15 LGBTQIA+ Kickstarter Creators to Watch in 2024

Celebrating the Creativity and Innovation of LGBTQIA+ Creators on Kickstarter.

Kickstarter is a platform that enables creators from all backgrounds to share their innovative ideas with the world. Through the support of an engaged community, it provides creative independence and a loudspeaker to those eager to share their visions and put their ideas into action.

In celebration of Pride Month and the 15th Anniversary of Kickstarter, we continue the “Kickstarter 15" series, where we'll showcase 15 Kickstarter creators from the LGBTQIA+ community. These creators are making waves in their respective fields and pushing the boundaries of creativity in unique and innovative ways.

This list is in no particular order.

#1: Kat Calamia (Lifeline Comics)

Kat Calamia is a bisexual comic book writer known for her work on "Like Father, Like Daughter" and "They Call Her…The Dancer." She is a well-regarded comic book and TV journalist with a YouTube channel called Comic Uno. Kat's platform is a testament to her work and has opened the door to amplying the work of other queer creators.

Lifeline's most recent project, "Transphoria," is a 90-page graphic novel that compiles 19 new short stories about Trans and Nonbinary experiences of Gender Euphoria, which refers to feelings of joy in how one's gender is presented and perceived.

These voices rarely receive the representation and attention they deserve. We know there's an expansive spectrum of stories to be told, identities to be seen, and endless potential for what queer creators can accomplish. That was why we wanted to bring these writers and artists together to create this anthology.

#2: Elizabeth Hopkinson

Elizabeth Hopkinson is the prizewinning author of the Asexual Fairy Tales series. She is a romantic asexual and is committed to asexual representation in fiction. She was featured in the BBC’s We Are Bradford project and was on Stonewall's first ace/aro panel. Elizabeth has loved fairy tales and history since studying English Literature at Leeds University. She has lived all her life in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK. Her latest project, Legends from Lindisfarne: Diverse & Inclusive Saints, tells the tales of diverse and inclusive saints, mainly from the Celtic tradition.

#3: Ugly Duckling Presse

Ugly Duckling Presse is a nonprofit, collective-run publisher for poetry, translation, experimental nonfiction, performance texts, and books by artists. From a 1990s zine, it grew into a mission-driven small press that has published more than 400 titles to date, and produced countless prints and ephemera. UDP publishes emerging, international, and “forgotten” writers, and its books, chapbooks, artist’s books, broadsides, and periodicals often contain handmade elements, calling attention to the labor and history of bookmaking. UDP is committed to keeping its publications in circulation with their online archive of out-of-print chapbooks and their digital proofs program. In all of its activities, UDP endeavors to create an experience of art free of expectation, coercion, and utility.

Their latest project, SMALLTOWNNOVELLA: The Queer Sorrows of a Young Communist, was originally published in 1980. This gay coming-of-age novel by Ronald M. Schernikau has never been translated into English—until now.

#4: Capri Campeau

TikTok creator and first-time Kickstarter creator Capri Campeau, launched the project, How To Hook Up with Girls: Queer Short Film by Capri Campeau because growing up Capri wondered "am I really queer? Does my specific flavor of *homosexual* even count? What happens if other queer people can tell I have no CLUE what I’m doing? Will I even really be accepted?"

I want to make the type of movie that I needed to watch to feel more confident in my queerness. A movie that talks about the awkwardness of knowing you're queer...but not knowing how to move forward with that knowledge. A film that is comforting and validating, while also being really really funny. 

This film centers around our baby bi protagonist, Joy. After having a nightmare about hooking up with her long distance situationship, and not knowing how to do it,  she convinces her iconic queer roommate to create a class called “how to hook up with girls 101”. When Joy jokingly posting about the class online, a bunch of girls from her dorm show up to learn as well.

#5: Margaret Killjoy

Margaret Killjoy is a storyteller who keeps audiences rapt with her speculative, fantasy, and horror fiction, and her radical history podcast Cool People Who Did Cool Stuff. She has published the novellas The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion and The Barrow Will Send What It May with Tor.com, Escape From Incel Island, and short fiction collections including A Country of Ghosts and We Won’t Be Here Tomorrow.

The Sapling Cage by Margaret Killjoy is a the gripping first novel in the Daughters of the Empty Throne trilogy, is a propulsive and gorgeously written high fantasy novel, with rich, epic world-building and compelling characters. Lorel’s journey of friendship and found family maps how we change the world around us as we grow and change ourselves. But even more than that, it interrogates structures of power and authority, exploring how we decide what is right and live according to our values. 

#6: Zoe Cannon

Zoe Cannon has written over two dozen books (mostly dark urban fantasy suspense) and lots of short stories. The latest, Queerdark: A Fantasy Collection, is six dangerously queer fantasy stories from the darker side of the rainbow.

In fiction of all kinds, queer and queer-coded characters have often been relegated to the role of villain, tragic figure, hated outcast, or—at best—colorful sidekick. The message is always the same: these characters are other. These people are not like us—not like you, the assumed audiences. And they are not there to be heroes which is where Cannon decided to fill the gap.

#7: Holly Revell

Holly Revell is an artist and photographer who makes collaborative portraits with fellow queer folk exploring transforming identities. Over the past 15 years, Holly has made a significant contribution to the documentation of queer performance and its icons in London, creating a record of a specific movement and the community surrounding it, much of which is archived at Bishopsgate Institute.

People Like Us is a collaborative photography project exploring trans, gender non-conforming, and non-binary identities and experiences from AFAB (assigned female at birth) perspectives.

