A list of over 500 living, famous or distinguished people who have publicly acknowledged that they are lesbian, gay or bisexual. Version 1.3.1 -- February 1994

Compiled by Mark Hertzog, Washington College, Chestertown, Maryland

Roberta Achtenberg, Assistant Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Clinton (first open les/bi/gay person ever confirmed for a subcabinet post by the Senate); former San Francisco city supervisor
Margie Adam, folk singer; founder of Women's Music movement
Edward Albee, playwright
Paula Gunn Allen,
Native American writer and activist
Dorothy Allison, novelist
Pedro Almodovar, filmmaker
Sasha Alyson, publisher
Angunquac, Native American activist
Tom Ammiano, schoolteacher, comedian, San Francisco School Board president
Cal Anderson, Washington state legislator
Emily Anderson, photographer
Gloria Anzaldua, Latina writer
Virginia Apuzzo, New York state government official; former head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Gregg Araki, Japanese-American filmmaker
John Ash, poet and literary critic
John Ashbery, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Don Bachardy, artist; life partner of the late novelist Christopher Isherwood
Guido Bachmann, writer
Joan Baez, singer
Ann Bancroft, explorer and teacher (*not* the actress Anne)
Paul Bartel, filmmaker
John Bartlett, fashion designer
Robert Bauman, conservative gay activist; former Republican Congressman from Maryland
Bruce Bawer, poet and neoconservative journalist (A Place at the Table)
Bishop Carl Bean, founder of the Unity Fellowship Churches
Amanda Bearse, actress (Marcie on Married...With Children)
Alison Bechdel, cartoonist
Pia Beck, singer and pianist
Andy Bell, lead singer of Erasure
Dodie Bellamy, writer
Lisa Ben, singer/songwriter and retired secretary; created L.A. lesbian newsletter "Vice Versa" in 1940s
Miriam Ben-Shalom, sued military for reinstatement after expulsion for being lesbian; head of Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Veterans of America
Eric Bentley, critic, theater director and translator
Sandra Bernhard, comedian
Troix Bettencourt, prominent teenage gay activist
Joan E. Biren ("JEB"), filmmaker; director of 1987 and 1993 March on Washington videos
George Birisima, actor and playwright
Blackberri, African-American singer
Mr. Blackwell, fashion designer; creator of annual "Ten Worst Dressed" list
Marie-Claire Blais, French-language Canadian novelist
Nayland Blake, artist
Robin Blaser, writer
Angela Bocage, cartoonist and writer
Dirk Bogarde, actor
Chastity Bono, rock musician; daughter of Sonny Bono and Cher
John Boswell, historian
Sharon Bottoms, Virginia woman stripped of custody of her son solely because of her lesbian relationship
Roddy Bottum, keyboardist of Faith No More
Angela Bowen, African-American lecturer
Angela Bowie, poet and performance artist; ex-wife of David Bowie
David Bowie, rock star and actor
Paul Bowles, writer
Boy George, pop star
Rev. Malcolm Boyd, Episcopal priest and writer
Joe Brainard, poet and artist
Lily Braindrop, writer, editor and "vixen"
Marlon Brando, actor
Robert Bray, speaker for National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Susie Bright, writer
Jos Brink, Dutch television host
Harry Britt, former President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
Nicole Brossard, novelist
James Broughton, poet, filmmaker and playwright
Olga Broumas, poet
Forman Brown ("Richard Meeker"), writer and puppeteer
Julie Brown, comedian
Rita Mae Brown, novelist
John Brunner, writer
Ed Buck, Arizona businessman; led drive to recall Gov. Evan Mecham from office
Ron Buckmire, founder of the Queer Resources Directory; Afro-Caribbean
Jm J. Bullock, actor
Glenn Burke, ex-Major League baseball player
William S. Burroughs, novelist
Scott Burson, artist
Charles Busch, writer, director and actor
Aldo Busi, Italian novelist
Dick Button, Olympic athlete
Paul Cadmus, artist
Jerome Caja, artist
Pat Califia, advice columnist and magazine editor
Simon Callow, actor
Jack Campbell, millionaire bathhouse owner and activist
Margarethe (Greta) Cammermeyer, discharged longtime National Guard officer
Renaud Camus, French novelist
Scott Capurro, comedian and actor
Craig Carver, artist
Casselberry & Dupree, African-American singers
Maggie Cassella, comedian and lawyer
Marilyn Chambers, porno actress
