{{Short description|Public figure highly regarded and beloved by the LGBT community}} thumb|Booth at Los Angeles Pride featuring gay icons A '''gay icon''' is a public figure who is regarded as a cultural icon by members of the LGBTQ community.<ref name="Yahoo"/> Such figures usually have a devoted LGBTQ fanbase and act as allies to the LGBTQ community, often through their work,<ref name="Yahoo">{{cite web |last1=Artavia |first1=David |title=What makes Judy Garland a gay icon? Experts explain what she and others, from Diana Ross to Madonna, have in common |url=https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/judy-garland-gay-icon-experts-diana-ross-madonna-lil-nas-x-pride-queer-153829764.html |website=Yahoo! |access-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221116032721/https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/judy-garland-gay-icon-experts-diana-ross-madonna-lil-nas-x-pride-queer-153829764.html |archive-date=November 16, 2022 |date=June 27, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref> or they have been "openly appreciative of their gay fanbase".<ref name="BuzzFeed News">{{cite web |last1=Perry |first1=Grace |title=The Problem With Queer Thirst For Straight Celebrities |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/graceeperry/top-me-rachel-weisz-cate-blanchett-queer-thirst |website=BuzzFeed News |publisher=BuzzFeed |access-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015211903/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/graceeperry/top-me-rachel-weisz-cate-blanchett-queer-thirst |archive-date=October 15, 2022 |date=October 24, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref> Many gay icons also have a camp aesthetic style, which is part of their appeal to LGBTQ individuals.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Lenker |first1=Maureen Lee |title=How Judy Garland became a gay icon — and why she endures as one |url=https://ew.com/movies/why-judy-garland-endures-as-a-gay-icon/ |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |publisher=Dotdash Meredith |access-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812100459/https://ew.com/movies/why-judy-garland-endures-as-a-gay-icon/ |archive-date=August 12, 2022 |date=June 29, 2022 |url-status=live}}</ref>
The most widely recognized gay icons tend to be actresses and singers who have garnered large LGBTQ fanbases, such as Judy Garland, Cher, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and Janet Jackson. However, the label can also be applied to individuals in politics, sports, literature, and other mediums, as well as historical figures deemed relatable to LGBTQ causes. Prominent entertainers considered to be gay icons often incorporate themes of acceptance, self-love, and sexuality in their work. Gay icons of all orientations within the LGBTQ community have acknowledged the role that their gay fans have played in their success.{{TOC limit|2}}
==Variations and terminology== It has been argued that the gay icon label exists primarily for public figures held as cultural icons specifically by gay men.<ref name="BuzzFeed News"/> Other labels and variations include: * '''Lesbian icon''': A lesbian icon, also referred to as a dykon (a portmanteau of "dyke" and "icon"),<ref name="Vice">{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Daisy |title=Can Men Be Lesbian Icons? An Investigation |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/can-men-be-lesbian-icons-an-investigation/ |website=Vice |publisher=Vice Media |access-date=January 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221210024326/https://www.vice.com/en/article/jgx394/can-men-be-lesbian-icons-an-investigation |archive-date=December 10, 2022 |date=September 18, 2020 |url-status=live}}</ref> is a figure that is regarded as an icon particularly by lesbians.<ref name="BuzzFeed News"/> The label has been applied to men such as James Dean and Marlon Brando for their influence on the butch aesthetic for lesbians,<ref name="Vice"/> and has also been applied to various actresses who have played queer characters on film and television, such as Natasha Lyonne and Cate Blanchett.<ref name="BuzzFeed News"/> * '''Queer icon''': Historian Mark Nugent defines a queer icon as "a non-heterosexual representation that performs significant ideological work in either naturalizing or challenging popular constructs of the 'queer'."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nugent |first=Mark |date=2008 |title=From 'Filthy Catamite' to 'Queer Icon': Elagabalus and the Politics of Sexuality (1960–1975) |url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/76/article/268398 |journal=Helios |volume=35 |issue=2 |pages=171–196 |doi=10.1353/hel.0.0009 |s2cid=153476781 |issn=1935-0228|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
