It can be extremely disheartening for LGBTQ+ collegiettes to hear a celebrity, especially one they may admire, say something homophobic or transphobic. However, the world, including Hollywood, is making strides to be more accepting of LGBTQ+ people, and as more celebrities are coming out, there are also a lot more straight allies showing their support! Check out our list of celebrity allies who have really made a difference and supported the LGBTQ+ community.
1. Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard
Kristen Bell has spoken out about waiting to marry Dax Shepard until gay marriage was no longer illegal. During an interview with Larry King in 2012, she said, “The reason we’re not rushing to get married is because I don’t feel appropriate taking advantage of a right that’s denied to my [gay and lesbian] friends.”
So, in 2013, when the U.S. Supreme Court declared section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional, which stated that the federal government recognized only heterosexual married couples, Kristen and Dax finally tied the knot after a three-year engagement. What a sweet reason to wait it out!
2. Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson has always been a great ally to the LGBTQ+ community, speaking often about his two gay uncles who died of AIDS and his mother, who is also a strong advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. In 2013, Josh spoke to Out Magazine about how sexuality is fluid, maybe even his own.
“Maybe I could say right now I’m 100 percent straight. But who knows? In a f**king year, I could meet a guy and be like, ‘Whoa, I’m attracted to this person,’” he said. “I’ve never been, like, ‘Oh, I want to kiss that guy.’ I really love women. But I think defining yourself as 100 percent anything is kind of nearsighted and close-minded.”
It’s refreshing to hear about a dude who isn’t frightened of talking about same-sex attraction!
3. Jennifer Lopez
Though superstar J.Lo didn’t come up with the idea for the award-winning show The Fosters, she definitely used her star power to get the show made! She became an executive producer of the show, which centers around a lesbian couple raising a family of foster children, and was able to get the show the publicity it deserved. Often, shows that have main characters who are gay aren’t seen as mainstream TV, and J.Lo didn’t want to see that happen to The Fosters.
“I knew my name being associated would bring attention to it and also create controversy because of the subject matter,” she said.
J.Lo’s main reason behind supporting the show was that she wished to honor her gay aunt, who passed away from cancer a few years ago.
4. Pete Wentz
Pete Wentz spoke for Fall Out Boy, and likely the whole LGBTQ+ community, when he spoke out against the misuse of the word “gay.”
He said, “We’re sick of hearing people say, ‘That band is so gay,’ or, ‘Those guys are f*gs.’ Gay is not a synonym for sh*tty. If you wanna say something’s sh*tty, say it’s sh*tty. Stop being such homophobic a**holes.”
So true! Pete has also talked further about this issue to Out Magazine, expressing his distaste over the fact that every time anyone defends LGBTQ+ individuals, they’re labeled as gay, as if that’s a bad thing.
“Homophobia is the last acceptable hatred,” he said.
5. Panic! At the Disco
It’s probably every LGBTQ+ person’s nightmare to ever encounter members of the Westboro Baptist Church, a group that spreads hate towards various marginalized groups in the USA. Last summer, the group decided to protest at a Panic! At the Disco concert in Missouri. However, the band used that as an opportunity to do some good and raise awareness by donating $20 to the Human Rights Campaign, America's largest civil rights organization working to achieve LGBTQ+ equality, for every protester who showed up.
There were only 13 protesters, which the band saw as “weak”, so they raised their donation to an even $1,000 and donated five percent of their merchandise sales from that show to the HRC as well. Hopefully the Westboro Baptist Church was “panicking” when they realized how much money they helped raise for LGBTQ+ rights!
6. Kelly and Sharon Osbourne
These two reality stars have always been strong supporters of equality and allies to the LGBTQ+ community, having campaigned against Prop 8 and worked with the NOH8 organization to give LGBTQ+ issues more publicity in the media. The two Osbournes really showed their support at the Los Angeles Pride Parade in June 2010, when they served as Grand Marshals and called out protesters. Halfway through the parade, anti-gay protesters showed up, but the Osbournes shut them down quickly.
“My God loves gays!” Kelly shouted multiple times as Sharon shouted and intimidated every protester who got near enough to her. The protesters left almost as quickly as they came thanks to these two!
7. Anne Hathaway
When her brother Michael came out as gay, Anne Hathaway and her family decided to leave the Catholic Church to support him, knowing the church’s harsh stance on homosexuality.
"The whole family converted to Episcopalianism after my older brother came out," she told British GQ. "Why should I support an organization that has a limited view of my beloved brother?"
8. Daniel Radcliffe
Daniel Radcliffe has been working with The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention support group for LGBTQ+ teens, since 2009. He’s spoken about the importance of reaching out and providing help and services to gay and trans* teens who feel marginalized in their homes and communities.
"If you're feeling helpless or hopeless, there's always a safe place to turn," Radcliffe said in a March 2010 PSA.
Daniel has also addressed rumors that have spread about him being gay, brushing them off nonchalantly by saying, “If people want to say that, they can, but I’m not.”
9. Eric Stonestreet
Eric Stonestreet plays Cameron Tucker, a gay man, on the comedy show Modern Family. Though his sexuality has surely come into question, he’s never really addressed the rumors because he didn’t see them as a big deal.
"I never want to seem embarrassed or ashamed that I'm playing a gay person,"he told USA TODAY in 2010. "So I would never want to be like, 'Hey, I'm not gay.'"
It’s super awesome to hear that some of our favorite celebrities are calling out homophobia and transphobia and helping raise awareness in Hollywood. It’s not difficult to be an ally – just use these celebrities as your role models, and you’ll be off to a winning start!