Rt. Rev. Otis Charles, retired Episcopal bishop of Utah
Claude Charron, journalist and former Quebec cabinet minister
Neneh Cherry, singer
Abigail Childs, video maker
Margaret Cho, comedian
Meg Christian, singer
Christopher Ciccone, artist and set designer; brother of Madonna
Craig Claiborne, food writer
Joe Clark, Canadian journalist (*not* the former prime minister)
Karen Clark, Minnesota state legislator
Michelle Cliff, Jamaican writer
Kate Clinton, comedian; life partner of Urvashi Vaid
Gary Cohen, physician and AIDS columnist
Arch Connelly, artist
Janet Cooling, artist
Dennis Cooper, writer
John Corigliano, classical composer
Alfred Corn, poet
Tee A. Corrine, artist
Midge Costanza, White House aide to President Carter
Quentin Crisp, writer, actor and humorist
Michelle Crone, comedian
Mart Crowley, playwright
Joe Dallesandro, actor in Andy Warhol films
Mary Daly, feminist writer
Gasparino Damata, Brazilian writer
Betsy Damon, artist
Jaye Davidson, actor
Juan Davila, writer
Angela Davis, African-American professor and Communist leader
Craig Dean and Patrick Gill, couple suing D.C. government for a marriage license
John DeCecco, psychologist and journal editor
Ellen DeGeneris, comedian
Donna Deitch, filmmaker
Samuel R. Delany, African-American science-fiction writer
Lea DeLaria, comedian
John D'Emilio, historian
David Diamond, classical composer
Rev. Johannes Willem DiMaria-Kuiper, minister
Thomas M. Disch, poet and science-fiction writer
Alix Dobkin, folksinger
Tanya Domi, kicked out of military for being lesbian; now head of NGLTF Military Project
Ron Donaghe, writer
Tom Donelan, cartoonist
Cecilia Dougherty, video maker
David Drake, playwright and actor
Jerry Dreva ("Jerri Bonbon"), writer
Tom Duane, New York City Council member
Martin Duberman, historian and autobiographer
Michael Duffy, chair of Mass. Commission Against Discrimination, appointed by Rep. Gov. William Weld
Robert Edward Duncan, poet
Andrea Dworkin, radical feminist writer and anti-pornography activist
Sally Edwards, athlete and businesswoman
Kenward Elmslie, writer and librettist
Evelien Eshuis, former member of Dutch parliament
Melissa Etheridge, rock star
Rupert Everett, actor, rock musician and novelist
Lillian Faderman, historian
Perry Farrell, lead singer of Jane's Addiction
Justin Fashanu, British pro soccer star
David B. Feinberg, novelist
Dominique Fernandez, French novelist
Ferron, folksinger
Edward Field, poet
Harvey Fierstein, actor, playwright and female impersonator
William Finn, Tony-winning Broadway actor
Members of The Flirtations Gary Floyd, leader of Sister Double Happiness
Katherine Forrest, writer and editor
Barney Frank, U.S. Congressman (Democrat from Massachusetts)
Tyler Franz, openly gay Bush campaign staffer who alleged being demoted and fired after complaints from religious conservatives
Aaron Fricke, writer (Reflections of a Rock Lobster); as teenager got court order allowing him to bring a male date to his high school prom
Job Friszo, Dutch TV news reporter
The members of Funny Gay Males Ed Gallagher, former college football lineman
Jedd Garet, artist
Jean-Paul Gaultier, French fashion designer
Sally Gearhart, professor, writer and activist
David Geffen, billionaire record and film magnate
Gordon Getty, classical composer
Sir John Gielgud, award-winning actor
Ronnie Gilbert, folksinger, member of The Weavers
Gilbert and George, visual artists
Allen Ginsberg, poet
Barbara Gittings, longtime lesbian activist
Peggy Glanville-Hicks, classical composer
Deborah Glick, New York state legislator
John Glines, Broadway producer
Rev. Peter Gomes, chaplain of Harvard University; African-American
Jewelle Gomez, African-American writer
Marga Gomez, Latina comedian
Juan Goytisolo, Spanish novelist
Annemarie Grewel, Dutch politician and scholar
Barbara Grier, writer and publisher
Susan Griffin, feminist writer and poet
Larry Gross, writer (The Contested Closet)
Doris Grumbach, writer and critic
Thom Gunn, poet
Allan Gurganus, novelist
Marilyn Hacker, poet
Pam Hall, African-American folksinger
Barbara Hammer, filmmaker
Christopher Hampton, playwright
Michael Hardwick, challenged Georgia's sodomy law; the U.S. Supreme Court, on a 5-4 vote, upheld the law in 1986
Joy Harjo, Native American poet
Sherry Harris, Seattle City Council member; first African-American lesbian elected official in U.S.
