People are thankfully in this day and age, coming out of the closet is no longer a big deal, not like it used to be anyway. With uncertainty that your career would survive, in fear of being type cast or even worse, unemployed, the horror of being able to be true to yourself has seemingly disappeared, along with a number of other homophobic and prejudice actions that were so commonly seen throughout Hollywood. However, that’s not to say it doesn’t exists, with homophobia still rampant throughout the world, even scarily right in our own backyards. Yet, these days, coming out is not quite the spectacle that it used to be, celebrities around the world don’t feel that they have to make such a song and dance about their partner preference, preferring to casually mention it if asked. Thankfully, gone are the days of celebrities outing themselves on magazine covers, in order to stop the paparazzi getting their first, with now a more dignified approach with a new found respect from the majority of newspapers and celebrity magazines. So, to celebrate those who just don’t care anymore, here are 15 celebrities that you didn’t know were gay.
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15Raven Symoné
Starting her show biz career on the revolutionary and groundbreaking The Cosby Show, Raven Symoné has somewhat successfully managed the difficult transition from being a well-loved child star into the equally accepted adult entertainer. That’s right, from producing, singing, acting and modeling, Symoné can also be seen co-hosting the popular day time chat host, The View, alongside a number of other independent and successful women. Not one for over sharing, Symoné rarely comments on her private life, stating ‘my orientation is mine, and the person I’m dating to know. I’m not one for a public display of my life’. However, most definitely not ashamed, Symoné took to twitter to publicly display her happiness on the news that The USA had finally done what they should have done years earlier, writing, ‘I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however, am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to’. Oh, that’s so Raven.
14Matt Bomer
Known for playing the lead in hit TV show White Collar, Matt Bomer can now be seen scaring the pants off many in fear fest American Horror Story. Not one to shy away from discussing his private life, Bomer first acknowledged his orientation while accepting the Steve Chase Humanitarian Award in 2012. Thanking his husband and their three sons, Bomer went on to express his gratitude, stating ‘thank you for teaching me what unconditional love is. You will always be my proudest accomplishment. God bless you’. Ever the family man, Bomer often shares a number of touching family photos, most recently on Christmas Eve, in which Bomer and his publicist husband were pictured in front a Christmas tree surrounded by their three young boys. Receiving a number of awards for his work within the LGBT community, Bomer recently portrayed a homosexual male dying of AIDS on the HBO drama The Normal Heart, earning him an Emmy nomination in the process.
13Amber Heard
In the news lately due to her turbulent marriage and subsequent divorce from fan favorite Johnny Depp, Amber Heard has often been a leading figure head for the bisexual community. Starring in popular movies such as Friday Night Lights and Pineapple Express, Heard recently won a Spotlight Award at the Hollywood Film Festival for her role in the critically acclaimed The Rum Diary, also starring ex-husband Johnny Depp. Publicly coming out in 2010, Heard was famously in a relationship with artist and film maker Tasya Van Ree. Preferring to not use labels with reference to her preference, Heard stated ‘I don’t label myself one way or another, I have had successful relationships with men and now a woman. I love who I love; it’s the person that matters’. Involved in a number of charities with regards to LGBT rights and a variety of other categories, Heard is a known supporter of the LGBT project Self-Evident Truths.
12Kristian Nairn
By far the only character on Game of Thrones that isn’t a raving lunatic, Kristian Nairn will most definitely go down in history as the man that made a billion people cry. With his character a certain fan favorite with many, the world was shocked when Hodor succumbed to the evils that Games of Thrones has to offer. Coming out publicly during an interview for a Game of Thrones fan site in 2014, Nairn commented on the status of his orientation by claiming that it was ‘a very small part of who I am on the whole, but nonetheless, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted’. With reference to the LGBT community, Nairn continued ‘when you talk about ‘the gay community’, you are talking about MY community, I AM aware of it, yeah, and I think it’s really lovely. Again, it’s a privilege, and I really mean that’. At a massive 6ft 11 inches tall, Nairn can now be seen spinning records, cementing himself as an established progressive house DJ across the globe.
11Sir Ian McKellen
Famed throughout the world as one of the best if not the best actors in the industry, Sir Ian McKellen is most definitely one of England’s most revered actors. Best known for his stint as the mighty Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings franchise, McKellen has also starred in a number of other blockbuster hits, from X-men to The Hobbit. Winning a number of awards for his work on stage as well as on the silver screen, McKellen was knighted in 1991 for his services to performing arts. As well as being just about the best actor on the planet, McKellen is also famed for the number of campaigns he is involved with, especially with regards to LGBT rights. From attending a number of Pride organisations, to addressing a number of social issues regarding equality for homosexual men and women across the globe, McKellen is also the co-founder of leading LGBT rights group Stonewall in the UK, as well as being the patron of LGBT history month, Pride London and a number of other LGBT related causes. What a guy!
