Every day, people from all walks of life show up on TikTok to build connection and community, showcasing their happiest and funniest moments, along with the most raw and authentic parts of their lives. As a place where everyone belongs, we are honored to empower our community with a safe and inspiring space to express themselves freely and embrace their identities fully.

As a platform that thrives to inspire creativity and bring joy, TikTok has been powered by the contributions of our incredible LGBTQIA+ community who inspire millions through their creativity, passion, and advocacy. In honor of Pride Month, we are celebrating and recognizing the collective visibility and impact of our LGBTQIA+ community by introducing our 2023 LGBTQ+ Visionary Voices list and Pride campaign, You Belong Here.

Join us as we kick off our #ForYourPride TikTok celebration, in honor of Pride Month and our LGBTQIA+ creators who continue to inspire and shift culture year-round.


Meet Our 2023 TikTok LGBTQ+ Visionary Voices

Photo Credit: TikTok


To welcome Pride Month, we're celebrating the history-making impact of our queer community with our first-ever LGBTQ+ TikTok Visionary Voices List, recognizing 15 LGBTQIA+ creators and small business owners who are using TikTok to educate, entertain, and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. This year's Pride Month honorees are recognized across three categories — Creators, Small Owned Businesses, and Industry Disruptors. Read more about our Pride Visionary Voices below:

Creators

@hal.baddie (she/her)(New York, NY) - Devin Halbal is a social media icon, known for her off-the-cuff phrases, like “Met Gala behavior,” and for spreading positivity through her lifestyle content, her travel journey and daily mantra videos on TikTok. She hopes to inspire other transgender women to have adventures and live their lives to the fullest.

@jaegurley (they/them)(New York, NY) - Jae Gurley, a Black fem nonbinary creator, uses their gift of performing and storytelling to share their journey of self discovery through lifestyle videos on TikTok that center on the importance of embracing individuality to encourage people to live their “most confident Bougie B life.”

@mercurystardust (she/her)(Madison, WI) - Mercury Stardust is a professional home maintenance technician, performer, and award-winning activist. Recognized as Trans Handy Ma'am, her unique brand and expertise in the home repair space earned her fame on the internet. With over 2.3 million followers on TikTok, Mercury uses her platform to share DIY tips on home maintenance. She also recently participated in a "TikTok-a-Thon" fundraiser to celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility and raised over $1 million for trans health care.

@octopusslover8 (he/him)(Los Angeles, CA) - Comedian and content creator Jake Shane became known for his PSAs and reimaginings of significant historical events through the eyes of Gen Z. He uses his platform to share light-hearted videos, while opening up raw conversations about mental health and sharing his own experience and journey with treatment for severe OCD and anxiety, which he has struggled with since the age of 7.

@thezletnis (she/her)(Toronto, Ontario) - Am and Noey are queer sisters who have captivated diverse audiences through their content focused on self-expression, inclusive fashion, and LGBTQ+ advocacy on TikTok. Their mission is to foster a community where everyone is encouraged to embrace their true selves and celebrate the beauty and power of authenticity.


Industry Disruptors


@saucysantana (he/him)(Perry, FL) - Saucy Santana is a vibrant artist with an infectious and bold personality. Santana's first-ever song, "Walk Em Like A Dog," was a viral hit with tens of millions of streams. With chart-topping tracks like "Material Girl," his strong presence in the LGBTQIA+ community, and co-signs from notable artists like Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, and Cardi B, Saucy has gained a worldwide following.

@imbabytate (she/her)(Atlanta, GA) - Fueled by self-love and manifested dreams, Tate Farris is an ever evolving artist who is known for her music that spans summery pop, amorous R&B, and hard-hitting hip-hop and for creating viral moments on TikTok with sounds like the confidence-boosting “I Am,” the playful “Hey, Mickey!,” and her feature on Ashnikko’s massive single “Stupid.”

@oldgays (he/him)(Cathedral City, CA) - Mick, Robert, Jessay, and Bill are the four voices behind The Old Gays, known for performing the latest dance trends on TikTok. Through their humorous and heartwarming TikTok videos and fun surprises, they have won over young and old fans alike. The ensemble advocates for the LGBTQIA+ community and continues to spread their messages and stories through their platform.

@jonkung (he/they)(Detroit, MI) - Jonathan Kung teaches people not only how to cook, but also how to express their cultures and personalities in their food. Jon combines their passion for food and authenticity in their videos on TikTok and encourages people to embrace their heritage, passion, and pride.

@drdre4000 (he/him)(Boston, MA) - Andre Isaacs, an associate professor of chemistry, uses his platform to push the envelope on the capacity of the STEM community and challenges normative STEM culture through dances, skits, and educational content to demonstrate what an inclusive space could look like for the next generation of scientists, primarily those with marginalized identities.


Small-Owned Businesses (SMBs)

@ctoan.co (she/her) (Milwaukee, WI) - Jodyann Morgan is a queer Black candle business owner of CTOAN Co., who uses her platform to celebrate all bodies, candles, and food. She creates and designs candles from a completely gender-neutral perspective in an effort to celebrate the human form while infusing joy, heart, and a whole lot of love!