Beverly Wildung Harrison, Christian theologian
Lou Harrison, classical composer
Nina Hartley, porno actress and feminist
Bob Hattoy, Interior Department official, campaign adviser to President Clinton; spoke at 1992 Democratic convention
Harry Hay, founder of the modern gay-rights movement; organized the Mattachine Society (1950) and the Radical Faeries (1979)
Bruce Hayes, Olympic gold medallist in swimming
Christopher Hayes, actor
Todd Haynes, filmmaker
Lawrence Helman, film producer (Sex Is....)
Essex Hemphill, African-American poet
Nona Hendryx, pop singer
Joseph Herzenberg, former vice-mayor of Chapel Hill, N.C.
Rev. Carter Heyward, lesbian Episcopal priest and writer
Billy Hileman, schoolteacher and organizer; co-chair, 1993 March on Washington
Marjorie Hill, African-American psychologist; formed head of New York City Office of Lesbian and Gay Concerns
Jon Hinson, gay-rights activist; former Republican Congressman from Mississippi
David Hockney, painter
William S. Hoffman, playwright and librettist
Andrew Holleran, novelist
James Holobaugh, expelled from ROTC for being gay (author of Torn Allegiances)
The Hollywood Kids (John and Lance), gossip columnists
Jeff Horton, member of Los Angeles School Board
Richard Howard, poet, translator and editor
Mark Huestis, filmmaker (Sex Is....)
Tom Hulce, Oscar-nominated actor
David Hutter, painter
Kate Hutton, seismologist
Janis Ian, singer
Gary Indiana, writer
Robert Indiana, artist
Patricia Ireland, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW)
Bob and Rod Jackson-Paris, pro models/bodybuilders
Marc Jacobs, fashion designer
Tove Jansson, Finnish children's writer and cartoonist; created the Moomins
Elton John, pop star
Jasper Johns, artist
Holly Johnson, lead singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Phillip Johnson, architect
Bill T. Jones, African-American dancer
Cleve Jones, founder of The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt
Grace Jones, singer, actress and diva
June Jordan, African-American writer and educator
Jose and Luis, Latino pop singers; former dancers for Madonna
Lani Ka'Ahumanu, bisexual activist and writer
Frank Kameny, longtime activist; first openly gay person to run for Congress (1971)
Robin Kane, NGLFT "Fight the Right" coordinator
Arnie Kantrowitz, writer, teacher and activist
Jonathan Ned Katz, historian
Michael Kearns, actor and writer
Dennis Kelly, poet
Maurice Kenny, poet
Kevin Killian, writer
Billie Jean King, pro tennis champion
Tommy Kirk, actor in Disney films
Gwen Kirkpatrick, writer
David Kopay, retired NFL player
Kris Kovick, cartoonist and writer
Joseph Kramer, founder of Body Electric massage schools
Larry Kramer, playwright and AIDS activist; founder of ACT UP and Gay Men's Health Crisis
Friedrich Krohnke, German writer
Sheila James Kuehl, actress and journalist
Hanif Kureishi, novelist and screenwriter
Tony Kushner, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright
Robert LaFosse, ballet dancer
Kay (Tobin) Laheusen, longtime lesbian activist and writer
Lili Lakich, artist
Michael Lane and Jim Crotty (The Monks), magazine publishers and adventurers
k. d. lang, country/crossover singing star
Steve Langly, African-American singer
Peter Lankhorst, Dutch member of parliament, leader of Green Party
Jack Larsen, actor (Jimmy Olson on TV's Superman)
Lynn Lavner, comedian
Susan Leal, San Francisco city supervisor
