The 21 Most Iconic LGBT Moments of 2014

Culture

The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities had a lot to celebrate in 2014 beyond legislative and judicial victories. The culture is changing, and acceptance of minority communities as creators of culture and as cultural figures is a sign of that change. This year, queers were everywhere, and they dominated the show. Here are 21 of the most iconic LGBT moments of 2014.

1. CeCe McDonald is released from prison and gives her first on-air TV interview to Melissa Harris-Perry:

2. Queen Latifah officiated a massive "Same Love" wedding ceremony at the Grammys:

3. An unapologetically flamboyant Johnny Weir owned the Sochi Olympics:

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4. Janet Mock published her beautiful memoir and schooled Piers Morgan:

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5. Twenty-year-old Daniel Ashley Pierce released this viral video of his terrifying "coming out" and gained worldwide support for his journey, and the 40% of homeless youths in America who are LGBT:

6. Laverne Cox became the first trans person to land the cover of Time:

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7. And turned the Empire State Building purple on National Coming Out Day:

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8. Demi Lovato paid tribute to her grandfather, who was gay, in the music video for "Really Don't Care":

9. Tyra Banks shut down a homophobic male model who seems to have forgotten the constituents of his industry:

10. Anna Paquin taught Larry King — and the world — about bisexuality:

11. Raven-Symoné played "That's So Millennial" and rejected all identity labels:

12. Honey Maid enlisted gay parents in their "This is Wholesome" ad campaign:

13. Lesbians Who Tech initiated a drive to send queer women into STEM (science, technology, engineering and math):

14. The White House followed suit by naming Megan Smith as the first out female chief technology officer:

15. Ginger Queen Brendan Jordan becomes the face of gay pride by stealing the show during a filmed news segment:

16. Sleater-Kinney announced its reunion and a 2015 tour with a new album, and riot grrrls everywhere rejoiced:

17. The Advocate named Russian President Vladimir Putin the "Person of the Year":

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18. ShondaLand kickstarted "rim jobs for justice":

19. These queens remade Beyoncé's "7/11" music video with kale:

20. The community lost icon and gender warrior Leslie Feinberg:

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21. Critically acclaimed online series Transparent held a writing camp for trans writers and hired its first ever trans female writer: