Horrifying facts and disturbing details about real cases that shocked.

In Cold Blood

True Crime

The&nbsp;assault and&nbsp;homicide of 21-year-old Brandon Teena in 1993 is&nbsp;one of the most shocking hate crimes in living memory. Hilary Swank won her first <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-actresses-to-win-oscar-for-best-actress/ranker-film" target="_blank">Best Actress Oscar</a> in 2000 for portraying the transgender young adult&nbsp;whose life was tragically cut short, but the true story behind&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-boys-don_t-cry-actors-and-actresses/reference" target="_blank">Boys Don&#39;t Cry</a>&nbsp;is more complicated and detailed than the Hollywood version audiences saw.

Brandon Teena&nbsp;was designated female at birth, born&nbsp;to an extremely impoverished&nbsp;single teen&nbsp;mother in&nbsp;Lincoln, NE, in 1972.&nbsp;As a high schooler, he began identifying as male, dressing in traditionally male clothing, binding his chest, dating women, and assuming a provider&nbsp;status in his relationships.

When Teena&nbsp;dropped out of&nbsp;high school,&nbsp;his love life eventually drew him into a social sphere&nbsp;that included the two offenders who eventually ended his life,&nbsp;his girlfriend, and another mutual friend because of Teena&#39;s identity. Though the men had attacked&nbsp;Teena&nbsp;previously, the sheriff refused to arrest them. This neglect eventually proved lethal. Because of the lack of legal protection and understanding surrounding trans people at the time, the law did very little to advocate justice on behalf of Teena. His&nbsp;story continued to be misunderstood and simplified&nbsp;long after his slaying - even by the most well-meaning parties, including the journalist who wrote the original story on which Boys Don&#39;t Cry was based.

Although dialogues and education about <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/transgender-people-in-history/devon-ashby" target="_blank">trans&nbsp;people</a> and the disproportionate struggles they face&nbsp;are slowly&nbsp;being elevated, there is still a long way to go in creating legal protections and de-stigmatizing&nbsp;conversation around those who identify as trans or simply don&#39;t identify on the traditional gender binary. Brandon Teena&#39;s story is a tragic, but important&nbsp;cornerstone to starting that conversation.&nbsp;

The Tragic Story Of Brandon Teena, Whose Case Inspired 'Boys Don't Cry'

General

The Tragic Murder Of Brandon Teena, Whose Case Inspired 'Boys Don't Cry'

Jodi Smith

Lists ranking the best songs and albums by the band known for operatic rock, stadium anthems, and Freddie Mercury.

Dynamite with a Laser Beam

Celebrities

Freddie Mercury&#39;s relationship history is complex, but his relationship with Jim Hutton brought him happiness for the last seven years of his life.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/awesome-freddie-mercury-facts/lisa-a-flowers" target="_blank">Freddie Mercury</a> and Jim Hutton crossed paths long before entering into a relationship, but once they bonded, the two men&nbsp;remained devoted to each other until Mercury&#39;s death in 1991.

The details of Mercury and Hutton&#39;s relationship remain somewhat hidden, leaving many to ask who Jim Hutton really was. According to many observers and Hutton himself, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-rock-vocalists/rockboy" target="_blank">the rock legend</a> and the hairdresser&nbsp;had a normal relationship, full of ups and downs like any other.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Everything We Know About Freddie Mercury’s Last Relationship

Freddie Mercury And Jim Hutton: The Truth About The Queen Singer's Final Relationship

Melissa Sartore

LGBTQ+

Erasure isn&#39;t just a band with some of the best hits of the &#39;80s (give &#39;Drama!&#39; a spin, it holds up!)&nbsp;Erasure&nbsp;also refers to the act of removing all traces of something, usually people outside the mainstream that society wishes would just go away. Most often erasure is used&nbsp;against the&nbsp;LGBTQ+ community when straight people pretend they don&#39;t exist. The subreddit&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SapphoAndHerFriend/" target="_blank">r/sapphoandherfriend</a>&nbsp;collects moments of casual and historical erasure for our mutual cringing.&nbsp;

27 Times Straight People Pretended Gay People Didn't Exist

Mark Rennie

From aunts living with &quot;good friends&quot; to historians not sure why two men would want to be buried together, straight people often forget that gay people exist. The subreddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SapphoAndHerFriend" target="_blank">r/sapphoandherfriend </a>collects the most egregious examples of gay erasure, both small and large. Here are some that had us slapping our foreheads the hardest.&nbsp;

