Quotes
“ I use my platform for more than just myself. To neglect the political is to neglect what essentially is your job of storytelling. ”
— Zendaya
Entertainment Women Black She / Her · Pronounced: zen-DAY-uh
She / Her · Pronounced: zen-DAY-uh
Source: Widely reported interview material · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Zendaya on why she treats her public platform as more than promotion.
Their Story American actor who became the youngest woman ever, and the second Black woman, to win the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, for her role in 'Euphoria', a win she repeated in 2022.
Her Emmy acceptance speeches are direct primary sources. See Their Full Story
“ It is a revolutionary act simply to be who you are. ”
— Laverne Cox
Entertainment Black LGBTQ+ Trans She / Her · Pronounced: luh-VERN KOKS
She / Her · Pronounced: luh-VERN KOKS
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Cox on visibility as an act of courage, from a pioneering trans actor.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ Ever since I could form coherent thoughts, I knew I was a girl trapped inside a boy's body. There was never any confusion in my mind. ”
— Jazz Jennings
Entertainment Women Trans LGBTQ+ She / Her · Pronounced: JAZ JEN-ingz
She / Her · Pronounced: JAZ JEN-ingz
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Jennings, one of the youngest publicly documented transgender people, on her earliest memories of her gender identity.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ I was everywhere with everybody, and at the same time I was all by myself. ”
— Trevor Noah
Entertainment Black Global South He / Him · Pronounced: TREV-er NOH-uh
He / Him · Pronounced: TREV-er NOH-uh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Noah on the isolation of not fully belonging to any one group growing up.
“ Be kind to one another. ”
— Ellen DeGeneres
Entertainment Women LGBTQ+ She / Her · Pronounced: EL-en duh-JEN-er-iss
She / Her · Pronounced: EL-en duh-JEN-er-iss
Context DeGeneres's daily sign-off, which grew into a signature message.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ I remember that love conquers fear, always, and that to be a man means accepting myself, weaknesses and all. That's my true superpower. ”
— Terry Crews
Entertainment Male Role Models Male Allies He / Him · Pronounced: TAIR-ee KROOZ
He / Him · Pronounced: TAIR-ee KROOZ
Context Crews, who has spoken openly about surviving sexual assault, on redefining strength as honesty rather than hardness. Included as both a role model and an ally standing with survivors.
“ Being kind is a choice that you can make absolutely every single day. ”
— Tom Hanks
Entertainment Male Role Models He / Him · Pronounced: TOM HANKS
He / Him · Pronounced: TOM HANKS
Context Hanks, promoting his role as Fred Rogers, on the choice at the centre of Rogers' philosophy.
“ If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else? ”
— RuPaul
Entertainment LGBTQ+ Black He / Him · Pronounced: ROO-pawl
He / Him · Pronounced: ROO-pawl
Context RuPaul's closing line on every episode of Drag Race, which grew into a wider mantra on self-worth.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ Depression is not as easy as saying, 'Just find your joy and you're going to become happy.' That was never my experience. ”
— Jonathan Van Ness
Entertainment LGBTQ+ They / Them · Pronounced: JON-uh-thun VAN NESS
They / Them · Pronounced: JON-uh-thun VAN NESS
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Van Ness pushing back on the idea that depression can be resolved by simply choosing happiness.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ I'm trying to take the stigma off the word ambitious, so we encourage more little girls to be ambitious, because I do think that's how society will change. ”
— Reese Witherspoon
Entertainment Women She / Her · Pronounced: REESE WITH-er-spoon
She / Her · Pronounced: REESE WITH-er-spoon
Source: Widely reported interview material · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Witherspoon on reclaiming a word often used against women.
“ Ladies, don't let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. ”
— Michelle Yeoh
Entertainment Women Asian She / Her · Pronounced: mih-SHEL YOH
She / Her · Pronounced: mih-SHEL YOH
Context Yeoh, the first Asian woman to win the Best Actress Oscar, in her acceptance speech.