David Leavitt, writer
Paul de Leeuw, singer, comedian, and Dutch TV show host
Ursula LeGuin, novelist
Bruce Lehman, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce
Raymond Leppard, conductor and classical composer
Simon LeVay, medical researcher; found physiological differences between brains of gay and straight men
Denise Levertov, poet
Jeffrey Levi, activist; former head, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, now heads AIDS Action Council
Mitchell Lichtenstein, actor
Marvin Liebman, conservative activist, close ally of William F. Buckley
Derek Charles Livingston, co-chair, 1993 March on Washington; African-American
Jenny Livingston, filmmaker
Lance Loud, columnist; came out to his family on TV during 1973 PBS documentary series "An American Family"
Greg Louganis, actor; three-time Olympic gold medallist in diving
Susan Love, breast-cancer surgeon and famous lesbian mother
Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, co-founders of the Daughters of Bilitis, first known lesbian organization in the U.S.
Donald Maclean, British spy
Jean Marais, French actor
Eric Marcus, writer and television producer
Miriam Margoyles, actress
Johnny Mathis, singer
Armistead Maupin, writer
Glen Maxey, Texas state legislator
Bernard Mayes, journalist, priest and university dean; founding chair of NPR
Stephen McCauley, novelist
Rev. Renee McCoy, African-American minister and activist
David McDermott, artist
Tim McFeeley, head of the Human Rights Campaign Fund
Peter McGough, artist
Sir Ian McKellen, award-winning actor
Rod McKuen, poet and songwriter
Brian McNaught, writer
Rev. John J. McNeill, Jesuit priest, scholar and writer
Taylor Mead, poet and actor
Robert Medley, painter
Mary Meigs, painter
Herman Meijer, architect; member of Rotterdam (Netherlands) City Council
Keith Meinhold, Navy officer fighting expulsion for being gay who has won reinstatement by a federal court
Gian Carlo Menotti, opera composer
William Meredith, poet
James Ingram Merrill, poet
Duane Michaels, photographer
Carole Migden, San Francisco city supervisor
Jeff Miller, country singer
Tony Miller, acting California Secretary of State
Kate Millett, writer
Donna Minkowitz, Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist
Issac Mizarahi, fashion designer
David Mixner, millionaire businessman and gay-rights activist; estranged friend and advisor of President Clinton
Paul Monette, novelist
Cherrie Moraga, writer
Timothy Morange, former president, National Association of Black Psychologists
Mary Morgan, San Francisco municipal judge; life partner of Roberta Achtenberg
Robin Morgan, feminist writer and editor
Tom Morgan, New York Times reporter; former president, National Association of Black Journalists
Mark Morris, dancer and choreographer
Morrissey, rock star
Dee Mosbacher, public health administrator and activist; daughter of ex-President Bush's campaign chairman and Secretary of Commerce
Thierry Mugler, fashion designer
Alex Munter, Kanata, Ontario, city councillor
Michael Nelson, Carrboro, N.C., alderman
Diane Murphy, child actress (Tabitha on Bewitched)
George Nader, actor and science fiction novelist
Nalty, comedian
Martina Navratilova, pro tennis champion
Three of the "NEA Four" (John Fleck, Holly Hughes and Tim Miller), performance artists whose federal grants were cut off because of homoerotic content in their work during the Bush administration
