This is a list of notable LGBTQ people from the city and metropolitan area of Chicago, Illinois.
Activists
Jane Addams – settlement activist, social reformer, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and co-founder of Chicago's Hull House Gaylon Alcaraz – community organizer, activist, and former executive director of the Chicago Abortion Fund Lorrainne Sade Baskerville – social worker, activist, and founder of transgender social service agency TransGenesis Charlene Carruthers – activist and physical education teacher who director of Black Youth Project 100 and board member of SisterSong Shannon Downey – activist and crafter known for her work as a cross-stitcher in craftivism Henry Gerber – activist who founded the Society for Human Rights, the first LGBT rights organization in the country Vernita Gray – married her wife in Illinois's first same-sex marriage, helped organize Chicago's first pride parade, and helped found Lavender Woman, the city's first lesbian newspaper Peg Grey – activist, physical education teacher, and athlete who served as the first woman co-chair of the Federation of Gay Games Miss Major Griffin-Gracy – LGBT rights activist and former executive director at the Transgender Gender Variant Intersex Justice Project who was present at the pivotal Stonewall riots in 1969 Jean Hardisty – activist who founded Political Research Associates and Chicago's first battered women's shelter Mary Morten – activist, documentary filmmaker, and author Pidgeon Pagonis – advocate for intersex people, documentary filmmaker, and youth leadership coordinator at Advocates for Informed Choice Craig Rodwell – gay rights activist known for founding the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookshop in Greenwich Village, New York Ellen Gates Starr – settlement activist, social reformer, and co-founder of Chicago's Hull House with Jane Addams Phill Wilson – advocate for people of color with AIDS and former executive director of the Black AIDS Institute
Aviation and military Allen R. Schindler Jr. – U.S. Navy radioman who was murdered by two of his shipmates for being gay Amanda Simpson – Airbus Americas vice president, former deputy assistant Secretary of Defense, and the first openly transgender federal political appointee in the United States Karen Ulane – transsexual pilot whose firing led to an ultimately unsuccessful 1983 lawsuit against Eastern Airlines under the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Arts and entertainment
Actors
Alexandra Billings – actor, teacher, and LGBT advocate known for playing Davina on Transparent Leyna Bloom – actor, dancer, and model who was the first openly transgender woman of color to appear in Vogue India Pat Bond – actor and performer known for appearing in the documentary Word Is Out (1978) Megan Cavanagh – played Marla Hooch in A League of Their Own and voiced Judy Neutron in several Jimmy Neutron movies and TV shows Parvesh Cheena – actor known for roles in Outsourced and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Peter Coffield – actor known for his performance in the film Cry Rape Barry Dennen – actor, voice actor, and singer known for playing Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar Cameron Esposito – actor in and co-creator of the television show Take My Wife, stand-up comedian, and creator of the podcast Queery John Franklin – actor who appeared in The Addams Family (1991) Kathleen Freeman – character actor known for her work with Jerry Lewis, The Blues Brothers, and Naked Gun : The Final Insult Garcia – actor and production assistant known for portraying Jake Rodriguez in Tales of the City Alexandra Grey – played roles on Empire, Transparent, and MacGyver Sean Hayes – actor, comedian, and producer known for his role as Jack McFarland on the sitcom Will & Grace Rock Hudson – prominent actor of the 1950s and 60s who portrayed leading roles in movies such as All That Heaven Allows, Magnificent Obsession, and Pillow Talk Pepi Lederer – actor, writer, niece of Marion Davies, and daughter of Reine Davies Jane Lynch – actor, comedian, and author best known for playing Sue Sylvester on Glee Lauren Patten – actor, singer, and writer who originated the character Jo in the musical Jagged Little Pill David Pevsner – actor, singer, dancer, and playwright Anthony Rapp – actor, writer, director, and photographer known for playing Mark Cohen as part of the original cast of Rent Robert Reed – actor best known for portraying Mike Brady in The Brady Bunch"Reed, Robert 1932-1992." Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television, edited by Emily J. McMurray, vol. 11, Gale, 1994, p. 400. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3051100357/GVRL?u=ucberkeley&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=009c552a. Accessed 17 June 2021.
