Happy Pride Month 2021! This June, we are featuring inspirational quotes from extraordinary LGBTQ+ leaders. 🏳️‍🌈

Sir Ian McKellen (1939-) is a British actor known for his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company and his versatile character portrayal, ranging from modern theatre to science fiction and fantasy. His famous roles include the titular King in Richard III (1995), Magneto in the X-Men films, and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies.

McKellen has received every major theatrical award in the UK and is regarded as a British cultural icon. In 1991, he was knighted for services to the performing arts, and made a Companion of Honour for services to drama and to equality in 2008.

He has been open about his homosexuality since 1988, and continues to champion LGBT social movements. McKellen is a co-founder of Stonewall, a UK LGBTQ+ rights group, as well as a patron of numerous gay organizations such as LGBT History Month, Pride London, and LGBT Foundation. He was awarded Freedom of the City of London in October 2014.

You Might Also Like: 

🌱Alan Turing - "Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things that no one can imagine."

✨ Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard - "It is possible to commit no mistakes and still lose. That is not a weakness; that is life."

🚀 Sir Elton John - "A good leader has a moral integrity that survives both success and failure."

🔮 Albus Dumbledore - "Those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it."