Louis Staples writes that gay men often idolize women "whose legacies are punctuated with survival, exploitation, and tragedy".<ref name="staples2021">{{Cite web |last=Staples |first=Louis |date=2021-11-10 |title=For LGBTQ+ Fans, Free Britney Is Personal and Pivotal |url=https://www.vogue.com/article/britney-spears-lgbtq-fans |access-date=2025-09-05 |website=Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref>
==Satire== Some horror fiction characters (such as Ma, Annabelle, The Babadook, M3GAN, Pennywise the Clown and Chucky)<ref>{{Cite web|author-first1=Elle|author-last1=Hunt|date=11 June 2017 |title=The Babadook: how the horror movie monster became a gay icon |url=http://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/jun/11/the-babadook-how-horror-movie-monster-became-a-gay-icon |access-date=9 December 2022 |website=The Guardian|publisher=Guardian News and Media Limited|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kirkland |first=Justin |date=15 October 2022 |title=The Creepy Robot From 'M3GAN' Is an Instant Queer Icon |language=en |work=The Daily Beast |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/m3gan-trailers-robot-is-a-queer-icon-like-the-babadook-and-ma |access-date=9 December 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=13 September 2017 |title=The Internet Thinks Pennywise from "It" Is a Gay Icon and DATING the Babadook |url=https://www.teenvogue.com/story/it-pennywise-gay-icon-babadook |access-date=9 December 2022 |website=Teen Vogue |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="r613">{{cite web | last=Ryan | first=Gary | title=How 'Chucky' cements the murderous doll's legacy as a queer ally | website=NME | date=December 9, 2021 | url=https://www.nme.com/features/opinion/chucky-tv-series-queer-ally-3111995 | access-date=January 17, 2025}}</ref> have been hailed as gay icons through tongue-in-cheek internet memes in a satirical way.
==Responses==
{{multiple image | direction = vertical | width = 200 | image1 = GLAAD Awards 2012-79 (cropped).jpg | alt1 = Cher stands on stage with Chaz Bono, smiling. She wears a black outfit with an afro hairstyle, while Chaz wears a suit and tie. | caption1 = Cher presenting son Chaz Bono with the GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award at the 2012 GLAAD Media Awards. | image2 = Madonna at GLAAD Awards 2013 (11) (cropped).PNG | caption2 = Madonna at the 24th GLAAD Media Awards in 2013, dressed as a Cub Scout in protest of the ban on homosexual Scouts and Scout leaders. }}
Many celebrities have responded positively to being regarded as gay icons, several noting the loyalty of their gay fans. Eartha Kitt, Cher and Madonna have credited gay fans with keeping them going at times when their careers had faltered.<ref name="gbl">{{cite book |last=Rutledge |first=Leigh W. |title=The Gay Book of Lists, 3rd Edition |publisher=Alyson Publications |year=2003 |location=Los Angeles, CA |pages=87–88 |isbn=1-55583-740-9}}</ref>
Cher has described her relationship with the LGBTQ community as rooted in mutual loyalty. In a 2018 interview, she recalled that when the 1982 Broadway production of ''Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean'' lost its mainstream audience after negative reviews, "nobody came except the [LGBTQ] community".<ref name="Azzopardi-2018">{{cite web |last=Azzopardi |first=Chris |url=https://pridesource.com/article/qa-cher-on-knowing-when-she-was-a-gay-icon-hope-gleaned-from-lgbtq-community-breadcrumbs-of-her-legacy |title=Q&A: Cher on Knowing When She Was a Gay Icon, 'Hope' Gleaned from LGBT Community & 'Breadcrumbs' of Her Legacy |website=Pride Source |date=September 28, 2018 |access-date=May 3, 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260208225012/https://pridesource.com/article/qa-cher-on-knowing-when-she-was-a-gay-icon-hope-gleaned-from-lgbtq-community-breadcrumbs-of-her-legacy |archive-date=February 8, 2026}}</ref> Her 1983 portrayal of a lesbian in ''Silkwood'' was among the first non-stereotyped depictions by a