Read More: Asian Voices
“ This is politics for me. This is my life. I had to fight my entire life to get to the place where I could wear a dress to the Oscars. ”
— Billy Porter
Entertainment Black LGBTQ+ He / Him · Pronounced: BIL-ee POR-ter
He / Him · Pronounced: BIL-ee POR-ter
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Porter on his red-carpet fashion as a political statement, not just style.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ I can't overstate the biggest joy, which is really seeing yourself. I know I look different to others, but to me I'm just starting to look like myself. ”
— Elliot Page
Entertainment Trans LGBTQ+ He / Him · Pronounced: EL-ee-ut PAYJ
He / Him · Pronounced: EL-ee-ut PAYJ
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Page on the relief of finally seeing himself in the mirror.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ Stop talking about it. I'm going to stop calling you a white man. And I'm going to ask you to stop calling me a black man. I know you as Mike Wallace. You know me as Morgan Freeman. ”
— Morgan Freeman
Entertainment Male Role Models Black He / Him · Pronounced: MOR-gun FREE-mun
He / Him · Pronounced: MOR-gun FREE-mun
Context Freeman, on why he resists being defined by racial labels rather than simply being known as himself.
“ I know that the ones who love us will miss us. ”
— Keanu Reeves
Entertainment Male Role Models He / Him · Pronounced: kee-AH-noo REEVZ
He / Him · Pronounced: kee-AH-noo REEVZ
Context Reeves' answer when asked what he thinks happens when we die, widely shared for its quiet warmth.
“ The stories we tell about communities affect the laws that get passed, the people that get attacked, the countries that get invaded. ”
— Riz Ahmed
Entertainment Asian Global South He / Him · Pronounced: RIZ AH-med
He / Him · Pronounced: RIZ AH-med
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Ahmed on the real-world stakes of on-screen representation.
Read More: Asian Voices
“ There are three ways to ultimate success: the first way is to be kind, the second way is to be kind, and the third way is to be kind. ”
— Fred Rogers
Entertainment Male Role Models He / Him · Pronounced: FRED ROJ-erz
He / Him · Pronounced: FRED ROJ-erz
Source: Widely attributed to Rogers; exact original context to be confirmed · original link to be verified
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Rogers spent decades modelling gentleness and patience to children on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, at a time when that wasn't seen as a masculine trait.
“ I'm definitely not all Asians, but the thing that I've always done is aggressively been myself. ”
— Awkwafina
Entertainment Women Asian She / Her · Pronounced: awk-wuh-FEE-nuh
She / Her · Pronounced: awk-wuh-FEE-nuh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Awkwafina on refusing to carry the weight of representing an entire community alone.
Read More: Asian Voices
“ If your dream only includes you, it's too small. ”
— Ava DuVernay
Entertainment Women Black She / Her · Pronounced: AY-vuh doo-vur-NAY
She / Her · Pronounced: AY-vuh doo-vur-NAY
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context DuVernay, a leading film-maker, on ambition that makes room for others.
“ I hope it's a bit of a love letter to everyone who feels different, who feels out of place, to all of the Black women who have walked into rooms and felt like they haven't been welcomed. ”
— Cynthia Erivo
Entertainment Women Black LGBTQ+ She / Her · Pronounced: SIN-thee-uh eh-REE-voh
She / Her · Pronounced: SIN-thee-uh eh-REE-voh
Widely credited to this person; primary source not yet confirmed.
Context Erivo on what she hoped her performance in Wicked would mean to audiences.
Read More: LGBTQ+ Voices
“ I must find positive outlets for anger or it will destroy me... the highest positive is forgiveness. ”
— Sidney Poitier
Entertainment Male Role Models Black He / Him · Pronounced: SID-nee pwah-tee-AY
He / Him · Pronounced: SID-nee pwah-tee-AY
Context Poitier, the first Black man to win the Best Actor Oscar, on channelling anger rather than being consumed by it.
