At 2wice Blessed, we believe that there is a dearth of visible Jewish Queer role models and allies in the media. That’s not because we don’t exist, but because many times, the media only focuses on one aspect of a celebrity’s identity! In many cases, you may have been looking up to a Jewish Queer Role Model without even knowing it!

Here are some of our heroes:

FAMOUS JEWISH QUEER MEN

1. Harvey Milk, LGBT Activist & American Politician

2. Barney Frank, Former member of US House of Representatives

3. Mark Leno, California State Assemblymember

4. Steven Greenberg, first out Orthodox rabbi

5. Harvey Fierstein, actor and playwright

6. Stephen Fry, actor, comedian and writer

7. Todd Haynes, film director

8. Moisés Kaufman, award-winning Venezuelan-born playwright/director long resident in the U.S.

9. Bryan Singer, film director

10. Bruce Vilanch, comedy writer and actor

11. Dave Koz (born David Kozlowski), jazz saxophonist

12. Adam Lambert, singer and runner-up on the 8th season of American Idol

13. Isaac Mizrahi, American fashion designer

Annie Leibovitz

FAMOUS JEWISH QUEER WOMEN

1. Annie Leibovitz, Photographer

2. Marcia Freedman, former member of the Israeli Knesset

3. Debbie Friedman, singer, songwriter and composer; professor at Hebrew Union College

4. Denise Eger, first female and the first gay President of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.

5. Sandra Bernhard, actress and comedian

6. Ilene Chaiken, creator of The L Word

7. Judy Gold, stand-up comedian and actress

8. Julie Goldman, stand-up comedian

9. Carrie Brownstein, guitarist in Sleater-Kinney

10. Peaches, Canadian electro-punk musician and performance artist

Jewish Ally Zac Efron

FAMOUS TRANSGENDER JEWS

1. Dana International, Israeli Pop Star and winner of Eurovision Song Contest

FAMOUS JEWISH STRAIGHT-ALLIES

1. Zac Efron, American actor and teen heart-throb

For a more exhaustive list as well as more links, check out this Wiki List of LGBT Jews