@n00nice (she/they)(Rapid City, SD) - Eunice Straight Head is an Indigenous artist who is Mnicouju Lakota, from the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Reservation. They use photography as a foundation to branch out into various creative forms, such as fashion, cosplay, beading, sewing, and more to bring Indigenous representation to the media.

@goodlight.world (he/they)(New York, New York) - David Yi, a journalist and proud Korean American, is the co-founder of the gender-inclusive beauty brand Good Light Cosmetics. They have been recognized as a GLAAD-nominee, and have authored PRETTY BOYS. They aim to use Good Light as a brand and platform to center non-binary folks who have long been excluded in the beauty industry and beyond.

@jackandbec (she/her)(San Antonio, TX) - Jack and Bec are sisters, illustrators, designers, and makers, who create art to uplift their underrepresented communities. Their art focuses on themes around body positivity, deaf pride, LGBTQIA+ pride, mental health awareness, and social justice.

@verygaypaint (he/they) (Los Angeles, CA) - Nicholas Scheppard and Jenson Titus are comedians-turned-painters and the duo behind Very Gay Paint, a muralist company centered around their own queerness and colorful designs. From comedic skits to vibrant mural artwork, they entertain and inspire their community while emphasizing their own queerness and colorful designs.


Celebrating #ForYourPride on TikTok and IRL

At TikTok, we're committed to amplifying the voices of our diverse community of LGBTQIA+ creators as they reach new audiences, build careers, and drive a positive impact on TikTok. This June, join us as we celebrate Pride and our LGBTQIA+ community through a series of in-app initiatives, LIVE events, and special programming themed around hashtags including: #ForYourPride, #PrideAnthems, and #LGBTQBusiness.

Throughout Pride Month, our #ForYourPride in-app programming hub will feature inspiring stories from creators and LGBTQIA+ owned businesses including @lovewithpride, @rainbowcertified, @everywhereisqueer, @icedabove, @milky.tomato, @musiccitycreative, @thegrowinggroves, @queerency, @verygaypaint and non-governmental organizations including @itgetsbetter, @translifeline, @humanrightscampaign, @gamergworls, @glaad, @pride_site, and @lgbtq.

We're also set to host a series of IRL event moments to celebrate and honor our LGBTQIA+ community in person. Over the coming weeks, we're hosting the next installment of our Visionary Voices Salon series along with our first-ever TikTok Pride Creator Ball celebration in Los Angeles.


Pride on LIVE: Join the Celebration

We have an exciting 'Pride on LIVE' lineup scheduled for Monday, June 12, that will highlight some of our most innovative queer creators. The programming will be live-streamed from our @tiktoklive_us account and will feature conversations with creators surrounding their career and LGBTQIA+ representation across the creative industry. Be sure to follow @tiktok and @tiktoklive_us for more info on our 'Pride on LIVE' lineup!


#PrideAnthems: Sounds that Inspire

During Pride Month and beyond, we will celebrate the music and culture-shifting impact of LGBTQIA+ artists with our #PrideAnthems music programming efforts. Throughout June, our Sounds page will feature special music guests including GRAMMY-Award winning singer/songwriter @samsmith, rapper @villanoantillano, country music duo @brothersosborne, singer-songwriter @fletcher, singer-producer @victoriamonet and more, along with a suite of genre and guest playlists.


TikTok Takeoff: Queer Inclusivity in Marketing Webinar

On Tuesday, June 13, we are launching the next installment of our TikTok Takeoff webinar series, a string of workshops highlighting the stories and strategies of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) who have taken off on TikTok. Starting at 1 pm CT, our June 13th session will include a roundtable discussion with LGBTQIA+-owned SMBs on the many ways they are using TikTok to engage with new diverse audiences and drive real-world success for their brands. The session will also dive into discussion around ways SMBs can authentically reach the queer community, through an inclusive and thoughtful creative lens. Businesses of all sizes are welcome to attend. To learn more, please visit our info page here.


Empowering TikTok's Internal LGBTQIA+ Community

Championing and celebrating our LGBTQIA+ employees here at TikTok is something we take seriously year-round. As a part of our company-wide Pride celebration, TikTok's very own LGBTQIA+ employee resource group (ERG) PRIDE will be hosting a series of Pride Month events and internal programs, from LGBTQIA+ film screenings to Pride marches, that celebrate the full spectrum of intersectional identity groups throughout Pride Month and Juneteenth.


Creating a safe and inclusive environment for all

You Belong Here is more than a campaign—it's our commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community on TikTok. We believe that people should be able to connect with one another, express themselves authentically, and thrive on the platform. And we know that fostering an inclusive space requires prioritizing the needs of our community.

We strive to protect our LGBTQIA+ community on TikTok by taking action, including removal, on content and accounts that engage in harassment, bullying, hate speech, and hateful behavior, such as deadnaming or misgendering—as explained in our Community Guidelines. We also empower people to create the best TikTok experience for themselves by providing a range of safety features, such as confidential ways to report potentially violative content and accounts, comment filtering tools and privacy settings to choose who can engage with their content.

Honored and humbled to be part of our community's path to Pride, we will continually look for ways to build an inspiring and inclusive platform for all voices.