10Bob Harper
Recently voted the worlds ‘sexiest male vegetarian’, by PETA, yes that’s a thing, Bob Harper shot to fame as the personal trainer for hit weight loss show The Biggest Loser. A famed personal trainer to a number of other famous celebrities, Harper has also helped the likes of Jennifer Jason Leigh, Ben Stiller and leading talk show host, Ellen DeGeneres, all shed a few of those precious pounds. Known for his activism with regards to the cruelty of animals, Harper became the national spokesman for Walk for Farm Animals in 2010. Publicly coming out on the fifteenth season of The Biggest Loser, Harper announced he was gay while helping a fellow contestant deal with coming out to his parents. Revealing that he himself came out at 17, Harper commented on the difficulties that such decisions can bring. With this the first time that Harper had actually commented on his gender preference, he then continued to offer his support to a number of LGBT organizations.
9Queen Latifah
Originally born Dana Eline Owens, Queen Latifah is a singer, actress, model, and rapper, among a number of other worldly professions. Winning a number of awards with regards to the number of skills she possesses, Queen Latifah has a Grammy, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe all under her belt, even receiving an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her stint in the popular musical Chicago. With speculation regarding Queen Latifah’s sexuality doing the rounds for a number of years, she confirmed the rumors in 2012 during the Long Beach Pride event in California. Quoted as saying ”y’all my peeps’, when referring to the crowd, Queen Latifah has since been spotted out and proud with girlfriend Eboni Nichols. Discussing how society is still not as accepting towards black people during an interview with Uptown magazine, Queen Latifah claimed that ‘people’s ideas, in general, are antiquated when it comes to who you love, we haven’t moved as quickly as we should have’. Later continuing to affirm that ‘there has always been gay people in the black community’, adding that ‘being gay was ‘not a character flaw’.
8Ruby Rose
Famed for being somewhat of a ‘girl crush’, for a number of women worldwide, Ruby Rose recently shot to fame while starring in the hugely successful Netflix produced, Orange Is The New Black. Originally hailing from down under, Aussie girl Rose is also a known DJ and recording artist as well as working as a model, TV presenter, and a now fully blown movie star. Coming out at only 12 years old, Rose was often the subject of bullying and physical abuse from her classmates, which lead to a suicide attempt at a young age. Stating that she is gender fluid, in which a person may identify as male, female or any other non-binary identification, Rose later confirmed that she still prefers to use feminine pronouns. With a number of high-profile romances under her belt, Rose once dated supermodel Catherine McNeil and the granddaughter of famed children’s author Roald Dahl, becoming engaged to both.
7Jim Parsons
Best known for his hilarious stint as Sheldon Cooper on the enormously successful Big Bang Theory, Jim Parsons is an acclaimed theater star, recently wowing audiences world wide on Broadway. Never actually coming out, Parsons later revealed that he had never purposefully hidden his identity, but that he had just forgotten to mention it. In a relationship with his current partner for the last eleven years, Parsons stated that he would bring him to events and just assume that everybody else knew they were a couple. Discussing his relationship, Parsons has previously claimed that their romance is ‘an act of love, coffee in the morning, going to work, washing the clothes, taking the dogs out, a regular life, boring love’. Now as one of the worlds highest paid TV actors, Parsons still has no plans to marry, telling talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, ‘I don’t know that’s a hard one, you get used to your life as it is’.
6Ellen Page
Garnering fame at a young age in movies such as Hard Candy and Juno, Ellen Page has continued to achieve success throughout her career, with huge blockbusters such as Inception and X-men firmly under her belt. With rumors constantly circulating with regards to her sexuality, Page came out via a speech that she had written during the Human Rights Campaign ‘Time to Thrive’ conference in 2014. Claiming that she was ‘tired of hiding and tired of lying by omission’, the speech was incredibly moving, causing a number of celebrities to publicly applaud her. Revealing in 2015 that she was currently romantically involved with artist and surfer girl Samantha Thomas, Page and Thomas have been going strong ever since, often publicly pictured together very much in love. Discussing her partner at the 2016 Sundance film festival in Utah, Page beamed ‘she’s awesome and we have so much fun together, we love each other and support each other’. Like Bob Harper, Page was also voted one the of the ‘sexiest vegetarians’ in showbiz and is currently leading a vegan lifestyle.
