VIP guests attend celebration of the most influential LGBT individuals in Britain.
On the 12th of November, The Independent on Sunday celebrated its 15th annual Rainbow List (formerly the pink list) at the Grange Hotel in London, with guests including Christopher Biggins, Gok Wan, Paris Lees and Michael Cashman – who took this year's top spot. The Rainbow List honours the 101 most influential lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals in Britain.
As guests enjoyed the stunning view of St Paul's Cathedral, Christopher Biggins revealed that he is growing his ‘Decembeard’ for charity Beating Bowel Cancer a month early, because he needs to be clean-shaven for a show in December, whilst Gok Wan dashed out mid-party to show his face at another – only to come back to the Rainbow List Party soon after!
Speaking to London Live, Gok Wan said: "You’ve only got to look through that list and think actually, you know what, if I get through this I can really celebrate who I am – I will get to that stage. And that’s what I would have got from this list when I was coming out, and I hope it’s the same for everyone else."
Curated by a panel of judges, The Rainbow List highlights both those in the spotlight and the unsung heroes that are dedicated to making a difference. Members of the public are invited to put anyone forward that they believe deserves recognition for the work they carry out in this field.
Campaigners and politicians feature heavily on this year's list, with a new-entry, actor-turned-well-loved politician and member of the House of Lords, Michael Cashman at number one. Once Colin Russell from EastEnders, and as such half of the first gay kiss on mainstream British TV, Michael was a founder of Stonewall in 1989 and has consistently campaigned for LGBT rights, this year being announced as the Labour Party's special envoy on LGBT issues worldwide.
He is joined by Suran Dickson, CEO of Diversity Role Models – a charity dedicated to putting an end to homophobic bullying in schools – at number 10 and leader of the Scottish Conservative Party Ruth Davidson at number 4.
Others featuring on the list for the first time include musician Sam Smith (7); Vicky Beeching (3), a prominent member of the UK and US Christian community; Olympic bronze medalist Tom Daley (15); the UK’s first Muslim drag queen Asif Quarashi (86) and the Mercury prize nominee and groundbreaking poet Kate Tempest (90).
The first ten in the List of 101 people are as follows:
- Michael Cashman
- Paris Lees
- Vicky Beeching
- Ruth Davidson
- Evan Davis
- Sue Perkins
- Sam Smith
- Ruth Hunt
- Casey Stoney
- Suran Dickson
The remainder of the list was published in the Independent on Sunday on the 9th November and can be viewed at www.independent.co.uk/rainbowlist.