27 Times Straight People Forgot Gay People Existed

Sometimes straight people forget that gay people exist. From thinking your Aunt and her roommate are &quot;just good friends&quot; to historians not even considering that bisexuality is a possibility, this list is full of examples of times straight people dropped the ball. You can find more at <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SapphoAndHerFriend" target="_blank">r/sapphoandherfriend</a>.&nbsp;

21 Times Straight People Somehow Managed To Forget Gay People Exist

Entertainment

A list of the best lesbianism movies ever made, ranked by movie fans with film trailers when available. This lesbianism movie list is ordered by popularity, so only the greatest movies about lesbianism are at the top of the list. If there are any great movies about lesbianism you believe we missed, please feel free to add them to the list yourself. The films on this list are the most famous lesbianism movies of all time, so use it to find some movies that you haven&#39;t seen already. Click on these lesbianism movie titles for more information about the films and you&#39;ll quickly find out that this far more than a list of the&nbsp;top 20 lesbian films.

Hollywood movies like&nbsp;Bend It Like Beckham and Fried Green Tomatoes&nbsp;are just some lesbian movies names on this list.

This list answers the questions, &quot;What are the best lesbianism movies?&quot; and &quot;What is the greatest lesbianism movie of all time?&quot;

Various bits of information are included with these popular lesbianism movies, such as who directed them, when they were released and who starred in the films. Whether you&#39;re watching these lesbianism movies on Netflix&nbsp;or other&nbsp;streaming services, these good lesbianism movies can be enjoyed no matter what.

My Summer of Love

The Best Lesbian Movies

Film

List of 50+ Best Lesbian Movies & Movies About Lesbians

Ranker Film

What's on Amazon Video? Check out these lists before you decide what to watch.

Now Streaming on Amazon Video

Amazon Prime

The Best LGBTQ+ Movies on Amazon Prime is a complete streaming list for your perusal. All the best gay and lesbian films on Amazon streaming are listed in one convenient place so you can fully utilize your Amazon Prime service. Some of the <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-best-movies-of-all-time">best movies of all time</a> are now available on Amazon Prime instant so you can catch up on new hit movies and <a href="/list/roger_s-top-250-and-classic-epic-movies/roger-royce">classic film hits</a> right in your living room.

What are the best Amazon instant LGBTQ+ movies? What is available on the Amazon Prime streaming gay content selection? Are there new gay films on Amazon Prime instant? This Amazon Prime streaming list is here to get you started on the best streaming LGBTQ+ movies Amazon Prime has to offer. This is in no way a complete list, so if you know your favorite gay and queer films aren&#39;t on this list of Amazon Prime instant movies, make sure to add it so other Prime users can find the best LGBTQ+ films. And when you&#39;re done, be sure to check out these <a href="/list/best-gay-movies-on-netflix/reference" target="_blank">popular gay movies on Netflix</a>.

The Best LGBTQ+ Movies On Amazon Prime

Ranker Streaming

Erasure isn&#39;t just a band with some of the best hits of the &#39;80s.&nbsp;Erasure&nbsp;also refers to the act of removing all traces of something. Erasure happens to LGBTQ+ people in their personal lives as well as in the world of academia. The subreddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SapphoAndHerFriend/top" target="_blank">r/sapphoandherfriend</a> collects moments of casual and historical erasure for our mutual cringing.&nbsp;

21 Times Straight People Forgot LGBTQ+ People Existed

Not all comic strips need to deal with super villains or alien invasions in order to be compelling; sometimes the greatest struggles occur simply as part of everyday life. Capturing everyday struggles is what <a href="https://www.facebook.com/assignedmale" target="_blank">artist Sophia Labelle</a> does with her Assigned Male comic strips, specifically the everyday struggles of living as a transgendered individual. Similar to how <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-daily-life-gay-couple-comics/mick-jacobs" target="_blank">Daily Life of a Gay Couple comics</a> convey the lives of a nontraditional couple in animated terms, Sophia Labelle's&nbsp;Assigned Male comic series touches upon the struggles and successes of trans people in colorful yet informative ways. The best Assigned Male comic strips, centered around a young trans girl named Stephie, use humor and education to enlighten people about <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/trans-etiquette/devon-ashby" target="_blank">trans etiquette</a>. By writing comic strips about being transgender, Labelle reveals&nbsp;how day-to-day existence for a trans person can feel just as tumultuous, and relatable,&nbsp;as anything you'd read from&nbsp;Marvel or DC.

This Artist Creates Eye-Opening Comics About Being Trans

Mick Jacobs

Are you the "music guy" on your trivia team? Read up for some fun facts and little-known info that will score you maj points.

