards of the United States, wards to serve four-year t ...
*
Mary Yu Mary Isabel Yu2006 Annual report
courts.wa.gov (born 1957) is an American l ...
– justice on the
Washington Supreme Court The Washington Supreme Court is the highest court in the judiciary of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. The court is composed of a chief justice and eight associate justices. Members of the court are elected to six-year terms. ...
, the first Asian-American, Latina, and openly gay person to serve on the panel


Religion

* Robert Carter –
Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...
priest and gay rights activist * Clarence H. Cobbs – head of the spiritualist
First Church of Deliverance First Church of Deliverance is a landmark Spiritual church located at 4315 South Wabash Avenue in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. First Church of Deliverance was founded by Reverend Clarence H. Cobbs on May 8, 1929. The church began ...
, Bronzeville community leader, and radio broadcaster


Science and technology

*
Robert Cabaj Robert Piotr Cabaj (28 November 1948 – 24 February 2020) was an American psychiatrist, scholar and author, known for his extensive publications on LGBT mental health, including editing one of the early and influential textbooks in the field. He s ...
– psychiatrist, scholar, and author who served as president of the
Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists The Association of LGBTQ Psychiatrists, originally the Association of Gay and Lesbian Psychiatrists (AGLP), is an organization that educates and advocates on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBTQ) mental health issues. History The organi ...
and the
Gay and Lesbian Medical Association GLMA: Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ+ Equality (GLMA) is an association of LGBTQ+ and allied health professionals in the United States. Its members include interdisciplinary health professionals, such as physicians, nurses, physician assoc ...
* E. Kitch Childs –
clinical psychologist Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...
and LGBT rights activist *
Coraline Ada Ehmke Coraline Ada Ehmke is an American software developer, open source advocate, Founder and Executive Director of the Organization for Ethical Source. She is the author of ''We Just Build Hammers: Stories from the Past, Present, and Future of Respo ...
–
software developer Software development is the process of designing and Implementation, implementing a software solution to Computer user satisfaction, satisfy a User (computing), user. The process is more encompassing than Computer programming, programming, wri ...
, open source advocate, and writer * Arlene Halko –
medical physicist A medical physicist is a health professional with specialist education and training in the concepts and techniques of applying physics in medicine and competent to practice independently in one or more of the subfields (specialties) of medical phys ...
and gay rights advocate * Gretchen Kalonji – materials scientist, professor, and academic administrator *
Jessica Mink Jessica Mink (formerly Douglas John Mink) is an American software developer and a data archivist at the Center for Astrophysics Harvard & Smithsonian. She was part of the team that discovered the rings around the planet Uranus. Early life a ...
–
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
, software developer, and data archivist who works at the
Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) is a research institute of the Smithsonian Institution, concentrating on Astrophysics, astrophysical studies including Galactic astronomy, galactic and extragalactic astronomy, cosmology, Sun, solar ...
* Carlos T. Mock – physician, writer, and advocate * Adrienne J. Smith – psychologist and LGBT rights advocate * Carl G. Streed – physician, medical professor, researcher, and LGBT advocate