5Sarah Paulson
Who doesn’t love Sarah Paulson? Adored round the world, Paulson first started life in the theater, earning praise for her acting ability on stage. Working her way into movies, Paulson has starred in a number of Hollywood hits, from the classic rom-com What Women Want to the more recent Academy Award winning Carol. As well as theater and film, Paulson has also dipped her toes into a number of TV shows, counting American Horror Story and the recently successful American Crime Story among her accolades. Coming out during an interview for an LGBT themed event in 2007, Paulson publicly declared her love for then girlfriend Cherry Jones, going on to describe her preference as ‘fluid’. Now in a relationship with the equally fabulous Holland Taylor, the leading ladies are often pictured together holding hands, and looking madly in love. With a number of ridiculous and unfortunate comments on the obvious age gap between the two women, Paulson recently stated ‘there’s a poignancy to being with someone older. I think there’s a greater appreciation of time and what you have together and what’s important, and it can make the little things seem very small’. Well said.
4Frank Ocean
Beginning his career as a ghostwriter for a number of famous and successful musicians, Justin Bieber being one of them, Frank Ocean has also collaborated with a number of rap super stars from Kanye West to Jay Z. Coming out in 2012, the act was seen as extremely courageous, especially as those who often work within the rap industry are often subject to a number of stereotypes. Confessing in an open letter via his Tumblr blog, Ocean wrote about feelings he had experienced for another man, claiming, ‘I don’t have any secrets I need kept anymore….I feel like a free man’. Referring to the man in question as his first ‘true love’, Ocean went on to say ‘your decision to go public about your orientation gives hope and light to so many young people living in fear‘. Encouraging a number of celebrities to stand up and publicly voice their support for his actions, Ocean was openly applauded by hip hop giant Russell Simmons, who stated ‘today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we?’
3Jonathan Bennett
Best known for his portrayal of boy toy Aaron Samuels in the absolutely amazing Mean Girls, Jonathan Bennett can now be seen hosting the extremely successful Cake Wars on the Food Network. As a vocal backer for charity project Love is Louder, which supports those who are bullied or have been in the past, Bennett uploaded a video of himself discussing his reasons for supporting such a tremendous and encouraging campaign, stating ‘of all people, I know how mean people can be to each other. I mean, we made a whole movie about it (referencing Mean Girls). It happened to me in high school, it happened to me in college, it still happens to me today. And I’m not gonna lie, it sucks. Sometimes it really sucks. But it doesn’t have to forever because there are people out there who love you, and love is a lot louder than hate’. Rumored to have dated fellow actor Matt Dallas, Bennett has also seemingly been unfortunately ‘accidentally’ outed by a number of co-stars and supposed friends.
2Michelle Rodriguez
Known for being so awesome in the Fast and the Furious franchise, Michelle Rodriguez has also lead a promising career, with movies such as Girlfight and Resident Evil garnering her critical acclaim. Claiming in 2006 during an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine that she was indeed not a lesbian, she later stated that she had ‘experimented’ with the same gender. With popular lesbian magazine Curve, later running a story that Rodriguez was bisexual, the actress later blasted the article, criticizing that they had ‘put words in her mouth’. As rumors began circulating again, Rodriguez was pictured getting cozy with super model to the stars Cara Delevingne. Snapped on a number of occasions, the pair were often spotted kissing in public, most famously at a New York Knicks basketball game in 2014. With her relationship with Delevingne causing her to then describe herself as bisexual, Rodriguez stated ‘Bi, yeah, I fall under the B category of LGBT’.
1Cara Delevingne
Speaking of which. Now referred to as the Queen of the runway, supermodel to the masses, Cara Delevingne has now set her eyes on Hollywood, starring in a number box office hits over the last couple of years. Born in the UK, Delevingne quickly shot up to the higher ranks of cat walk glory, going on to work for a number of high fashion brands all over the world. Openly bisexual, Delevingne has had relationships with Michelle Rodriquez and famed musician St. Vincent, who she subsequently broke up with this year. After shutting down suggestions that her sexuality was in fact a phase, after the popular magazine Vogue appeared to have claimed that it was, Delevingne was later quoted as saying ‘my sexuality is not a phase. I am who I am’. Later attributing then girlfriend St. Vincent as a helpful aide with regards to her acting skills, Delevingne later announced that was ‘completely in love’, stating ‘before, I didn’t know what love was, real love. I didn’t understand the depth of it. I always used to think it was you against the world’. Awwww. Although it has been announced that the pair have indeed broken up, it doesn’t stop the rumor mill going into over drive with whispers that the two are intent on getting back together.
sources: www.mtv.co.uk, www.nytimes.com, www.eonline.com, www.huffingtonpost.com