The new GLBT History Month list

Well the folks over at Equality Forum has this years GLBT history list up for October. Once again there are many names on the list that I don't know who the hell they are, don't know if they are alive or dead.

MMMM, does this make me a bad gay guy, since I really don't know many of these so-called important gay icons of past and present.

Here is the list for this year, however here yoiu don't have to wait each day of month of October to see why they were selected,, thanks to Wikipedia

Alvin Ailey Jr., John Amaechi, Tammy Baldwin, John Cage, Ruth Ellis, Rainer Fassbinder, Michel Foucault, Harry Hay, Magnus Hirschfeld, Zora Neale Hurston, Jasper Johns, Cherry Jones, Kate Kendell, Alfred Kinsey, k.d. lang, Rachel Maddow, Deirdre McCloskey, Paul Monette, Pauli Murray, Joan Nestle, Todd Oldham, Suze Orman, Christine Quinn, Robert Rauschenberg, Jerome Robbins, Hilary Rosen, Yves St. Laurent, Esera Tuaolo, Urvashi Vaid, Gus Van Sant, B.D. Wong

Here are those that I do know, who they are, Wong, Vaid, Baldwin, Monette, lang, Maddow, Kinsey damn 7 out of 31, I guess I fail Gay History 101, this year big time..

The list is made up from actors, dancers, activists, authors, politicians, fashion figures,sport figures who came out either while still playing or after retirement. Many at one time work for LGBT organizations across the land.

My question is what make them our community icons? Please just because they were gay doesn't count..