Sports

* Jason Brown –
figure skater Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, with its introduction occurring at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic d ...
who was the 2015 U.S. national champion *
Terry Donahue Terrence Michael Donahue (June 24, 1944 – July 4, 2021) was an American football coach and executive. He served as the head coach at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) from 1976 to 1995, compiling a record of 151–74–8. His 15 ...
– professional baseball player who played for the
Peoria Redwings The Peoria Redwings was a women's professional baseball team who joined the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League in the 1946 season and remained in the league through 1951. The team represented Peoria, Illinois, playing home games at ...
* Robert Dover –
equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...
and the first openly gay
Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...
athlete *
Fallon Fox Fallon Fox (born November 29, 1975) is an American former mixed martial artist (MMA), and the first MMA fighter who is openly transgender. Early life Fox was born in Toledo, Ohio. She recalls struggling with her gender as early as age five or s ...
– retired
mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...
fighter, the first known transgender person to compete in the sport * Regina George –
Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was derived from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jo ...
sprinter and Olympic athlete *
Timothy Goebel Timothy Richard Goebel (born September 10, 1980) is an American former competitive figure skater. He is the 2002 Olympic bronze medalist. He was the first person to land a quadruple salchow jump in competition and the first person to land th ...
– former Olympic figure skater and the first person to perform a four-revolution jump in competition *
Hurley Haywood Harris Hurley Haywood (born May 4, 1948) is an American former race car driver. Haywood has won multiple events, including five overall victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona, three at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and two at the 12 Hours of Sebring and ...
– former
race car driver Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including n ...
, author, and driving instructor *
Billie Jean King Billie Jean King (née Moffitt; born November 22, 1943), also known as BJK, is an American former World number 1 ranked female tennis players, world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam (tennis), Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in w ...
– former professional
tennis player Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
and LGBT rights advocate *
David Kopay David Marquette Kopay (born June 28, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies. In 1975, he became one of the fir ...
– former
NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was one of the first professional athletes to come out as gay * Chris Mosier –
triathlete A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
and transgender rights activist *
Judy Sowinski Judy Sowinski (7 July 1940 – 27 July 2011) was a roller derby skater and coach. Sowinski was born in Chicago, and became interested in roller derby after watching a game at the Chicago Coliseum in 1957. She tried out and was soon picked up as ...
–
roller derby Roller derby is a roller skating contact sport played on an oval track by two teams of five skaters. It is played by approximately 1,250 amateur leaguesA Roller Derby league is synonymous with an individual club or team in other team sports, as ...
skater and coach


