16 Iconic 2SLGBTQ+ Canadians We're Absolutely Obsessed With (And Think You Should Be Too!)

Happy Pride, Canada!

1. Chelazon Leroux

Instagram: @chelazonleroux

Chelazon Leroux is a Two-Spirit drag performer who made a huge splash on Canada's Drag Race season three with looks inspired by growing up on the rez. 

They're also known for their hilarious TikToks.

"Humour is a central part of Indigenous identity. It’s the way we connect, show love, and heal trauma. It just so happens to be a wonderful add on to drag as an art form," they told Hillberg&Berk.

2. Dan Levy

Wwd / WWD via Getty Images

You probably know Levy best for his iconic role as David in Schitt's Creek. Born in Toronto, he co-created the show with his dad and fellow star, Eugene Levy. 

In an interview, he recalled keeping his sexuality to himself during the early years of his career.

"So, when you do feel like there’s this hunt to out gay people of note in culture, it almost makes you want to hide even more because you don’t want to draw any attention to yourself," he said.

3. Bilal Baig

Instagram: @sortofbilal

Baig became the first queer, transfeminine South Asian Muslim actor to lead a primetime show in Canada with Sort Of, a show about a gender-fluid millennial navigating the world.

"Sort Of sends a clear message that we are here and we aren’t invisible. It’s so important for trans and non-binary people and people of colour to see representation that is not clouded in stereotypes," they told Elle Canada.

"I got tired of the empowered sassy, bitchy queer character. We all deserve a lead character who doesn’t always know what to say but has a great beating heart and a real drive to help people out.”

4. Mae Martin

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Born in Toronto, Martin is a non-binary comedian who made a name for themself working in the UK. They star in and wrote Feel Good, have a Netflix comedy special, and appear in the latest season of Taskmaster.

Martin told CBC that before they were out as a teenager, the world of comedy was very appealing.

"Looking back, like, I was probably queer and non-binary, and didn't know those things," they said. "Then there was this adult world where people were being really celebrated for their differences, and could be self-deprecating and awkward and funny and be applauded for that. And I just thought it was, like, a superpower that these people had."

5. Elliot Page

Axelle / FilmMagic

Known for his iconic roles in Juno and X-Men, Page was born in Halifax. In December 2020, he came out as trans in a social media post, saying he uses he/they pronouns.

"I feel overwhelming gratitude for the incredible people who have supported me along this journey," he wrote.

He became the first openly transmasculine person on the cover of Time magazine and recently just released his memoir, Pageboy.

6. Brooke Lynn Hytes

Instagram: @bhytes

Originally from Toronto, Brooke Lynn Hytes made a splashy Drag Race debut on season eleven, finishing in second. She used her ballet background for some truly memorable lip syncs and went on to host Canada's Drag Race as well as 1 Queen 5 Queers.

On drag, Hytes told In Magazine, "It’s self-expression. At its core, that’s what it means to me: self-expression, showcasing a different part of you."

7. Neil Shibata

Instagram: @neilshibata

Neil Shibat is a content creator from Vancouver known for his glam looks that defy gender norms. His makeup looks are inspired by stars like Patrick Starrr and Plastique Tiara.

“I consider myself a man and that I’m one gender but I don’t like to have to dress as one gender or look like one gender,” he told Very Good Light.

8. Vivek Shraya

Jeremy Chan / Getty Images

Shraya is a writer, artist, and musician. Her written works include God Loves Hair, The Subtweet, and I'm Afraid of Men and her latest album is Baby, You're Projecting. 

As a trans woman of colour, she uplifts others with her position on the board of The Tegan and Sara Foundation and mentors fellow BIPOC writers.

9. Elvira Kurt

Instagram: @eltothevee

This comedian's career is deeply embedded in the history of Pride in Canada. She performed at Toronto Pride in 1996, the first year there was an official Dyke March. She's hosted shows like Spin Off and PopCultured.