mainstream star,<ref name=Yarbrough-1996>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T2MEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA6 |magazine=The Advocate |title=Hollywood lives |first=Jeff |last=Yarbrough |date=August 20, 1996 |access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> and several of her songs—including "If I Could Turn Back Time"<ref name="anthems-turnback">Multiple sources: *{{cite magazine |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a31136515/lgbt-songs-queer-anthems/ |first=Keely |last=Weiss |magazine=Harper's Bazaar |title=20 LGBTQ+ Anthems to Celebrate Pride All Year Long |url-status=live |date=June 1, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200502032239/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/art-books-music/a31136515/lgbt-songs-queer-anthems/ |archive-date=May 2, 2020 |access-date=March 26, 2025}} *{{cite magazine |first1=Joe |last1=Lynch |first2=Stephen |last2=Daw |first3=Hannah |last3=Dailey |magazine=Billboard |title=70 Top LGBTQ+ Anthems of All Time |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/lgbtq-anthems-queer-pride-songs/if-i-could-turn-back-time-cher-1989/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230809172614/https://www.billboard.com/lists/lgbtq-anthems-queer-pride-songs/if-i-could-turn-back-time-cher-1989/ |archive-date=August 9, 2023 |date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=March 26, 2025}}</ref> and "Believe"<ref name="anthems-believe">{{cite magazine |url=https://ew.com/music/lgbtq-anthems/ |first=Seija |last=Rankin |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |date=June 19, 2018 |title=The best LGBTQ anthems of all time |archive-date=June 23, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180623143709/http://ew.com/music/lgbtq-anthems |access-date=March 26, 2025 |url-status=live}}</ref>—are considered gay anthems. Her advocacy was shaped by the coming out and later gender transition of her son Chaz Bono; she received the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 1998<ref name=vanguard>{{cite magazine |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GGQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10 |magazine=The Advocate |title=Quote, unquote |date=May 26, 1998 |access-date=January 18, 2016}}</ref> and the amfAR Award of Inspiration in 2015,<ref name=amfaraward>{{cite web |url=http://www.amfar.org/In-The-Spotlight/Press-Releases/CHER,-FELIPE-DINIZ-and-JEAN-PAUL-GAULTIER-HONORED-AT-FIFTH-ANNUAL-INSPIRATION-GALA--SÃO-PAULO/ |title=Cher, Felipe Diniz and Jean Paul Gaultier Honored at Fifth Annual Inspiration Gala São Paulo |publisher=amfAR |access-date=January 18, 2016 |date=April 11, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160131210411/http://www.amfar.org/In-The-Spotlight/Press-Releases/CHER,-FELIPE-DINIZ-and-JEAN-PAUL-GAULTIER-HONORED-AT-FIFTH-ANNUAL-INSPIRATION-GALA--S%C3%83O-PAULO/ |archive-date=January 31, 2016}}</ref> and declined an invitation to perform at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia over the country's anti-LGBTQ legislation.<ref name="Michaels-Guardian-2013">{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/16/cher-winter-olympics-russia-gay-rights |newspaper=The Guardian |title=Cher: I won't play Winter Olympics due to Russia's anti-gay laws |first=Sean |last=Michaels |date=September 16, 2013 |access-date=January 18, 2016 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160114213213/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/16/cher-winter-olympics-russia-gay-rights |archive-date=January 14, 2016}}</ref> She is frequently imitated by drag queens; RuPaul has cited her as a formative influence on his career.<ref name=rupaul-emmy>{{cite magazine |first=Jodi |last=Delaney |url=https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/interviews-rupaul-charles |title=Interviews: RuPaul Charles |magazine=Emmy |publisher=Television Academy |date=2019 |access-date=May 1, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260306021032/https://www.televisionacademy.com/features/emmy-magazine/articles/interviews-rupaul-charles |archive-date=March 6, 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=rupaul-1992>{{cite web |first=Andy |last=Reynolds |url=https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/rupaul-1992-interview |title=This Unearthed 1992 Interview Proves RuPaul Was Always Destined to Be a Superstar |website=Out |date=April 18, 2023 |access-date=May 1, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260115152625/https://www.out.com/out-exclusives/rupaul-1992-interview |archive-date=January 15, 2026 |url-status=live}}</ref> Liza Minnelli described Cher as a "bigger gay icon" than both herself and Barbra Streisand.