"I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum."
It's officially Pride Month and famous members of the LGBTQIA+ community are ready to celebrate. Over the past year, quite a few celebrities have opened up about their sexuality and gender identity, hoping to bring more representation to the media. While it's not always easy to discuss such a personal matter, these celebs are no doubt making a difference and helping others to feel free to live their authentic lives.
Find out which celebrities came out this year…
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View Story1. Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush sparked speculation about her sexuality last year amid her rumored romance with soccer star Ashlyn Harris. While looking back on their relationship, Sophia says they were just friends at first, leaning on each other as they both went through divorces. Eventually, they realized their feelings for one another and officially began dating. While Sophia had already privately come out, she decided to publicly share that she was part of the LGBTQIA+ community in early 2024.
“I sort of hate the notion of having to come out in 2024,” Sophia penned in an essay for Glamour. “I've experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community, as an ally all of my life, that, as I came into myself, I already felt it was my home. I think I've always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum. Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can't say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.”
2. Reneé Rapp
Reneé Rapp has been out as bisexual since 2022, but this year she shared that she identifies as a lesbian. On several occasions, Reneé has opened up about struggling with her sexuality while dating an ex-boyfriend during COVID and also simultaneously portraying a character who was coming out on Sex Lives of College Girls. Looking back, she says she truly wasn't acting during her coming out scene on the show and felt it was also her personal moment of coming out.
"I'm like, 'Why am I freaking out all the time?' I would go home and I would call my friends and I'd be like, 'I think I'm a lesbian, but I really love my boyfriend.' I would want to be with him, but I see him more as a friend," she told The Hollywood Reporter. "So not only was I doing that on the show, publicly, in a big way to so many people, and my family, who had no idea that I was gay. I was also going through it personally. It is f--king crazy to watch that back."
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View Story3. Lauv
Musician Lauv recently gave fans an update on his journey to discover his sexuality, explaining that he believes he's gay. While he hasn't confirmed anything just yet, he explained that he's having a difficult time because he feels the need to publicly hold back some of his true personality. While he’s still working through things, he released "Potential," his first love song about a guy, in March.
"I feel like I'm gay, okay. I've said this so many times and still not claimed to actually be [gay], because I've not had enough experience to say," he said on TikTok.
4. Daniel Bedingfield
Singer Daniel Bedingfield revealed he was part of the LGBTQIA+ community during a performance in London in April. He explained that he had written an unreleased song called "Borderline" with a man he loved -- and they wrote it about a woman they were both in love with. Looking back on earlier in his career, he noted it wasn't acceptable to be somewhere on the spectrum of queerness.
"In my era, you had to be gay or straight, or f--k you. I wrote this song with a man I loved about a girl we both loved. I'm not very gay, but we were on a hot spring, sitting on a rock, missing her," Daniel said on stage.
Survivor's Parvati Shallow Opens Up About Mae Martin Romance, Coming Out as Queer Post-Divorce
View Story5. Parvati Shallow
Survivor contestant Parvati Shallow kicked off the new year by coming out and hard launching her new relationship with comedian Mae Martin. On Instagram, Parvati shared a series of black and white photo booth pictures getting cozy with Mae.
"We're here. We're queer. Happy new year ❤️🌈," Parvati captioned the post.
6. Erika Casupana
Fellow Survivor alum Erika Casupan decided to come out on New Year's Eve as well, posting a funny story about how her year turned out a little different than expected. Erika says she started 2023 hoping that she would find a boyfriend but ended up discovering that she was actually a lesbian.
"Throwback to last New Year's Eve when I tried to do the 'eat grapes while sitting under a table at midnight and you'll get a boyfriend by the end of the year.' But I didn't have grapes, so I chugged wine, and instead, that year, I realized I'm a lesbian. Close enough, right?" Erika captioned a video on Instagram.
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View Story7. Bethany Antonia
In April, House of the Dragon star Bethany Antonia came out as gay. She made the announcement while addressing a racist DM she had received about her role on HBO show. Before House of the Dragon began airing, members of the Targaryen family had typically been depicted as white with blonde hair -- so when Bethany joined the cast, she faced some backlash. In order to upset the trolls even more, Bethany decided to open up about her sexuality.
"Wait till they find out I'm gay too," Bethany wrote on her Instagram stories.
8. Amanda Tori Meating
Drag Race contestant Amanda Tori Meating came out as transgender while filming season 16 of the show. While Amanda had previously identified as nonbinary, she says she spent a lot of time trying to figure out where she sat "on the trans spectrum." After getting divorced from an unsupportive partner and signing up for the show, Amanda says she truly realized her identity.
"I showed up to Drag Race in this space of, I'm going to advocate for myself, I'm going to stand up for myself, I'm not going to allow myself to be victimized in the way that I feel like I have been in the past, pre-Drag Race. [I was] in this environment for the first time where everyone's calling me Amanda and not my government name, and realizing how good that felt, and I started to feel a bit more comfortable in the reformation of my identity," Amanda told EW. "That experience helped push me out of the nest a little bit and crack the egg."
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View Story9. Madame Cassandra Uzumaki LaQueer
In January, season 4 Drag Race star Madame LaQueer also came out as transgender. She explained that while she had known she was trans for a long time, she allowed her “inner saboteur” to prevent her from living authentically -- leading to a 12-year long depression. But after years of pondering and a deep conversation with fellow transgender Drag Race star Jade Jolie, she made the decision to live her truth. She celebrated the decision by officially changing her drag name to Madame Cassandra Uzumaki LaQueer.
"It's something I've been pondering for myself for years," she told EW. "It's now or never. I think this serves for me to be a voice for those that have persuaded themselves into not pursuing their truths and let time take over. It's never too late to come out and live your true experience and be yourself and be authentic. There’s nothing like feeling loved in your own skin."
10. Zoe Lister-Jones
Actress and filmmaker Zoe Lister-Jones came out while walking the red carpet at the Spirit Awards with her partner Sammi Cohen, who identifies as non-binary. When asked about her new romance, Zoe confirmed that she was queer and commended Sammi for being an "amazing filmmaker in their own right."
"I'm here, I'm queer, I have some fear but I’m working through it," Zoe told The Hollywood Reporter.
11. Mario Alcalde
In early 2023, bullfighter Mario Alcalde came out as pansexual, making him the first Spanish bullfighter to publicly come out as a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. In a translated interview, Mario shared that he wanted to be a voice for those who feel they're unable to live their truths.
"It's now or never. I think this serves for me to be a voice for those that have persuaded themselves into not pursuing their truths and let time take over," he reportedly told Spanish outlet El Mundo. "I am pansexual and I feel very identified with the LGTBI flag. I fall in love with the interior, I don't care about gender."