Brendan Scannell – actor and comedian known for his roles in Bonding and Heathers Jussie Smollett – actor and singer known for playing Jamal Lyon on Empire and for allegedly staging a hate crime against himself Theo Germaine – actor known for playing James on Netflix's The Politician Nico Tortorella – actor and former model known for Scream 4, The Following, and Younger
Adult entertainment
Mia Isabella – transgender porn star Scott Masters – gay pornography producer and director who founded Nova Studios Dom Orejudos – leather artist, dancer, and choreographer who founded Kris Studios with Chuck Renslow Chuck Renslow – 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 – comedian and singer who starred in MTV's Guy Code and Joking Off Paula Pell – comedy writer, producer, and actor best known for her work on Saturday Night Live Irene Tu – stand-up comedian, actor, and producer Danitra Vance – comedian, actor, and repertory player on Saturday Night Lives eleventh season, the first black woman to hold such a role Jaboukie Young-White – stand-up comedian, television writer, and correspondent for The Daily Show
Culinary arts Art Smith – celebrity chef and founder of Common Threads, a children's charity
Dance Gerald Arpino – choreographer, artistic director, and dancer who co-founded the Joffrey Ballet with his romantic partner Robert Joffrey Brian Friedman – 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 – dancer, actor, and author known for creating the serpentine dance and for her innovations in theatrical lighting Craig Hall – ballet dancer, former soloist with the New York City Ballet, and faculty member at the School of American Ballet
Drag
Daya Betty - drag performer, contestant of (fourteenth season) Sigourney Beaver - drag performer, contestant of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula Sister Boom Boom – drag nun and astrologer Kim Chi – drag queen, artist, and cosmetics entrepreneur known for appearing on season 8 of RuPaul's Drag Race Shea Couleé – drag queen, model, and podcast host who appeared on season 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race, fifth season, and seventh season Denali – drag entertainer and ice skater who appeared on season 13 of RuPaul's Drag Race and the tenth season Detox - drag performer, recording artist, contestant of fifth season and second season Miss Foozie – drag performer Silky Nutmeg Ganache – drag queen who appeared on season 11 of RuPaul's Drag Race Gigi Goode – drag queen known for appearing on season 12 of RuPaul's Drag Race Gia Gunn – drag performer and competitor on season 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race, season 2 of The Switch Drag Race, and season 4 RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars Kahmora Hall - drag performer, contestant of the thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race Monica Beverly Hillz – drag queen and transgender advocate known for appearing on fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and eighth season Brooke Lynn Hytes - drag queen, ballet dancer, contestant of the eleventh season of RuPaul's Drag Race, host and judge of Canada's Drag Race Tony Midnite – female impersonator, costume designer, and activist Naysha Lopez - drag performer, beauty pageant winner, contestant of the eighth season of RuPaul's Drag Race and eighth season Laila McQueen -drag performer, contestant of RuPaul's Drag Race and makeup artist of We're Here Phi Phi O'Hara - former drag queen (contestant of season 4 and season 2 DiDa Ritz - drag performer, contestant on the fourth season of RuPaul's Drag Race Jade Sotomayor - 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 - 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 of RuPaul's Drag Race Utica Queen - drag performer, contestant of the thirteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race, and on Project Runway Willow Pill -drag queen, winner of the fourteenth season of RuPaul's Drag Race
Film
Allan Carr – film and theater producer and talent manager Bill Damaschke – film producer who served as chief creative officer of DreamWorks Animation and president of animation and family entertainment at Skydance Media Angela Robinson – director, producer, and screenwriter known for D.E.B.S. Rose Troche – director, producer, writer, and actor who created the film Go Fish, which gave visibility to various aspects of lesbian culture The Wachowskis – filmmaker sisters known for The Matrix trilogy Aerlyn Weissman – 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 – filmmaker behind Hysteria
Internet personalities
Brittany Ashley – actor and stand-up comedian known for her work with BuzzFeed Antoine Dodson – internet celebrity, singer, and entrepreneur known for being featured in "Bed Intruder Song" Dylan Geick – social media personality, writer, and wrestler
Music
Jeffery Austin – musician known for appearing on season 9 of The Voice Patricia Barber – jazz pianist and singer-songwriterHightower, Laura. "Barber, Patricia." Contemporary Musicians, edited by Leigh Ann DeRemer, vol. 40, Gale, 2003, pp. 13-15. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3495800011/GVRL?u=ucberkeley&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=a59cbdf7. Accessed 16 June 2021. Keith Barrow – singer-songwriter, entertainer, and son of civil rights activist Willie Barrow Taylor Bennett – hip-hop artist and brother of Chance the Rapper Terry Blade – singer-songwriter and lyricist Big Dipper – rapper and podcast host Da Brat – rapper and actor behind Funkdafied, the first rap album by a female artist to go platinum Anna DeShawn – American media personality, podcaster, and radio host Honey Dijon – D.J. and fashion plate K.Flay – singer, songwriter, producer, and rapper known for her debut album Life as a Dog Ezra Furman – singer-songwriter and former front person for Ezra Furman and the Harpoons Marla Glen – 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 – punk rock musician, transgender advocate, and author best known for leading the band Against Me! Steve Grand – 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" Juba Kalamka – musician, hip-hop artist, and co-founder of Deep Dickollective Frankie Knuckles – music producer, remixer, and D.J. known as the "Godfather of House" for his contributions to the genre Adam Mardel – musician, songwriter, and member of the band Second Alibi Octo Octa – house producer and D.J.