Coming out scenes in media are often shown as one-time occurrences. As soon as the character says “I’m gay…” or words to that effect, everyone from their mom to their old friend from camp to the guy that runs the deli in the next town knows.
This is, of course, not how things go in real life. Coming out is not a one-time thing (at least for most people) and you’ll likely be coming out over and over every time you move or start a new job or make a new friend. In our society, you’re straight until proven otherwise.
But every time someone comes out- and makes the gay community a little bit bigger- it is good for us and the world as a whole. With that in mind, let’s celebrate some rad women who came out in 2017.
Please note: This list only includes celebrities who actually used the words lesbian, bi, or gay to describe themselves when coming out in the public eye. It does not include outside speculations on a celebrity’s sexuality or when a celebrity’s comments were ambiguous (i.e. Lauren Duca’s “not entirely straight” tweet). 1. Orion Carloto
This YouTuber came out as bi in a vlog this May aimed at breaking the stigma towards bisexuals and giving advice to her subscribers. Earlier in the year, she also posted pictures of her kissing Brittenelle Fredericks with the caption, “My dream girl”. 2. Alia Shawkat Photo by Roy Rochlin/FilmMagic
This Arrested Development star came out as bi in an interview with Out Magazine back in May, while explaining how she related to playing lesbian characters- she played Ilana’s lookalike lover in Broad City.
She said: “I was a tomboy growing up, and I remember my mom asking me when I was 10, ‘Are you attracted to boys or girls?’ I said I don’t know. Now I consider myself bisexual, and I think balancing my male and female energies has been a big part of me growing as an actor.”
When explaining why she chose to come out now, Alia explained that she didn’t want to stay silent in this political climate.
She said: ” I used to be less outspoken. But as a woman, an Arab-American, and a member of the LGBTQ community, I have to use whatever voice I have. There’s no more delicacy in being quiet.” 3. Diora Baird Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
Diora, who played Meg in the US version of Shameless, came out as a lesbian to The Advocate in May and also revealed that she was in a relationship with comedian Mav Viola.
She said: “It took me years to accept who I truly was. I tried to be what was expected of me, but I have reached the point where I don’t want to hide anymore. In all my relationships with men, I knew something was missing and I finally figured out what that something is … I am meant to be in a relationship with a woman.”
4. Etta Ng https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ6lfsNHije/?hl=en
The teenage daughter of Jackie Chan came out on Instagram back in October with a photo of her posing before a rainbow background and the caption “In case no one got the memo, I’m gay”.
This text was later deleted and replaced with the hashtags: #lgbtqai #lgbt #lesbian and #androgynous. At the same time, social media influencer Andi Autumn posted that she and Etta were a couple and lived together in Hong Kong. 5. Honey G photo via Twitter
The rapper Honey G, who was one of the X Factor’s most controversial acts in 2016, came out as a lesbian in an interview with British tabloid The Sun in July and revealed that her ideal woman was someone like Queen Latifah or Dame Kelly Holmes.
Honey G, whose real name is Anna Gilford, said: “”I am a lesbian…Obviously, I get worried about homophobia because there are a lot of homophobic people out there. They might not like it. So I was worried about that.”
She explained that she wasn’t ready to come out during The X Factor and that her mentor Sharon Osbourne helped her keep it private when the press would ask questions in interviews. 6. Kristen Stewart photo via YouTube
I’m going to be honest here- many people reading this will be shocked to find K-Stew on this list. Not because they’re under the impression that the actress is straight but because they can’t believe that she only came out in 2017.
Although Kristen opened up about her relationship with Alicia Cargile back in 2016, she didn’t actually come out publically as bi until this year.
It began in February, when the Twilight star mocked Donald Drumpf, for being obsessed with her- during her opening monologue on SNL– before saying: “The president is not a huge fan of me, but that is so OK. And, Donald, if you didn’t like me then you’re really probably not going to like me now ’cause I’m hosting SNL and I’m, like, so gay, dude.”
She had previously clarified that she was bi, saying: “You’re not confused if you’re bisexual. It’s not confusing at all. For me, it’s quite the opposite.”