Holly Near, folksinger
Joan Nestle, writer
Leslea Newman, children's writer (Heather Has Two Mommies, Gloria Goes to Gay Pride)
Simon Nkoli, South African anti-apartheid and gay-rights activist
Elaine Noble, first openly lesbian or gay person elected to a state legislature (Massachusetts, 1974)
Pat Norman, African-American organizer; co-chair of 1987 March on Washington and Stonewall 25
Harold Norse, poet
Richard Bruce Nugent, writer and artist
The members of The Nylons, Canadian all-male a capella singers
Ron Nyswaner, Academy Award-nominated screen writer (Philadelphia)
Erwin Olaf, photographer
Todd Oldham, fashion designer
Mary Oliver, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet
Jenni Olsen, filmmaker, writer and curator
Donald Olson, writer
Torie Osborn, former head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Annemiek Onstenk, member of Amsterdam City Council
Antonio Pagan, member of New York City Council; Latino
Camille Paglia, writer
Dave Pallone, ex-Major League umpire
Juan Palomo, newspaper columnist; Latino
Robert Patrick, playwright
Charlotte Patterson, research psychologist and professor; studies children of lesbian and gay parents
Larry Paul, Atlanta municipal judge
Ross Paxton, artist
Darcy Penteado, Brazilian writer
Rev. Troy Perry, founder of the Metropolitan Community Churches
Robert Peters, poet, critic and teacher
Roger Peyrefitte, French writer
Phranc, folksinger
Felice Picano, writer
Charles Pierce, female impersonator
Marge Piercy, writer
Jody Pinto, artist
The members of Pomo Afro Homos, African-American gay comedy troupe
Iggy Pop, rock star
Jill Posner, photographer
Minnie Bruce Pratt, poet and teacher
Rosa von Praunheim, German filmmaker
Benno Premsela, designer and early European gay movement leader
Deb Price, Gannett newspapers columnist
Edward Reynolds Price, novelist
Rev. Dusty Pruitt, MCC minister; sued military for reinstatement after expulsion for being lesbian
Peri Jude Radecic, head of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Anne-Imelda Radice, acting head of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) under ex-President Bush; denied grants for homoerotic art
Anthony Rapp, actor (Dazed and Confused, Six Degrees of Separation)
Toshi Reagon, African-American folksinger
John Rechy, writer
Donna Red Wing, led campaign to defeat Ballot Measure 9 in Oregon; Advocate Woman of the Year 1992
Lou Reed, rock star
Kenneth Reeves, mayor of Cambridge, Mass.; African-American
Reno, comedian
Gerard Reve, Dutch novelist
Frank Ricchiazi, campaign co-chair for California Gov. Pete Wilson, 1990
Adrienne Rich, poet and critic
Marlon Riggs, African-American filmmaker
Herb Ritts, photographer
Larry Rivers, painter and sculptor
Svend Robinson, member of the Canadian Parliament
Tom Robinson, singer/songwriter
Robert Rodi, novelist
Edouard Herbert Roditi, writer
Eric Rofes, writer
Romanovsky and Phillips, folksingers
Ned Rorem, classical composer and writer
Jan Rot, Dutch pop musician
Gabriel Rotello, New York Newsday columnist, former editor of OutWeek
A. L. Rowse, historian
William Rubinstein, gay-rights lawyer
Paul Rudnick, playwright and screen writer Jane Rule, writer
RuPaul, African-American drag entertainer extraordinaire
Joanna Russ, feminist and science-fiction writer
Paul Rutherford, singer, Frankie Goes to Hollywood
Leigh Rutledge, writer (The Gay Book of Lists, etc.)