Writers

*
Margaret C. Anderson Margaret Caroline Anderson (November 24, 1886 – October 19, 1973) was the American founder, editor and publisher of the art and literary magazine '' The Little Review'', which published a collection of modern American, English and Irish writer ...
– founder and editor of the literary magazine ''
The Little Review ''The Little Review'' was an American avant-garde literary magazine founded by Margaret Anderson in Chicago's historic Fine Arts Building, published literary and art work from 1914 to May 1929. With the help of Jane Heap and Ezra Pound ...
'', author, and partner of Jane Heap *
Rane Arroyo Ramón Arroyo (November 15, 1954 – May 7, 2010) was an American playwright, poet and scholar of Puerto Rican descent who wrote numerous books and received many literary awards. He was a professor of English and Creative Writing at the Uni ...
– poet, playwright, and creative writing professor at the
University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a Public university, public research university in Toledo, Ohio, United States. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, ...
* Allen Barnett – author and co-founder of
GLAAD GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since ...
who wrote ''The Body and Its Dangers'', a collection of short stories on gay life and the
AIDS epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...
*
Jay Bell Jay Stuart Bell (born December 11, 1965) is an American former Major League Baseball shortstop and former manager of the Rocket City Trash Pandas of the Southern League. He played for the Cleveland Indians (1986–1988), Pittsburgh Pirates (19 ...
– writer and author of the ''Something Like...'' series * Barrie Jean Borich – writer known for authoring ''My Lesbian Husband'' *
Alice Hastings Bradley Alice Bradley Sheldon, better known as James Tiptree Jr. (born Alice Hastings Bradley; August 24, 1915 – May 19, 1987), was an American science fiction and fantasy author. It was not publicly known until 1977 that James Tiptree Jr. was a pen n ...
– science fiction author who wrote under the pseudonym James Tiptree Jr. *
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
– Oscar-winning actor who appeared in ''
The Godfather ''The Godfather'' is a 1972 American Epic film, epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mario Puzo, based on Puzo's best-selling The Godfather (novel), 1969 novel. The film stars an ensemble cast inc ...
'' and ''
A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...
'' * Mike Connolly – columnist for ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' * Jon-Henri Damski – writer, columnist, and advocate who documented and reported on LGBT culture in Chicago * St. Sukie de la Croix – author, columnist, and playwright *
Patrick Dennis Edward Everett Tanner III (18 May 1921 – 6 November 1976), known by the pseudonym Patrick Dennis, was an American author. His novel ''Auntie Mame, Auntie Mame: An irreverent escapade'' (1955) was one of the bestselling American boo ...
– author known for writing '' Auntie Mame: An Irreverent Escapade'' * Henry Blake Fuller – author and short story writer whose controversial '' Bertram Cope's Year'' was the first mainstream novel to include a gay relationship *
Judith Palache Gregory Judith Palache Gregory (1932–2017), also known as Judith Gregory, was an American writer, counselor, educator, and permaculturalist, who served as executor for Dorothy Day after lifelong friendship that began with her editing for the ''Catholic ...
– writer, permaculturalist, and educator who served as editor of ''
The Catholic Worker ''The Catholic Worker'' is a newspaper based in New York City. It is published seven times a year by the flagship ''Catholic Worker'' community in New York City. It focuses on themes such as social justice, Catholic social teaching, pacifism, and ...
'' * David M. Halperin – professor, author, and co-founder of '' GLQ'' who wrote ''
One Hundred Years of Homosexuality ''One Hundred Years of Homosexuality: and other essays on Greek love'' is a 1990 book about homosexuality in ancient Greece by the classicist David M. Halperin, in which the author supports the social constructionist school of thought associated ...
'' and '' Before Pastoral'' *
Lorraine Hansberry Lorraine Vivian Hansberry (May 19, 1930 – January 12, 1965) was an American playwright and writer. She was the first African-American female author to have a play performed on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Her best-known work, the play ''A Raisin ...
– writer and playwright who penned ''
A Raisin in the Sun ''A Raisin in the Sun'' is a play by Lorraine Hansberry that debuted on Broadway in 1959. The title comes from the poem "Harlem" (also known as "A Dream Deferred") by Langston Hughes. The story tells of a black family's experiences in south Ch ...
'', the first
Broadway production Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), many of the extant or closed Broadway venues use or used the spelling ''Theatr ...
written by a black woman *
Jane Heap Jane Heap (November 1, 1883 – June 18, 1964) was an American publisher and a significant figure in the development and promotion of literary modernism. Together with Margaret Anderson, her friend and business partner (who for some years was als ...
– editor of ''The Little Review'', writer, artist, and partner of Margaret C. Anderson *
Samantha Irby Samantha McKiver Irby (born February 13, 1980) is an American comedian, essayist, blogger, and television writer. She is the creator and author of the blog ''bitches gotta eat'', where she writes humorous observations about her own life and mod ...
– comedian, blogger, and author of ''We Are Never Meeting In Real Life'' and ''Wow, No Thank You.'' *
Christina Kahrl Christina Kahrl is one of the co-founders of Baseball Prospectus. She is the former executive editor of the think tank's website, BaseballProspectus.com, the former managing editor for their annual publication, former writer and editor for ESPN.com ...
– sports journalist and LGBT advocate who co-founded
Baseball Prospectus Baseball Prospectus (BP) is an organization that publishes a website, BaseballProspectus.com, devoted to the sabermetric analysis of baseball. BP has a staff of regular columnists and provides advanced statistics as well as player and team perf ...
* Daniel M. Lavery – writer, author, and co-founder of ''