Name That Song

Sex and sexuality have always been <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/13-songs-that-don_t-mean-what-you-think-they-do/molly-mahan" target="_blank">central themes in pop music</a>, but it's only recently that songs about being anywhere on the sexuality spectrum&nbsp;have come to be accepted as part of the lexicon.Before the 2000s, although alternative lifestyles were becoming more and more accepted in everyday life, the music business and audiences still had a long way to go in embracing LGBTQ+ motifs. For most, coming out in the public eye was not easy and could mean the difference between platinum records and crickets.&nbsp;A hit song like Katy Perry's &quot;I Kissed A Girl&quot; is pretty&nbsp;flagrant in its meaning, but you may not realize just how many other&nbsp;musicians&nbsp;were also breaking down doors -&nbsp;some more subversively than others -&nbsp;before Perry walked through&nbsp;with ease. While subliminal messaging is still somewhat the art of the song, there's relatively more freedom to express bisexuality through music that wasn't acceptable even a decade ago.&nbsp;When you listen closely to these songs, you may be surprised at the&nbsp;not-always-so-subtle lyrics&nbsp;you never realized were about bisexuality.&nbsp;You'll be surprised at some of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-songs-about-art/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">songs and artists</a> listed, but even&nbsp;if you don't love them all, you'll respect each and every one for having the courage to share themselves&nbsp;with&nbsp;the world. After all, the&nbsp;more vulnerable an&nbsp;artist is with their work, the more authentic the art, and these songs speak to the soul.

36 Songs You Never Realized Were About Bisexuality

Song

30+ Songs You Never Realized Were About Bisexuality

Michelle Nati

Lists of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and all other kinds of celebs working in the entertainment industry and in the public eye.

LGBTQ+ Celebrities

The LGBTQ+ community has long been celebrated within the music industry, as some of the biggest stars of the late 20th century and beyond have identified themselves as such. While it shouldn&#39;t matter whether a singer or band is gay, lesbian, transgender, and so on, there have been plenty throughout music&#39;s history that completely shine. In fact, some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-musical-artists-of-all-time/ranker-music" target="_blank">greatest musicians to date</a> were and are&nbsp;openly gay, and their music stands the test of time no less.&nbsp;

Of all the LGBTQ+ musicians and bands, both old and new, some have taken the music world by storm. Freddie Mercury, and Elton John are just a few gay musicians who&#39;ve become complete <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-gay-icons-in-music/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">LGBTQ+ icons</a>. Yet, plenty of LGBTQ+ groups are following close behind, making names for themselves in the industry, as well as bringing much-needed attention to the entire community. These names include Tyler Glenn, Baths, and Kevin Abstract, among many others you&#39;ll find on the list below. In short, music may be one of the most all-inclusive industries we know&mdash;and we should all be happy about&nbsp;that.

So, who do you think are the best LGBTQ+ musicians? Take a look at the list below and vote up your favorites, and feel free to add others to the list.&nbsp;

The Best LGBTQ+ Musicians

Band/Musician

The 50+ Best LGBTQ+ Musicians and Bands, Ranked

Ranker Music

Lists about and celebrating people of every kind.

Love Is Love Is Love

poll

A list of&nbsp; the best gay themed&nbsp;movies of all time, many of which are streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime. Find your favorites on <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-lgbt-movies-on-netflix-instant/polkadotking" target="_blank">The Best LGBTQ+ Movies on Netflix</a>&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-lgbt-movies-on-amazon-prime/ranker-streaming" target="_blank">The Best LGBTQ+&nbsp;Movies on Amazon Prime</a> lists.

This list of gay-themed films also contains LGBTQ+ themed movie titles that can be clicked on for more information about the film. You&#39;ll even find <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-lgbtq-biopics/ranker-film" target="_blank">great biopics about gay figures</a> on the list.&nbsp;This LGBTQ+ movie list can be sorted by alphabetically, by director, by year, and more, but is currently ordered from best to worst, as voted on by fans of the films. Upvote your favorite movies on this list to see them get to the top, just like you always hoped they would.

If you&#39;re at home and want to watch something on a streaming service,&nbsp;this&nbsp;list of good LGBTQ+ movies can be helpful no matter the situation.

Mysterious Skin

Plenty of well-known directors have been associated with Gay Themed films, including Richard Lester and Rikki Beadle-Blair.

The Best LGBTQ+ Themed Movies

The 100+ Best Gay Themed Movies, Ranked By Fans

Get to know the elected and appointed officials who draft your bills, vote on your laws, and spend / are paid by your taxes. 