<ref name=Minnelli-2006>{{cite news |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/liza-chers-bigger-gay-icon-me-1c9493376 |title=Liza: Cher's a bigger gay icon than me |work=Today |date=April 3, 2006 |access-date=May 3, 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420085237/https://www.today.com/popculture/liza-chers-bigger-gay-icon-me-1C9493376 |archive-date=April 20, 2021}}</ref> At a 2024 appearance at the Abbey in West Hollywood, Cher told her LGBTQ fans: "I've had really ups and downs in my career—I mean, really!—and you guys never left me. So thank you."<ref name="Ring-Advocate-2024">{{cite magazine |last=Ring |first=Trudy |url=https://www.advocate.com/news/cher-abbey-surprise-appearance |title=Cher admits being obsessed with gay men since she was 9 |magazine=The Advocate |date=June 25, 2024 |access-date=May 3, 2026 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260213220052/https://www.advocate.com/news/cher-abbey-surprise-appearance |archive-date=February 13, 2026}}</ref>
Madonna has performed at several gay-related events and acknowledged the influence of her LGBT fan base: "I wouldn't have a career if it weren't for the gay community".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-i-wouldnt-have-a-career-if-it-werent-for-the-gay-951396/|title=Madonna: 'I Wouldn't Have a Career If It Weren't for the Gay Community'|magazine=Billboard|date=November 9, 2010|first=Emma|last=Gaedeke|access-date=August 7, 2022|archive-date=October 4, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004121800/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/madonna-i-wouldnt-have-a-career-if-it-werent-for-the-gay-951396/|url-status=live}}</ref> Madonna has acknowledged and embraced her gay following throughout her career, even making several references to the gay community in her songs or performances, and performed at several gay clubs. She has declared in interviews that some of her best friends are gay and that she adores gay people and refers to herself as "the biggest gay icon of all times."<ref name="madonnainterview">{{cite web |date=26 October 2005 |title=Madonna: 'I hope I'm still a gay icon' |url=http://uk.gay.com/headlines/9191 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028054912/http://uk.gay.com/headlines/9191 |archive-date=28 October 2005 |access-date=1 August 2007 |work=Gay.com}}</ref> She also has been quoted in television interviews in the early 1990s as declaring the "big problem in America at the time was homophobia."
In June 1999, Whitney Houston gave a surprise performance at the 13th Annual New York City Lesbian & Gay Pride Dance at one of the city's West Side piers.<ref name="whitneypride">{{cite news |date=June 28, 1999 |title=Whitney Houston Surprises Crowd at Lesbian-Gay Pride Event |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1430174/whitney-houston-surprises-crowd-at-gay-lesbian-pride-event/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140509095711/http://www.mtv.com/news/1430174/whitney-houston-surprises-crowd-at-gay-lesbian-pride-event/ |archive-date=May 9, 2014 |access-date=May 26, 2022 |publisher=MTV}}</ref><ref name="whitneypride2">{{cite web |date=July 16, 2022 |title=Whitney Houston's 1999 Epic NYC Pride Appearance Is Released |url=https://instinctmagazine.com/whitney-houstons-1999-epic-nyc-pride-appearance-is-released/ |access-date=November 18, 2022 |archive-date=November 17, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117025445/https://instinctmagazine.com/whitney-houstons-1999-epic-nyc-pride-appearance-is-released/ |url-status=live }}</ref> According to ''Instinct'' magazine, Houston's unannounced performance at the Piers "ushered in a new era that would eventually make high-profile artists performing at LGBTQ events virtually commonplace".<ref name="whitneypride2" /> Before hitting the stage, Houston was asked by MTV veejay John Norris why she decided to attend the event. Houston replied, "We're all God's children, honey".<ref name="whitneypride2" /> In May 2000, Houston made the cover of ''Out'' magazine.<ref name="out2000">{{cite web |title=Happy Birthday: Whitney Houston's 2000 'Out' Interview |url=https://www.out.com/entertainment/music/2012/02/13/whitney-houston-first-gay-interview-out-2000 |access-date=March 15, 2025 |magazine=Out}}</ref>