The Toast ''The Toast'' was an American anthology, humor and feminist writing website, founded by editors Nicole Cliffe and Daniel M. Lavery (né Ortberg) and publisher Nicholas Pavich. It was active from January 2013 through July 2016. Content and ta ...
'' *
Willard Motley Willard Francis Motley (July 14, 1909 – March 4, 1965) was an American author. Beginning as a teenager, Motley published a column in the African-American oriented ''Chicago Defender'' newspaper under the pen-name Bud Billiken. He worked as a f ...
– author and journalist most famous for writing ''Knock on Any Door'' *
Ifti Nasim Ifti Nasim (1946 – July 22, 2011) was a gay Pakistani American poet. Having moved to the United States to escape persecution for his sexual orientation, he became known locally for establishing Sangat, an organization to support LGBT South Asi ...
– poet, radio host, and activist whose homosexuality-themed poetry was the first of its kind in the
Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
language *
Achy Obejas Achy Obejas (born June 28, 1956) is a Cuban-American writer and translator focused on personal and national identity issues, living in Benicia, California. She frequently writes on her sexuality and nationality, and has received numerous awards fo ...
– author, poet, journalist, and translator *
Suze Orman Susan Lynn "Suze" Orman ( ; born June 5, 1951) is an American financial advisor, author, and podcast host. In 1987, she founded the Suze Orman Financial Group. Her work as a financial advisor gained notability with ''The Suze Orman Show'', which ...
–
financial advisor A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory ...
and author known for her
CNBC CNBC is an American List of business news channels, business news channel owned by the NBCUniversal News Group, a unit of Comcast's NBCUniversal. The network broadcasts live business news and analysis programming during the morning, Day ...
show and television appearances * Andrew Patner – journalist, interviewer, and critic active in print, broadcast, and electronic media *
Torrey Peters Torrey Peters (born July 1981) is an American author. Her debut novel, '' Detransition, Baby'', has received mainstream and critical success. The novel was nominated for the 2021 Women’s Prize for Fiction and won the 2022 PEN/Hemingway Award. ...
– writer, author of ''Detransition, Baby'', and one of the first trans women to be published by a "Big Five" publisher * Riley Redgate – young adult author of ''Seven Ways We Lie'' and ''Final Draft'' * Frank M. Robinson – science fiction writer and friend of Harvey Milk's known for authoring '' The Dark Beyond the Stars'' and '' The Glass Inferno'' *
Robert Rodi Robert Rodi (born 1956 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American novelist, playwright, comic book writer, essayist, and performance artist. Biography Much of his fiction centers on gay themes and several of his novels are named after archetypes of ga ...
– novelist, comedian, critic, and comic book writer *
Dan Savage Daniel Keenan Savage (born October 7, 1964) is an American author, media pundit, journalist, and LGBTQ community activist. He writes Savage Love, an internationally syndicated relationship and sex advice column. In 2010, Savage and his husband, ...
– writer and activist known for his sex advice column ''
Savage Love Savage Love is a syndicated sex-advice column by Dan Savage. The column appears weekly in several dozen newspapers, mainly free newspapers in the US and Canada, but also newspapers in Europe and Asia. It started in 1991 with the first issue of t ...
'' and for creating the
It Gets Better Project It Gets Better is an Internet-based 501(c)3 nonprofit with a mission to uplift, empower, and connect lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) youth around the globe. It was founded in the United States by gay activist, author, m ...
*
James Schuyler James Marcus Schuyler (November 9, 1923 – April 12, 1991) was an American poet. His awards include the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his 1980 collection ''The Morning of the Poem''. He was a central figure in the New York School and is of ...
– poet who won a
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prizes () are 23 annual awards given by Columbia University in New York City for achievements in the United States in "journalism, arts and letters". They were established in 1917 by the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made his fo ...
for his 1980 collection ''The Morning of the Poem'' *
Randy Shilts Randy Shilts (August 8, 1951February 17, 1994) was an American journalist and author. After studying journalism at the University of Oregon, Shilts began working as a reporter for both ''The Advocate'' and the ''San Francisco Chronicle'', as well ...
– journalist and author whose book ''
And the Band Played On ''And the Band Played On: Politics, People, and the AIDS Epidemic'' is a 1987 book by ''San Francisco Chronicle'' journalist Randy Shilts. The book chronicles the discovery and spread of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired i ...
'' garnered acclaim for documenting the AIDS epidemic * Valerie Taylor – writer and activist popular for penning
lesbian fiction Lesbian literature is a subgenre of literature addressing lesbian themes. It includes poetry, plays, fiction addressing lesbian characters, and non-fiction about lesbian-interest topics. A similar term is Sapphic love, sapphic literature, encom ...
*
Edmund White Edmund Valentine White III (January 13, 1940 – June 3, 2025) was an American novelist, memoirist, playwright, biographer, and essayist. A pioneering figure in LGBTQ and especially gay literature after the Stonewall riots, he wrote with ra ...
– novelist, biographer, professor, and critic best known for writing ''
A Boy's Own Story ''A Boy's Own Story'' is a 1982 semi-autobiographical novel by American novelist Edmund White. Overview ''A Boy's Own Story'' is the first of a trilogy of novels, describing a boy's coming of age and documenting a young man's experience of homo ...
'' * Mary Wings – comic book author and illustrator known for ''Come Out Comix'', the first lesbian underground comic


See also

* Chicago LGBT Hall of Fame


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:LGBT people from Chicago Chicago-related lists LGBTQ culture in Chicago Lists of people from Illinois Lists of American LGBTQ people