A look at the stars who’ve come out as LGBTQIA+ so far this year
Demi Lovato • Singer and actress Demi Lovato came out as nonbinary in March. Lovato previously had come out as bisexual and said in their documentary “Dancing With the Devil” that they identified as “queer.”
“Today is a day I’m so happy to share more of my life with you all- I am proud to let you know that I identify as non-binary & will officially be changing my pronouns to they/them moving forward,” Lovato said on social media.
Jojo Siwa • Former “Dance Moms” star and YouTube darling Jojo Siwa came out as part of the LGBTQ community in an emotional video in April. The 17 year-old said she wasn’t ready to commit to a specific “label” just yet but told People Magazine she best identified with the term pansexual.
“I still don’t know what I am. It’s like, I want to figure it out,” Siwa told People. “I always just say gay because it just kind of covers it, or queer because I think the keyword is cool… Technically, I would say that I am pansexual, because that’s how I have always been my whole life is just, like, my human is my human.”
Colton Underwood • Former “Bachelor” star Colton Underwood came out as gay during a live interview in April with ABC News’ Robin Roberts. “I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life,” Underwood told Roberts.
Kehlani • The singer told the world she identifies as a lesbian in a TikTok video posted in late April. The Oakland native said in the video, “I finally know I’m a lesbian.” She added, “Well, it’s true. I am gay, gay, gay.”
Gabbi Tuft • Former WWE wrestler Gabbi Tuft, who wrestled under the name Tyler Reks, came out as transgender in a series of heartfelt social media posts in early February. “I am no longer afraid and I am no longer fearful. I can now say with confidence, that I love myself for WHO I am,” Tuft said at the time.
Courtney Stodden • Social media influencer and model Courtney Stodden came out as nonbinary in an Instagram post April 14.
Stodden said in the post, “They/them/theirs. I don’t Identify as she or her. I’ve never felt like I ever fit in anywhere. I was bullied horribly in school because I was different. The other girls never understood me. It got so bad that my mom pulled me out of school. And still, i don’t fit in. I never really connected with anyone my age. My spirit is fluid with a kaleidoscope of color.”
Adelaide Kane • Kane, the star of “Teen Wolf” and Netflix’s period drama “Reign,” came out as bisexual in a video posted to her TikTok account on Valentine’s Day. The caption said “me super nervous to come out publicly as bisexual to the people in my life & social media.” Kane later clarified on her Instagram by saying, “spoiler alert: I’m not straight.”
Kayla Braxton • WWE wrestler Kayla Braxton came out as bisexual in early March. Braxton joined WWE in 2016 and used the ring name Kayla Becker. In a tweet that’s since been deleted (along with Braxton’s entire Twitter account), she said, “Tonight, I choose to be over having to choose. Hello, world. I’m Kayla. Oh. And yeah – I’m bi.”
Ronen Rubinstein • “9-1-1 Lone Star” star and activist Ronan Rubenstein came out as bisexual in late May. Rubinstein famously played a gay firefighter on the show and said the role helped him figure out his own sexual identity. “I’m bisexual and I was excited to portray a gay character. I got to explore a side of myself that I’ve never gotten to explore, especially on camera,” he told New Zealand-based website Stuff.
David Archuleta • “American Idol” contestant Archuleta, who placed second in the 2008 season, came out as bisexual and asexual June 12. Archuleta, a devout Mormon, said in his coming out post, “I just invite you to please consider making room to be more understanding and compassionate to those who are LGBTQIA+, and those who are a part of that community and trying to find that balance with their faith which also is a huge part of their identity like myself. I think we can do better as people of faith and Christians, including Latter-day Saints, to listen more to the wrestle between being LGBTQIA+ and a person of faith.”
Nats Getty • Nats Getty, Gigi Gorgeous’ partner since 2016 (the two married in 2019) came out as nonbinary and transgender in January. Getty shared they were in the process of gender-confirming care including surgery and said in a post, “I have spent my entire life not in sync with the body I was born with and confined by an outwardly appearance that did not match my mind or soul. It wasn’t until recently that I was even comfortable admitting this to myself, once I was able to look inward and truly reflect on my authentic self.”
