By David Oliver
'The Queer Bible'
RuPaul
-Jack Guinness
"RuPaul inspired me to create 'The Queer Bible'; to create something beyond myself, something real. A platform for others to tell their stories in their own voices."
George Michael
-Paul Flynn, journalist
"Pick a song, any song, from ('Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1' and 'Older') ... Pluck it on a guitar. Hum it aloud ... Lyrically, it is the tale of every gay man's transcendence from the man he was taught to be to the man he was meant to be."
David Bowie
-Freddy McConnell, journalist
"He problematized, destabilized or deconstructed heteronormative ideas of masculinity, gender and sexuality. He not only challenged but obliterated our notions of who was allowed to be a mainstream pop and rock culture icon."
James Baldwin
-Paul Mendez, British novelist
"I am lucky, so, so lucky to have been able to consult James Baldwin, to know that others have been angry, before me; others have thought about white supremacy and how it affects all our lives..."
Susan Sontag
-Amelia Abraham, journalist
Sontag's 1964 essay "Notes on 'Camp'" helped explain the term "camp" to many. "Camp felt like a weapon to use against the world when I might find myself up against homophobia – a source of joy in difficult times."
Adam Rippon
-Gus Kenworthy, olympian
"It was a moment I'll never forget for the rest of my life. The first time an openly gay man walked into a Winter Olympics opening ceremony – and it was not just a man, it was two."
For more stories, visit USATODAY.com