Lawmakers & Fakers

Politics

Who are the most anti-gay US&nbsp;politicians? The list is a long one, including politicians from both parties (though a majority are Republican). The politicians listed here&nbsp;have spoken out vocally against gay rights, most notably&nbsp;gay marriage.

Anti-gay politicians are the elected leaders whose rhetoric is often totally over-the-top against LGBT rights. Their voting record on key <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-important-civil-rights-issues/lauren-slocum?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">civil rights issues</a> speaks for itself. Some of these conservative politicians are members of the US&nbsp;House of Representatives, while others are US&nbsp;Senators.

Former GOP presidential candidates are also on this list, including former Pennsylvania senator&nbsp;Rick Santorum and former Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Both have been vocal and steadfast in their opposition to gay rights for years - Santorum even compared gay marriage to sex with dogs.

Who are the anti-gay politicians? This list features Republicans and Democrats against gay marriage.

For more information on anti-gay politicians and activists, check out this list of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/top-10-anti-gay-activists-caught-being-gay/joanne">top 15 anti-gay activists caught being gay</a>.&nbsp;You might also be interested in these lists of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/republican-sex-scandals/web-infoguy">Republican</a> and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/democrat-sex-scandals/web-infoguy">Democratic sex scandals</a> over the years.

Mitch McConnell

The Most Anti-Gay US Politicians

Politician

Anti-Gay Politicians | List of US Leaders Against Gay Rights

Tatyana Lewis

Lists of funny signs, postings, and placards that are ridiculous and hilarious - intentionally or otherwise.

Signs of the Times

In case you haven't heard, June is Gay Pride Month and it's time to let your rainbow flag fly loud and proud, whether for yourself or someone you love! One great way to celebrate is by taking a look at this collection of photos featuring a folks doing just that. They're rocking cool pride signs at parades across the country. These are some of the greatest funny pride parade signs from people who support gay rights. There's even a few love-filled (and joke-filled) signs that shut down hate mongering anti-gay protesters.&nbsp;From same sex couples and their family members to Jesus himself, these parade-goers are demonstrating what it means to be in love. The Son of God even wants to clarify His real stance on all the haters who always show up to protest in His name. Many of these funny pride signs reveal interesting points about where gay people come from and how they may be the answer to our economy woes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Let your pride flag fly along with these hilarious, fun, and creative gay pride signs that support love and equality for everyone!

The Greatest Signs from Pride Month

The 23 Greatest Signs from Pride Month

Ashley Reign

The subreddit r/<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/SapphoAndHerFriend" target="_blank">sapphoandherfriend</a>&nbsp;provides a space for redditors to post examples of erasure from both history and their personal lives. It&#39;s one things for historians to not presume people in the past were gay, but now? In the 21st century? Wild!

24 Times The Straights Forgot Gay People Exist In The 21st Century

From needlessly gendering everything to acting like fighting with your spouse is normal, sometimes it seems like straight people arent happy. The subreddit <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AreTheStraightsOK" target="_blank">r/arethestraightsok</a> collects the best of people hoping that everything is okay at straight people&#39;s homes.

27 Posts That Have Us Wondering If Straight People Are Okay

LGBT lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

LGBTQ+ lists on Ranker

List of <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/greatest-gay-icons-in-sports/celebrity-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">openly gay athletes</a> involved in both professional and college sports. This list includes athletes who have &quot;come out&quot; during their active play and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/athletes-who-have-come-out-as-gay-after-retirement/carlybobarly">athletes who have come out as gay after retirement</a>.Many of the people on this list probably aren't too familiar since few, if any, are active athletes. In 2013, Jason Collins made history as the first active &quot;Big 4&quot; athlete in American sports to announce he is gay. Before Collins, soccer player Robbie Rogers announced he is homosexual. After taking some time off, Rogers signed with the L.A. Galaxy and currently is on the team's roster. Two of the most famous openly lesbian athletes were two of tennis's <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-10-greatest-women_s-tennis-player_s-of-all-time">best female players of all time</a>: Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova. Both of these women are among the most recognized tennis players in the game's illustrious history and have done a lot in raising awareness for LGBT athletes.&nbsp;Globally, there are a bunch of Olympic athletes on this list. From openly gay soccer players to famous gay sports stars, some of the people on this list aren't households names, but they are definitely making history. Check out this list of all the openly gay athletes in the world.

