Pride 2016: Celebrity Coming Out Stories That Changed The World

They helped pave the way for millions of LGBTQ people.

June 1, 2016

While we still have quite a ways to go with equality in all aspects of life for those who identify as LGBTQ (consider the transphobic “bathroom” law in North Carolina or the epidemic of bullying still plaguing schools across the country), we are unquestionably making strides. For one: It seems we are finally reaching a point where coming out isn't a career-ender for actors and actresses. It may not seem like much to some people, but it is a start.

But even just a couple decades ago, that was very much not the case. There were only a few performers willing to come out and brave the scorn of an ignorant public — and it’s partly because of them that we live in the more open environment we have today. Their coming out was met with a mix of reactions, but they continued to have successful careers, and helped change the public's perception of what it means to be LGBTQ. They've done a lot to de-stigmatize the community just by being their true selves. As we celebrate Pride month, it's time look back at 25 celebrities who helped change the world.

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Ellen DeGeneres
After years toiling away in the closet — publicly saying she was dating men but privately lamenting her secrecy — DeGeneres came out in an interview with Time in 1997, which coincided with her character’s coming out on the namesake sitcom Ellen. This cover story is seen by many as one of the most important moments of visibility in LGBTQ history.
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Sir Elton John
The world-renowned British pianist and pop star came out as bisexual in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1976. After his divorce from his ex-wife, he told the magazine in 1988 he felt “comfortable” being gay.

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3/25
Lily Tomlin
The female actor and comedian, known for movies such as 9 to 5 and TV shows like Grace and Frankie, has been open about her sexuality since meeting her wife Jane Wagner in the 1970s.
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4/25
Angela Davis
Davis is a countercultural activist, scholar, and author who rose to prominence as the leader of the Communist Party USA in the '60s. She ran for vice president of the United States twice in the '80s, became director of the Feminist Studies department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and eventually came out as a lesbian in an interview with Out in 1997.

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Andy Warhol
Warhol was a filmmaker, photographer, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, and the leader of the pop art movement. He was openly gay for most of his life, and notably before the landmark Stonewall riots.
2015 Noam Galai
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Kate Bornstein
Bornstein is an author, experimental performer, actor, activist, and now reality TV star who identifies as a non-binary person. In 1995, Bornstein wrote the seminal queer text Gender Outlaw.

2013 Robin Marchant
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John Waters
Waters is a filmmaker, screenwriter, author, comedian, visual artist, and journalist known widely for his transgressive cult films of the '70s and '80s. He’s been openly gay his entire career and a vocal supporter of gay rights and gay pride celebrations.
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Divine
Harris Glenn Milstead (known to many simply as Divine) was a drag performer, musician, comedic actor, and the longtime muse of John Waters. Milstead, who was openly gay for the entirety of his career, is considered one of America’s first drag superstars, and starred in films such as Pink Flamingos and Hairspray.

1988 Michael Putland
9/25
George Michael
After being “caught” engaging in sexual relations with another man in a public park, British pop icon and award-winning singer George Michael came out as a gay man in a 1998 interview with CNN. Michael was one of the most successful pop singers of the '80s and '90s and is also well known for his charitable work in Africa and among AIDS victims.
2014 Imeh Akpanudosen
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Linda Perry
Linda Perry is a singer-songwriter and music producer, formerly of the band 4 Non Blondes, who has helped craft the sounds of pop artists including P!nk, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani. Perry, a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, publicly came out in a performance with 4 Non Blondes at the 1993 Billboard Music Awards.

2014 Paul Zimmerman
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k.d. lang
A Grammy-award winning musician, lang was among the first women in country music to openly identify as gay; her work is often seen as a precursor to decades of lesbian musical artists. She has never been shy about playing with her image as an androgynous person, appearing on Ellen’s coming out episode and the cover of Vanity Fair for a “lesbian chic” spread with model Cindy Crawford.
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B.D. Wong
Wong is an actor and singer who shot to fame in the Tony-award-winning role of Song Liling in the Broadway production M. Butterfly before appearing in TV shows like Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Oz, as well as films like Jurassic Park and sequel Jurassic World. Wong has been openly gay since his career began in the '80s.