Kylie Minogue has acknowledged the perception of herself as a gay icon and has performed at such events as the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. Asked to explain the reason for her large gay fanbase, Minogue replied, "It's always difficult for me to give the definitive answer because I don't have it. My gay audience has been with me from the beginning ... they kind of adopted me." She noted that she differed from many gay icons who were seen as tragic figures, with the comment, "I've had a lot of tragic hairdos and outfits. I think that makes up for it!"<ref name="kyliecomment">{{cite web |last=Ives |first=Brian |author2=Bottomley, C. |title=Kylie Minogue: Disco's Thin White Dame |publisher=VH1.com |date=24 February 2004 |access-date=21 January 2007 |url=http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1485255/02232004/minogue_kylie.jhtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040415162219/http://www.vh1.com/artists/interview/1485255/02232004/minogue_kylie.jhtml|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 15, 2004}}</ref>
[[File:Lady Gaga vigil 2016.jpg|left|upright|thumb|Lady Gaga at a vigil for the homophobic Orlando attacks in 2016]]
Lady Gaga has acknowledged and credited her gay following for launching then supporting her career stating, among other examples, "When I started in the mainstream it was the gays that lifted me up", and that "because of the gay community I'm where I am today." As a way to thank her gay audience for allowing her to perform her first album in gay clubs before she was invited to perform at straight ones, she often debuted her new albums at gay clubs. Along her career, she also dedicated a ''MuchMusic Video Award'' win, as well as her ''Alejandro'' music video, to gay people, frequently praised her gay entourage for the positive impact they had on her life and often gave a place to different queer crowds in her songs, performances, music videos as well as in the visuals of her make up line. Lady Gaga is known for her fights as an LGBT activist and attended numerous LGBT events such as Prides and Stonewall day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lady-gaga-gay-men-untucked_n_58d6acf5e4b03787d3591e78|title=Lady Gaga: Gay Men 'Helped Me Become A Woman'|last=Nichols|first=James Michael|date=25 March 2017|website=HuffPost|access-date=24 December 2019|archive-date=5 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201205080440/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/lady-gaga-gay-men-untucked_n_58d6acf5e4b03787d3591e78|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.pride.com/ladygaga/2018/9/10/lady-gaga-i-really-wouldnt-be-here-without-gay-community|title=Lady Gaga: 'I Really Wouldn't Be Here Without the Gay Community'|date=10 September 2018|website=pride.com|access-date=24 December 2019|author-first1=Taylor|author-last1=Henderson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationthailand.com/life/30182772|title=Why gays love Gaga|website=www.nationthailand.com|date=24 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.out.com/entertainment/2009/08/09/lady-vamp|title=The Lady Is a Vamp|date=28 March 2017|website=out.com|access-date=24 December 2019|archive-date=9 March 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309102723/http://www.out.com/entertainment/2009/08/09/lady-vamp|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/entertainthis/2016/03/21/lady-gaga-and-her-stylist-have-4-m-kind-friendship/82066304/|title=Lady Gaga and her stylist have a 4 a.m. kind of friendship|last=Mandell|first=Andrea|website=USA Today|access-date=24 December 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8475993/lady-gaga-12-times-showed-love-for-lgbtq-community|title=12 Times Lady Gaga Showed Love for the LGBTQ Community|magazine=Billboard|date=20 September 2018|access-date=24 December 2019|author-first1=Muri|author-last1=Assunção}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.looktothestars.org/news/6002-lady-gaga-honored-for-lgbt-work|title=Lady Gaga Honored For LGBT Work|date=23 March 2011|website=Look to the Stars|access-date=24 December 2019}}</ref>
