These lovebirds provide excellent visibility
BY DIVA STAFF, IMAGE VIA INSTAGRAM (@JESSICABETTSMUSIC)
Here at DIVA, we love queer love. We understand how impactful it can be for members of our community to see people who look, live and love like they do. This Pride month, we’re celebrating some of our favourites.
Niecy Nash-Betts and Jessica Betts
The All’s Fair actor and Catch Me singer are a certified power couple. In 2019, after four years of friendship, the duo officially started their relationship. They got married in 2020 and their beautiful love story has helped Black queer couples around the world feel seen, appreciated and celebrated. In 2022, the pair became the first same-sex couple to grace the cover of Essence magazine. It goes without saying that these lovebirds have certainly been making herstory.
Val McDermid and Jo Sharp
The trailblazing author and leading Scottish human geographer Jo Sharp are an iconic long-term lesbian couple. In our recent Dyke Issue, Val spoke to DIVA editor-in-chief Roxy Bourdillon about their relationship. Val told the story of how she and Jo, and their friends, marched at Edinburgh Pride sporting “OLDER DYKES FOR TRANS RIGHTS” T-shirts. “We ended up on the front pages of every newspaper in Scotland the next day. There’s the belief that older lesbians must be hostile to trans women, which is entirely contrary to my experience. Womanhood is a big tent. It contains me, Kim Kardashian, and everybody in between.” This year Val and Jo celebrated the 10 year anniversary of their civil partnership ceremony. Val told Roxy: “I felt a spark the first time I met her.”
Amy Spalding and Catrin Hopkins
It goes without saying that this couple is truly dykonic. The I Kissed A Girl alum and singer, known professionally as CATTY, have served up unapologetic dyke love. We loved getting to see Amy star in the Thelma & Louise-inspired music video for Catty’s Joyride. In our recent interview with Amy, she gushed that: “I didn’t know love could be like this until I met her. I see the world so brightly through her. Life is so exciting because I get to experience with her.” Suffice to say, these two are clearly smitten for each other. The duo have been outspoken about many things, from neurodivergency to WLW visibility, we can’t get enough of them.
Ali Najjar and Adam Imber
This next couple have an epic love story. They provide vital visibility for interfaith queer couples. Ali is a Palestinian Muslim, and Adam is Jewish. The happily married couple have travelled the world together, living proudly out loud. They have also collaborated together on much of their advocacy work. Adam has been open about his journey with ADHD, and they are both ambassadors for Rainbow Mind. Both men have used their platform to spread the powerful message of “love over hate”.
Jake and Hannah Graf
Trailblazing is word we’d use to describe this next couple. Jake and Hannah are some of the biggest trans public figures and advocates in the UK. They’ve led many campaigns and fought tirelessly for acceptance and equality. They’ve been very open about their journey to starting their wonderful rainbow family, from filming a documentary to penning their memoir, Becoming Us; they provide vital visibility. We can’t wait to see what these trailblazers do next.
Adele Roberts and Kate Holderness
This list would be incomplete without these DIVA favourites. Just over two decades ago, Adele and Kate exhibited peak lesbian behaviour when they fell in love on their very first date. Since then, they’ve given lesbians and sapphics everywhere hope. Their long-term love story has been full of incredible highs, but also devastating lows, such as Adele’s cancer diagnosis, which they’ve navigated together. In our 2024 Pride Issue interview, Adele told us that: “I didn’t think it was possible, [but cancer] brought us even closer together.” In the same interview, Adele opened up about what Pride means to her: “It’s my duty to fly that Pride flag, wave it as much as I can, because I got a second chance at life.”
Want to read about more swoonworthy queer couples? You can still get your hands on a copy of our February/March issue…
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