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Harvey Fierstein
Fierstein, one of America’s first openly gay celebrities, is an actor and playwright who never actually had to “come out.” He gave an interview to Barbara Walters on 20/20 in 1983, in which he spoke on American primetime television about his experiences as a gay man while promoting gay-themed Broadway productions Las Cage Aux Folles and Torch Song Trilogy.
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Sir Ian McKellen
McKellen is one of the most celebrated actors of his generation and a passionate LGBTQ rights activist. While he has always been privately open about his sexual orientation, he did not announce it publicly until 1988 in an interview on BBC Radio.

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Alan Cumming
Since publicly coming out as bisexual in 1998, actor and writer Cumming (known for roles in Cabaret, Emma, X2: X-Men United, and The Good Wife) has had a huge role in the LGBTQ rights movement, working extensively with GLAAD, HRC, and amFAR.
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Johnny Mathis
Mathis is a Lifetime Achievement Grammy Award-winning musician and the third best-selling artist of the 20th century, having sold over 350 million albums worldwide. In 1982, he came out as a gay man to US Magazine before facing a violent public backlash and having a representative retract the statement. He was later open about his sexuality again, and in 2006 he explained that he had received death threats in response to his original coming out.

2013 Chelsea Lauren
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Billie Joe Armstrong
A musician and songwriter best known for being the lead singer of the band Green Day, Armstrong first self-identified as bisexual in a 1995 interview with The Advocate.
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18/25
Melissa Etheridge
Etheridge is possibly one of the most iconic openly LGBTQ musicians of the past century, earning herself two Grammys and an Academy Award. Her album Yes I Am spent 138 weeks on the Billboard charts and produced massive hits and queer anthems alike, such as her classic song “Come to My Window,” the music video for which starred actress and fellow musician Juliette Lewis.

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19/25
David Bowie
Bowie was one of the most popular and celebrated gender-bending musicians, visual artists, and actors of all time. He had publicly labeled himself straight, gay, bisexual, and gender-non-conforming, though in later years was notably shy about revealing too much about his sexual history.
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20/25
RuPaul
RuPaul Charles, often called just “RuPaul” by fans, is one of the most famous drag performers in history, as well as an actor, talk show host, model, reality TV personality, and recording artist. His commercial work and activism beginning in the '90s is credited by many for helping to move queer issues to the mainstream.

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Dusty Springfield
Springfield was one of the most popular British singers in history, producing massive hit songs around the world during the '60s and '70s. Just one year after the Stonewall riots, and following the release of her album Dusty in Memphis, Springfield came out as bisexual in an interview with The Evening Standard.
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Michael Stipe
Stipe was the lead singer and lyricist for the alternative rock band R.E.M. from 1980 until the group dissolved in 2011. After his HIV/AIDS activism led to invasive rumors about his health in 1994, he identified himself as bisexual before later clarifying that he prefers to think of himself as just “queer.”

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Wilson Cruz
Wilson Cruz is an actor, activist, and spokesperson for the LGBTQ media watchdog organization GLAAD. He came to fame as Rickie Vasquez, an openly gay teenager on the cult television series My So-Called Life, and has gone on to appear in shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, The West Wing, and Ally McBeal, films such as Party Monster, and the Broadway musical Rent. He has been openly gay since his early career in the '90s.
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Chaz Bono
Bono is an actor, musician, writer, and activist who came to fame as the child of entertainers Cher and Sonny Bono. After being outed as a lesbian by the press, Bono (then known as Chastity) publicly announced being queer in an interview with The Advocate. Bono later came out as a transgender man. His activism and public education led to mainstream conversations about the transgender community, and he has written multiple books about his experiences and starred in a documentary about his transition called Becoming Chaz.