#8: Leta Blake

Author of over 35 LGBT+ and MM Romance novels, Leta Blake has been captivating readers for over a decade and wants to bring varied and wonderfully queer stories to life. Whether writing contemporary romance or fantasy, she puts her psychology background to use creating complex characters and love stories that feel real. 

Heat of Love - A Celebrated Fantasy Gay Romance Series, is an acclaimed M/M Omegaverse Romantasy series now exclusive in a hardback edition on Kickstarter with NSFW art, special edition paperbacks & book boxes.

#9: S. H. Aeschliman

S. H. Aeschliman is an editor, a blogger, a two-time Kickstarter creator, and a writer of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction. She has edited poetry, genre fiction, creative non-fiction, website content, academic essays, and lyrics. Aeschliman's latest project, Inclusive Future Mag: Visions from a Gender-Inclusive Future is an anthology of speculative fiction and art by trans, non-binary, and gender queer people that explores the question: What does a gender-inclusive future look like?

But this isn’t your usual fiction anthology. Inclusive Future Magazine reads like a pop culture magazine from the year 2068, with articles on fashion, music, movies, science and technology, and more. It’s designed to give you a glimpse into what living in that gender-inclusive future might feel like…because we believe that envisioning a better future is the first step in making that future a reality.

#10: Zaq Latino

Zaq Latino is an actor, musician, and composer based in New York City. Zaq moved to NYC in 2019 and is super grateful to have been in 17 films to date and a dozen plays off-and off-Broadway. Zaq also recently made their network TV debut on Law and Order: SVU. Featured credits include Keith Miller's 'This Is My Hero Arc' and Zoe Kavanagh's 'Demon Hunter: Time 2 Kill.' In addition to acting, Zaq is a committed writer and producer; they are the founder and executive director of validBodies arts project, a 501(c)3 performance production company committed to identity-conscious casting. So far, vBap has produced three shows in NYC venues to audience acclaim.

Zaq's feature film 'Welwitschia' is currently in the process of being independently produced. They are a trans-femme, non-binary person who aims to normalize gender non-conforming representation in professional spaces.

#11: Clara Ward

Clara Ward is an author, educator, and ocean activist. They live in Silicon Valley on the border between reality and speculative fiction. Their short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Decoded Pride, Small Wonders, and is upcoming in The Neurodiversiverse from Thinking Ink Press. When not using words to teach or tell stories, Clara uses wood, fiber, or food to make practical or completely impractical creations. Ward donates 100% of their royalties from all editions of Be the Sea to conservation efforts for our global ocean via Conservation International.

Ward is the author of Be the Sea, which is available as an Audiobook and Hardcover Edition. It is a flowing, immersive science fantasy novel with a nonbinary and neurodivergent main character, Wend, who communicates partly by telling stories within the larger story.

#12: Andy Fidoten

Andy Fidoten is a filmmaker and ex-punk rocker based in New York City and the creator of "Something You Should Know About Me". A Manhattan native, Fidoten creates alternative worlds distinct from and deeply embedded in our own, turning contemporary anxieties around gender and sexuality into cinematic playgrounds filled with humor, fantasy, and horror. Be it through gay werewolves, gender-bending insect-borne diseases, or post-apocalyptic breakups, Fidoten's imaginative storytelling enlivens the complexities of queer identity.

“Something You Should Know About Me,” is a meditation on trans representation and desire housed in the language of a raunchy teen rom-com. You know, like Judd Apatow, but make it gay. And trans.

#13: Out On Film

For 37 remarkable years, Out On Film has been a beacon of LGBTQ+ cinema, celebrating our vibrant community, amplifying queer voices, and showcasing groundbreaking films. In 2023, thanks to the generosity of the community, we raised just over $10,000, empowering queer storytellers to share their narratives. This year, they aimed even higher with their second filmmaker fund fundraiser, dedicated to supporting the voices of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, raising $15,455 from over 100 backers.

In the vast landscape of cinema, LGBTQ+ voices remain underrepresented and often overlooked. While strides have been made, there's still a significant gap between the stories that are told and those that deserve to be heard. Moreover, many LGBTQ+ filmmakers struggle to access the resources and support needed to bring their visions to life, hindering the creation of authentic queer cinema.

#14: Patty PerShayla

Patty PerShayla is a rarity as a combination singer and bassist but has established herself as a stand-out performer by also perching on one leg or strutting the stage in platform heels while fronting her power trio, Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps.In 2021, Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps released their debut album, Cheap Diction but are ready to release new music for our most exciting year of touring.

Their upcoming EP, Perpetual Motion Machine, features five new rock songs that explore Patty's life as a woman in the music industry: full of excitement, adventure, frustration, rage, and exhaustion. The band has already finished tracking the record at Angry Hobbit Studios in Orwigsburg, PA and the mixing and mastering process is underway.

#15: Kat and the Hurricane

Kat and the Hurricane is genre and gender-bending indie-pop/synth-rock trio from Madison, Wisconsin. Guitarist/vocalist Kat Rhapsody, keyboardist/vocalist Benjamin Rose, and drummer Alex Nelson deliver a unique blend of pop and haunting indie rock they affectionately refer to as "sad lesbian music."

In 2021, Kat and the Hurricane released The Sorry EP, a short collection of songs that showcased the beginnings of our journey as a three-piece synth-rock group. Our song "Sorry That I'm Like This" (which was named Rock Song of the Year by our local music association) has become a favorite to play, garnering nearly 100,000 streams on streaming platforms. Following the success of that project, Kat, Benjamin, and Alex began co-writing a new batch of songs for the first time. 

After 3 regional and national tours and over 100 live shows, they are ready to debut a full-length album that has been in the works since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.