7. Elle Mills https://www.instagram.com/p/BcA1WvcFtKa/?hl=en
In November, this YouTuber came out as bi in an emotional video where she spoke about her sexuality and then proceeded to come out to her friends and family in a series of cute clips. In one such clip, she described everything about her crush (except for their gender) and got her friends to draw what they thought her crush would look like before revealing her picture of a woman. 8. Sue Bird Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Seattle Storm point guard and former Olympian Sue Bird came out as gay in an ESPN profile this July and revealed that she is in a relationship with soccer star Megan Rapinoe.
She said: “I’m gay. Megan’s my girlfriend. These aren’t secrets to people who know me. don’t feel like I’ve not lived my life. I think people have this assumption that if you’re not talking about it, you must be hiding it like it’s this secret. That was never the case for me.”
So why did Sue come out in 2017? She said that this was just the right time for her, which highlights that everyone should be able to come out on their own terms. 9. Natalia Taylor https://www.instagram.com/p/BWoQL_4AZJZ/
When this YouTuber came out as bisexual on Twitter this April, it wasn’t entirely of her own volition. You see Natalia came out after a fellow vlogger (Sierra Watts) outed her and her girlfriend, Anna Campbell.
Sierra claimed that she thought they were already out- many had suspicions about the pair’s relationship- and has since apologized and deleted the post but that was still remarkably ill-advised (and potentially dangerous) of her.
10.Shannon Purser photo via Instagram
The 20-year-old star of ‘Stranger Things’ and ‘Riverdale’ came out as bi on Twitter this April.
She said: “I don’t normally do this, but I figure now is as good a time as any to get personal. I’ve only just recently come out as bisexual to my friends and family. It’s something I am still processing and trying to understand and I don’t like talking about it too much.”
Why now? After Riverdale received some warranted criticism over queerbaiting with the Beronica storyline, Shannon did some research into the term- which she hadn’t heard before- and apologized; although it should be noted that the actors do not decide what happens in the show. This was probably not the main reason for her coming out but it may have been the trigger cause. 11. Dodie Clark https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba7XZgug3CZ/?hl=en
This British singer-songwriter, who stylizes her professional name as dodie, came out as bisexual via song in June.
The Londoner sang: “Have you heard of LGBTQ+? Well, I am the B. I have a heart that could love plural genders. Yes, I’m bi, and I’m proud to be me.”
She also disputed harmful stereotypes about bi people (like it being a ‘phase’) in verse. 12.Katie Sowers Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
The NFL’s only current female coach came out as a lesbian in an interview with OutSports in August and became the first openly LGBT NFL coach in history.
The assistant coach for the San Francisco 49ers also said that the sport needs to create a more welcoming environment for other people to come out.
Katie said: “No matter what you do in life, one of the most important things is to be true to who you are. There are so many people who identify as LGBT in the NFL, as in any business, that do not feel comfortable being public about their sexual orientation. The more we can create an environment that welcomes all types of people, no matter their race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, the more we can help ease the pain and burden that many carry every day.” Why does it matter when celebrities come out? Simply, it provides representation, which is good for our community but also society as a whole.
This representation aids mental wellbeing by telling lesbian or bi people that they are not alone, which in turn makes those who are still in the closet feel more able to come out.
It also increases public visibility of us and in turn, improves public attitude towards us.
There are some perfectly well-meaning but completely uninformed people who will claim that they don’t know any lesbians (as if you can tell based on looks) and this lack of visibility can be used by those in power to discriminate against us. After all, if you don’t have personal experience with a marginalized group, you may not always understand why it needs legal protections.
However, the good thing is that personal experience with a marginalized group need not always be that they are in your immediate circle. It can be that they are just on your radar, whether it be the singer that’s always on the radio or the actor (or even character) in your favorite TV show.
The next time that issues like the same-sex wedding cake case at the Supreme Court come up, someone who never thought about gay rights before may just find themselves remembering one of these women and advocating for our rights because of it. On Coming Out For those of you reading this who haven’t come out, I want you to know that I understand. I didn’t really come out until my 20s- after telling someone that I shouldn’t have trusted when I was in my teens- so I know that it takes a lot of emotional labor to come out and it’s not always pretty.
I would, however, argue that it is worth it to live your truth. If you’re thinking about coming out, AfterEllen has some great resources in its Coming Out forum.
Now I’d like to hear from you. Which female celebrities have I missed off this list? What do you think about positive representation and its wider impacts? And do you have any tips for coming out? Let me know your thoughts – and possibly your coming out experiences – in the comments below.