Geri Halliwell has consistently acknowledged and accepted her status as a gay icon throughout her career as both a solo artist and member of the Spice Girls, describing a "kinship" with the gay community and her love and respect for her LGBTQ fans.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Crowley |first1=Patrick |title=Geri Halliwell Premieres George Michael Tribute, Talks 'Spice World' & LGBTQ Fanbase |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7833972/geri-halliwell-angels-in-chains-george-michael-tribute |magazine=Billboard |date=19 June 2017 |access-date=10 January 2021 |archive-date=19 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200819230003/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/7833972/geri-halliwell-angels-in-chains-george-michael-tribute |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Attitude's Honourary [sic] Gay Award: Geri Horner |url=https://attitude.co.uk/article/attitudes-honourary-gay-award-geri-horner/12403/ |website=Attitude |date=10 October 2016 |access-date=10 January 2021 |archive-date=12 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210112061525if_/https://attitude.co.uk/article/attitudes-honourary-gay-award-geri-horner/12403/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>
In August 2020, Lea Salonga responded to her gay icon tag, saying, "I'm not actually sure how I am."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bernardino |first=Stephanie |date=27 August 2020 |title=Lea Salonga on gay icon tag, how she deals with pandemic |url=https://mb.com.ph/2020/08/27/lea-salonga-on-gay-icon-tag-how-she-deals-with-pandemic/ |access-date=3 November 2022 |website=Manila Bulletin}}</ref> In the same interview, she continued, "Is it that I stand up for gay rights? Is it that I have siblings, cousins who are also members of the LGBT community?" She has also acknowledged the LGBTQ presence in musical theatre and stated that she has worked closely with members of the LGBT community for her entire career.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Salonga |first=Lea |date=13 March 2013 |title=Time to see gay people in a different light |url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/85091/time-to-think-of-gay-people-in-a-different |access-date=3 November 2022 |newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer}}</ref> In September 2022, after playing the role of a queer mom in ''Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin'', she said that "if there is someone for whom this really resonates, and see these characters and go 'Oh my gosh, that's me, and I'm not treated as a joke,' it's great."<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 September 2022 |title=Lea Salonga Celebrates Queer Representation on 'Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin' {{!}} Pride Today |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GISyj0KI__Q |access-date=3 November 2022 |website=YouTube}}</ref>
{{clear}}
==See also== * List of gay icons * Lists of LGBTQ people * New Queer Cinema * Queer art * Straight ally
==References== {{reflist}}
===Books=== {{Refbegin}} * ''Gay Icons: The (Mostly) Female Entertainers Gay Men Love'', Georges-Claude Guilbert (2018). {{ISBN|978-1-4766-7433-9}} * ''The Culture of Queers'', Richard Dyer (2002). {{ISBN|0-415-22376-8}} * ''Frightening the Horses: Gay Icons of the Cinema'', Eric Braun (2002). {{ISBN|1-903111-10-2}} * ''20th Century Icons-Gay'', Graham Norton (2001). {{ISBN|1-899791-77-9}} * ''Gay histories and cultures'', George E. Haggerty (2000). {{ISBN|0-8153-1880-4}} {{Refend}}
==External links== * [http://www.glbthistory.org/ GLBT Historical Society] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20061103000824/http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid35926.asp Christina up close] * [http://www.newstatesman.com/200508010009 Sophie Morris. ''From the tragic to the bland'' // ''New Statesman'', August 1, 2005] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20060502104216/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20050804/ai_n14872382 "Pink doesn't mean fluffy"] John Howard. ''The Independent'', (UK), 4 August 2005 * [https://web.archive.org/web/20140725093143/http://www.frontiersla.com/frontiers-blog/2014/07/14/bastille-day-2014-13-of-our-favorite-french-icons-artists-and-heroes French Gay Icons: Ysa Ferrer]
{{LGBTQ|culture=expanded}} {{Gay icon}}
Category:Celebrity Category:LGBTQ culture Category:LGBTQ history Category:Gay icon