College &amp; Professional Athletes Who Are Openly Gay

Person

Openly Gay Athletes List

Sports Lists

Lesbian

List of the best gay and queer&nbsp;characters ever to grace the big and silver screens. These fictional gay characters have played both lead and supporting roles in film and TV series, and many who have stolen scenes and become icons in the LGBTQ+ communities. This list includes gay, lesbian, and queer fictional characters who have served as strong gay role models. Over the past few decades, gay characters have become more prominent and popular in film and TV.&nbsp;

Vote for those characters who have had the most impact in modern culture to move them up the list. Which gay fictional character do you think sends the best message to the LGBTQ+ community? Who are your favorite queer fictional characters?

Will Truman

The Best Fictional LGBTQ+ Role Models

Fictional Character

The Best Fictional Queer Role Models & LGBTQ+ Characters

Eric Diaz

List of the most gay friendly cities in the US. These large cities and smaller towns are known for their large gay and lesbian populations and open communities. Publications like &quot;The Advocate&quot; base their <a href="http://news.advocate.com/post/15571734525/gayest-cities-in-america-2012">annual rankings</a> on criteria like the number of LGBTQ+ elected officials and protective policies and legislation, as well as the community&#39;s level of participation in gay friendly sports, competitions, and social groups. Other groups and sites like <a href="http://thestir.cafemom.com/home_garden/114937/15_Gayest_Cities_in_America">The Stir</a> and blogs like <a href="http://www.divinecaroline.com/22368/115106-proud-year-most-gay-friendly-u-s#0">Divine Caroline</a> have looked to the general progressive and welcoming atmospheres of gay and lesbian friendly cities.

Where do you think the top gay friendly cities in the U.S. are? Which are the gayest cities in America? From Key West, Florida to West Hollywood, California, if you are looking for gay-friendly places to live (or to meet homosexual singles in an open, loving environment), this list of the top gay-friendly cities in the United States should help you shape your opinion. If you don&#39;t see the city you think is the most gay friendly, make sure to add it so others can vote for it as the best gay city in the US.

Long Beach

The Most Gay-Friendly Cities in America

City/Town

Gay Friendly Cities | List of the Top LGBTQ+ Places to Live in the US

carlybobarly

Are you the "Sports Guy" on your trivia team? Welcome to your new secret weapons: lists of fascinating facts and obscure info you need to know yesterday.

You Think You Know Athletes?

This list contains information about retired gay athletes, loosely ranked by fame and popularity. Several famous football, baseball and basketball players have come out as gay after they retired from professional sports. Some of these famous athletes came out on television, while others wrote about their sexuality in their memoirs.Who is the most famous retired gay athlete? John Amaechi tops our list. John Amaechi played in the NBA from 1995-2003. He came out in 2007 and discussed what it was like being closeted in his book &quot;Man in the Middle.&quot; Bill Bean played in the MLB from 1987-1995. He became the second Major League Baseball player who has ever revealed his homosexuality when he came out in 1999.Several retired football players are also gay. Wade Davis played in the NFL and NFL Europe from 2000-2003. He publicly came out as gay in 2012 and now works as an advocate for gay rights. Kwame Harris played in the NFL from 2003-2008. He publicly came out as gay in 2013. Later that year, he was convicted on misdemeanor counts of domestic violence, assault and battery against his ex-boyfriend, Dimitri Geier.Do you think that it would be difficult to be a gay professional athlete? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Athletes Who Have Come Out as Gay After Retirement

Athlete

Retired Gay Athletes | Men in Sports Who Have Come Out After Retirement

Katya Zamolodchikova

Bianca Del Rio

Alyssa Edwards

If you don't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? Let the music play!

RuPaul's Drag Race

Condragulations! You&#39;ve found a ranked list of the best ever contestants to compete on RuPaul&#39;s Drag Race, the glamorous, dragulicious reality game <a href="/list/best-current-vh1-shows/ranker-tv?ref=search" target="_blank">show on VH1.</a>&nbsp;This list includes all previous Drag Race winners as well as those <a href="/list/rupaul-drag-race-most-controversial-eliminations/oliver-pretl-drummond" target="_blank">queens who should have won</a> - like those who popped up again on <a href="/list/best-rupauls-drag-race-all-stars-seasons/ranker-tv" target="_blank">All Stars</a>. Who have been your favorite Drag Race cast members <a href="/list/best-rupaul-drag-race-seasons/ranker-tv/" target="_blank">over the seasons</a>? While some may be be partial to the butt padding of Yara Sofia or the quivering belting style of Jiggly Caliente, others prefer the confidence of William, the outlandishness of Tammie Brown, or the poise of Chad Michaels. To determine - once and for all - who is the greatest drag queen in the world (or on TV), vote up your favorites while we untuck in the Interior Illusions lounge. And don&#39;t f*** it up.