Lux Pascal • Pedro Pascal’s sister Lux Pascal came out as transgender in February. Lux is an actress and told Chilean magazine “Ya” that “my transition has been something that’s very natural for everyone in my family … It’s almost something that they expected to happen.”
Lily Jo Hanson • Lily Jo Hanson, who ran the popular “Joe Goes” YouTube channel, came out as transgender in March. After nearly three years without posting a video, Hanson came back to her channel with an emotional coming out video she titled “The Cost of Costumes.”
“From my earliest memories, I knew I was female inside and my body didn’t match,” Hanson, age 38, said. “When I saw other women I burned with envy. I drew pictures of myself as a woman, I imagined it. I even prayed to God at night to make my body female when I woke up – it didn’t work. Should have tried Satan,” Hanson joked.
Ella Hunt • “Dickinson” actress Ella Hunt came out as queer in March. The 22 year-old actress told magazine Square Mile in an interview that working on the Apple TV+ show “Dickinson” — which is a dramatization of the life of noted queer poet Emily Dickinson — helped her figure out her own sexuality.
“I love the term queer,” she told Square Mile. “I don’t think it is specifically about sexuality, I see it as a mindset and feeling empowered in the bizarre and the strange sides of myself.”
Emma Corrin • “The Crown” actress Emma Corrin came out as queer in a very short Instagram post in April. Corrin posted a picture from her photo shoot with Pop Magazine and captioned it simply, “ur fav queer bride.”
Laganja Estranja • “RuPaul’s Drag Race” contestant Laganja Estranja came out as transgender mid-June. The drag queen said in an Instagram post June 15, “I am so proud to identify as trans and to be living my truth.”
Carl Nassib • Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib came out as gay June 21. Nassib’s coming out makes him the first active player in the NFL to be openly gay, though several NFL players have come out in the past.
Larry Saperstein • “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” star Larry Saperstein came out as bisexual in a video on TikTok on June 2. The actor, who plays “Big Red” in the Disney+ series, jumped on the “International Super Spy” challenge, in which users take a seemingly unextraordinary fact about themselves and use it to reveal something unexpected. Saperstein’s video had the words “Plays a character with a girlfriend on tv,” before switching to “Is bi irl.”
Joshua Bassett • After releasing a cryptic “coming out” video in which he described Harry Styles as hot, “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” star Joshua Bassett made a more formal declaration of his non-straight status. “I’m happy to be part of the LGBTQ+ community because they embrace all,” he told GQ, without defining where on the spectrum he falls. “I just hope that this generation can feel comfortable, confident and safe talking about sexuality without needing to be a box and without needing to have it all figured out.
Jack Dylan Grazer • “Shazam!” and “Luca” actor Jack Dylan Grazer came out as bisexual while hosting an Instagram Live. When one viewer asked if he was gay, he replied saying “I’m bi” before shouting his “Luca” character’s catchphrase “Silenzio Bruno!” Later, Grazer updated his Instagram profile to reflect that he uses “he/they” pronouns.
Gigi Goode • “RuPaul’s Drag Race” Season 13 finalist Gigi Goode came out as trans in August after revealing she began hormone replacement therapy in January. The performer also said she underwent facial feminization surgery. “I do identify as a trans non-binary person, but I prefer she/her pronouns,” she said.
Cassandra Peterson aka Elvira • Peterson, who is better known by her alter ego Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, revealed in her memoir “Yours Cruelly” that she’s been in a relationship with a woman for 19 years — a trainer she met at the gym.
Kal Penn • The “Harold and Kumar” actor came out on Oct. 31, revealing to People.com that he was in an 11-year relationship with a man only referred to as “Josh” and the two were engaged. “I’m really excited to share our relationship with readers. But Josh, my partner, my parents, and my brother, four people who I’m closest to in the family, are fairly quiet. They don’t love attention and shy away from the limelight,” Penn said.
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