"I'm queer so my very existence is political," she once told HuffPost Canada.

10. Tegan and Sara

Nbc / Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty Images

The Quin sisters were born in Calgary and have released ten albums together. They're known for their indie pop tracks, as well as their commitment to LGBTQ+ advocacy. They created the Tegan and Sara Foundation to support LGBTQ+ girls and women and have written two books, one of which, High School, was turned into a TV show.

"I say every queer should flood the market with their story. Let’s hear it. How did you come out? What was your first sexual experience? What were your favorite bands?," Sara told Vanity Fair. 

"No straight person is like, who needs to hear more about straight people? So why can’t gay people just be like, My story seems pretty goddamn interesting. Let’s put it out there."

11. Donté Colley

Instagram: @donte.colley

Colley is an influencer and dancing phenomenon who can be seen getting down on TikTok. 

Originally from Toronto, Colley has appeared in music videos with Doja Cat. Ariana Grande, and Victoria Monét— and also has performed live with The Chainsmokers.

“Dance has always been the thing that’s kept me going and has helped me communicate in ways that words can and it’s just allowed me to really deal with the darker things in my life that I’m able to express and exude in a way that’s positive and as a way that feels good for me and feels good in my body," he told Elle Canada. 

12. k.d. lang

Instagram: @kdlang

Originally from Alberta, this singer came out as a lesbian in a 1991 magazine cover. In 1993, she appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair in perhaps one of the most iconic sapphic images of all time, with model Cindy Crawford shaving her face.

Lang has been a champion of LGBTQ+ causes and her coming out in the '90s had a major impact on her career and public perception.

"It's a very hard thing to unravel for me and decipher," she told the Canadian Press.

"In a way you can't. It's all just a big ball of wax of who I am and what my role in popular culture was — and what pop culture's role was in me."

13. Gigi Gorgeous Getty

Steve Granitz / FilmMagic,

True fans will remember Gorgeous Getty's debut on the reality show The Avenue. She went on to become a YouTuber, publically documenting her transition, which was also covered in a 2017 documentary. She identifies as pansexual and married Nats Getty in 2019.

More recently, she released a book about being transgender, co-written by The T Guide with drag performer Gottmik. 

“My dad once said to me, ‘When you transitioned, I thought it was just you that was going to transition. But I learned that it was everyone around you, especially you and I, that had to transition together,'” Gigi told Yahoo.

14. Anna Paquin

Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images

Actress Anna Paquin was born in Winnipeg and may be known best for her groundbreaking role on True Blood (although true fans remember Fly Away Home).

She came out as bisexual in a PSA in 2010. Back in 2014, she appeared on Larry King and shut him right down when he suggested being married to a man made her a "non-practicing bisexual."

"No. Are you still straight if you are with somebody, and — if you were to break up with them or if they were to die, it doesn’t prevent your sexuality from existing. It doesn’t really work like that," she told him.

15. Kent Monkman

Instagram: @kentmonkman

Monkman is a Cree painter known for his gorgeous works depicting queer and First Nations imagery, as well as the harms of colonization. He has a gender-fluid alter ego named Miss Chief Eagle Testickle.

"Creating Miss Chief was a strategy to, again, challenge the subjectivity of the artists in the 19th century, like George Catlin, John Mix Stanley, various others who were painting themselves in their own work. And it was a way of challenging the subjectivity of the work by saying, okay, 'This is an artist with his own creative license who's painting himself in his work,'" he told CBC.

16. Michael Leshner and Michael Stark

Michael Stuparyk / Toronto Star via Getty Images

Michael Leshner and Michael Stark were the first gay couple to be legally married in Canada in 2003. Their battle for equality culminated in photos of the couple smooching that were shared around the world.

“Once you have marriage you have full equality. That was won that day,” Leshner told Global News.

Who are some of your faves? Let us know down below! Happy Pride! 🌈