LGBTQ Nation Heroes: 2023 Winners

Join us in celebrating the achievements of real-life LGBTQ+ heroes from around the world, working hard every day to move equality forward. Below are the people you voted for most. Learn more about the winners.

Hero of the Year

Richard Fierro and Thomas James
Official Winner

Celebrity who made us Proud

Dwyane Wade & Gabrielle Union
Official Winner

Game-Changing Hero

Anthony Bowens
Official Winner

Hero who Lent a Helping Hand

Doug and Brent Munster
Official Winner

Social Media Hero

Kairyn Potts
Official Winner

Arts and Entertainment Hero

Chasten Buttigieg
Official Winner

Spaces for Pride Hero

Loren Ostrow
Official Winner

Innovator Hero

Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld
Official Winner

Truth-Seeking Hero

Dr. Eric Cervini
Official Winner

Hometown Heroes

The person who most effectively and consistently used the public spotlight for LGBTQ+ Advocacy

Learn more about the Nominees

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Why LGBTQ Nation Heroes?

LGBTQ Nation Heroes started in 2020 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. We wanted a way to interact with our audience with a program that would focus on the positive things people are doing at a time when so many negative things were going on.

LGBTQ Nation Heroes gives us a chance to highlight outstanding LGBTQ people. Our audience liked the idea, so we decided to make it a yearly awards program.

How does voting work?

Every reader of LGBTQ Nation can vote once per day per device. Voting opens on September 1, 2022 and closes on September 30, 2022.

When will LGBTQ Nation Heroes winners be announced?

We’ll announce the winners at the beginning of October.

How are nominees selected?

LGBTQ Nation’s editors pored over thousands of articles published on our website over this past year – going back to August 1, 2022 – looking for stories of LGBTQ people who helped others, achieved great things, and inspired the community to be their best selves.

How do I know who to vote for? I haven’t heard of some of these people before!

We have you covered. Each voting page has a link to an article that explains why we nominated each nominee. That’s the part we’re most proud of with LGBTQ Nation Heroes – sharing with you each of the nominees’ achievements over the past year.

Why aren’t the categories the same as last year?

Four of the categories – LGBTQ Nation Hero of the Year, Celebrity who Made Us Proud, Social Media Hero, and Good News Hero – are the same as last year. The other four categories are meant to change each year to reflect how the world changes each year.