7 Inspiring Quotes from LGBTQ+ Leaders

These LQBTQ+ leaders not only share their lives with us and stand as examples of courage and strength, but they drip love and wisdom. Below are our favorite quotes from some of the LQBTQ+ community's biggest influencers and leaders.

“All you need to do is turn on the news, and in five minutes, you're depressed with the state of the world. Choosing joy is a completely active choice. It doesn't just happen. You can't just say, 'I want to be happy.' You have to take action.” -Billy Porter

“A lot of my work is to stay grounded and stay spiritual. It is to disconnect from what other people say about me, but also to try and be connected to the joy and the love.” -Laverne Cox

“One of my mantras is, 'Embrace what makes you unique, even if it makes others uncomfortable.' I keep that with me in my back pocket. Shoot, I keep it in my front pocket! I keep it in my hair.” -Janelle Monáe

“I know you can't live on hope alone. But without hope, life is not worth living. So you, and you and you: You got to give them hope. You got to give them hope!” -Harvey Milky

"The things that make us different, those are our superpowers — every day when you walk out the door and put on your imaginary cape and go out there and conquer the world because the world would not be as beautiful as it is if we weren’t in it." -Lena Waithe

“Find out who you are and be that person. That's what your soul was put on this Earth to be. Find that truth, live that truth and everything else will come.” -Ellen DeGeneres

“I think there's a responsibility more as an artist to try and push in the direction you think comedy should go ... The biggest thing I could do for the art that I love was keeping it art: keeping it special, keeping it honest, keeping it truthful.” -Jerrod Carmichael