Whether this encourages other famous faces to remove their masks remains to be seen.Barrymore: “Coming out saved my life.”NEIL BARTLETTWriter, performer, directorBartlett has been at the heart of the explosion of gay art following the debate over Section 28 of the Local Government Act, which was widely seen as an attack on gay culture. With the theatre company Gloria, which he co-founded with the composer Nicolas Bloomfield, he has been pivotal in forcing mainstream recognition of uncompromising gay work on the stage. In addition to his theatre work, he has published a novel, a study of Oscar Wilde and translations of Racine and Genet. Since taking over as director at the Lyric Hammersmith in London, he has refused to backtrack, providing popular programming with a gay subtext, for instance, casting Joanna Lumley to play Somerset Maugham.Bartlett: “I used to upset people by appearing naked or in drag. I now upset people by creating regular returns queues at the Lyric.”COLIN BELLPop SvengaliThe managing director of terminally hip and aggressively profitable London Records runs what he dubs a gay-friendly label.

It is not exclusively gay, but it enjoys a certain canny crossover into the mainstream Bell has been a central figure in gay pop. He was involved in Jimmy Somerville’s career and also with the perhaps even gayer (in taste terms) Bananarama, not to mention East 17, the gay disco dance favourites New Order, Ace of Base and even Whigfield. Which is what you would expect from the man who broke through by managing the Tom Robinson band (“Sing if you’re glad to be gay”).RABBI LIONEL BLUERabbi and religious punditThe Rev Ernest Rea, head of BBC religious broadcasting, describes Blue as “the most popular contributor to Radio 4’s Thought for the Day He is genuinely loved”. Since coming out publicly in 1989, something of a first for a rabbi, he has been unequivocal about his sexuality. In an interview in the Independent last year he spoke of Jim, his partner of 16 years. During the Age of Consent campaign he was one of 150 high-profile signatories to a letter in the MPs’ and peers’ journal, the House Magazine, alongside Rabbis Hugo Gryn and Julia Neuberger plus the Bishops of Edinburgh and Monmouth demanding the acceptance of equality at 16.Blue: “I get love mail, hate mail and occasionally smutty letters.

I used to feel very angry about the difficult hand God has dealt me, but being Jewish and gay has given me a great sense of empathy with all outsiders.”MATTHEW BOURNEChoreographerEveryone mistakenly imagines the entire dance world to be gay; yet few choreographers have consistently used openly gay characterisation in their work Bourne is an exception. Artistic director of Adventures in Motion Pictures (AMP) which he co-founded in 1985, Bourne is one of the leading choreographers of his generation. He has won prizes and commissions for the wit and theatricality of his choreography. Purists sometimes wince, but AMP attracts a far wider audience than most dance companies. A self- evident gay sensibility informs his work from the witty “Spitfire”, danced in a variety of men’s underwear, to his latest and massively popular “Swan Lake”, which replaces the female corps de ballet with powerfully erotic choreography for men and places tortured sexuality at the heart of the piece.MARTIN BOWLEY, QCA distinguished barrister with nearly 10 years experience on the Bar Council, Bowley QC was told by the head of judicial appointments in 1985 that gays should not be given full-time appointments.

In 1988, while a part-time judge, he was outed by the Sun, which published letters to his lover stolen by a failed blackmailer. He tendered his resignation as a judge, which Lord Mackay “regretfully” accepted. A leading criminal barrister, he is now president of the Bar Lesbian and Gay Group. He campaigns vigorously for progressive reform of the law and equality within the legal profession. He has written extensively on the case in which four former members of the armed services are aiming to overturn the MoD’s blanket ban on gays in the military.MICHAEL BROWNConservative MPA former junior whip, the Conservative MP for Brigg and Cleethorpes had his relationship with a male student splashed across the News of the World in May 1994. Brown continues to serve his constituency, making him the only out Tory MP.