Keith St. John, alderman, Albany, N.Y.; African-American
Yves Saint-Laurent, fashion designer
Dick Sargent, actor (second Darrin on Bewitched)
Jose Sarria, drag entertainer; first openly gay candidate for public office in U.S. history (San Francisco, 1961)
May Sarton, writer
Benjamin Schatz, lawyer and activist
John Schlafly, son of anti-gay conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly and lawyer for her organization, the Eagle Forum
John Schlesinger, filmmaker
Maria Schneider, actress
Sarah Schulman, writer and activist
James Schuyler, poet
David Scondras, former Boston City Council member
Scout, lesbian activist and organizer; co-chair, 1993 March on Washington
Antony Sher, South African-British novelist and actor
Siegfried and Roy, animal trainers and illusionists
Michelangelo Signorile, journalist, activist, co-founder of Queer Nation
Aguinaldo Silva, Brazilian writer
Charles Silverstein, psychologist and writer; co-author, The Joy of Gay Sex
Roy Simmons, former New York Giants tackle
Ingrid Sischy, editor of Interview magazine
Dave Slattery, former general manager, Washington Redskins
Christopher Smith, member of the British Parliament
Barbara Smith, African-American publisher
Mike Smith, co-founder (with Cleve Jones) of The Names Project
Nadine Smith, co-chair, 1993 March on Washington
Jimmy Somerville, pop singer
James Spada, writer
Allan Spear, president of the Minnesota State Senate Stephen Spender, poet and critic
Martin Sperr, German writer
Stephen Spinella, actor
Annie Sprinkle, writer and erotic photographer
Starhawk, feminist theologian and spiritual teacher
Joe Steffan, top Naval Academy cadet expelled for being gay, now suing for reinstatement
Doug Stevens, country singer; leader of The Out Band
Samuel Steward ("Phil Andros"), writer
Tom Stoddard, gay-rights lawyer; former head of Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, now heads Campaign for Military Service
Jeff Stryker, star of gay, straight and bi porno films
Gerry Studds, U.S. Congressman (Democrat from Massachusetts)
Suede, blues singer and trumpet player
Andrew Sullivan, editor of The New Republic magazine David Surber, co-host and producer of Network Q
Terry Sweeney, comedian
Rich Tafel, former head of Log Cabin Federation, gay Republican group which refused to endorse George Bush for re-election
Mutsuo Takahashi, Japanese poet
Carla Tardi, artist
Valerie Terrigno, first mayor of West Hollywood, Cal.
Karen Thompson, obtained custody of her disabled lover Sharon Kowalski after six-year court battle
Scott Thompson, comedian
Tracy Thorne, U.S. Navy lieutenant discharged after coming out on Nightline
Andrew Tobias ("John Reid"), Wall Street Journal editor and writer
Jonathan Tolins, playwright (Twilight of the Golds)
Lily Tomlin, comedian/actress
Michel Tournier, French writer
Pete Townshend, lead guitarist of The Who, composer
Michel Tremblay, Quebecois novelist and playwright
Arthur Tress, photographer
Monika Treut, German filmmaker
C. A. Tripp, psychologist
Tommy Tune, Tony-winning Broadway singer/actor
Robin Tyler, first "out" comedian; rally/festival producer and activist
Urvashi Vaid, national movement leader; former head, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force; life partner of Kate Clinton
Annelize van de Stoel, member of Amsterdam City Council
Gus Van Sant, filmmaker
Rev. Herman Verbeek, Catholic priest, Dutch member of European Parliament
Gore Vidal, novelist
Most members of Village People Linda Villarosa, editor of Essense magazine
Jane Wagner, playwright; life partner of Lily Tomlin
John Waters, filmmaker
Sgt. Perry Watkins (ret.), won Supreme Court case for reinstatement to Army after expulsion for being gay; African-American
William Waybourn, head of the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund
George Weinberg, psychologist; coined the term "homophobia" in his book "Society and the Healthy Homosexual"
Suzanne Westenhoeffer, comedian
Edmund White, novelist
Rev. Mel White, former aide to Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson; now MCC minister, writer and lecturer against Religious Right
John Wieners, poet
Gale Wilhelm, novelist
Michael Wilhoite, children's writer (Daddy's Roommate)
Danny Williams, comedian
Jonathan Williams, poet and teacher
Karen Williams, comedian; co-host, PBS's In The Life
Cris Williamson, folksinger
Val Wilmer, photographer and writer
Barbara Wilson, writer and publisher
Millie Wilson, artist
Phill Wilson, AIDS director for City of Los Angeles; founder, Black Lesbian and Gay Leadership Forum
Fran Winant, artist
Jeanette Winterson, novelist
Monique Wittig, writer
B. D. Wong, Tony-winning Broadway actor; Asian
Holly Woodlawn, actor in Andy Warhol films
James D. Woods, professor and author (The Corporate Closet)
Ivy Young, head of NGLTF Family Project; African-American
Bohdan Zachary, filmmaker
Jose Zuniga, U.S. Army sergeant,1992 6th Army Solider of the Year; discharged for saying he was gay after Clinton took office.