Some stars come out as LGBT+ to big fanfare, but others may have been out for years or may have come out quietly.

PinkNews brings you a list of 43 iconic stars who, even if they personally avoid labels, are still LGBT role models.

1. Drew Barrymore

The Santa Clarita Diet star came out as bisexual in 2003. She has been married three times, to Jeremy Thomas, Tom Green and Will Kopelman.

She told Contact Music: “Do I like women sexually? Yeah, I do. Totally. I have always considered myself bisexual.”

In February 2017 she said she’d rather be with Kate Middleton than Prince William.

In an interview with ITV’s Loose Women, the star weighed in on which member of the Royal Family she preferred.

But rather than opting for either of the younger Princes, the star who has opened up in the past about her relationships with women, said she’d pick Kate Middleton.

She said: “I’d love to be with Kate Middleton the most – at the risk of sounding controversial. Princesses over Princes!”

2. Kate McKinnon

The Ghostbusters star was the first out lesbian member of the Saturday Night Live cast. She revealed that she realised she was a lesbian after watching Gillian Anderson as Scully on the X-Files.

“I figured it out by watching The X-Files and by noticing my physiological reaction to it,” she said.

“I thought at first my physiological reaction was a product of David Duchovny’s face but no, it was Gillian Anderson-who still is the queen of my heart. So I knew then.”

The Emmy-winning star of SNL has become known for her impersonations of Kellyanne Conway and Jeff Sessions.
RELATED: 7 reasons Kate McKinnon should be your new queer crush

3. Kristen Stewart

The Twilight star came out back in 2015. She later responded on SNL to President Trump’s “obsession” with her saying “I’m so gay, dude”.

Before she came out, the actress had an on-again off-again romance with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson – but they broke up in 2012 amid tabloid rumours of infidelity.

The now-President Donald Trump grew obsessed with Stewart at the time, sending a notorious string of tweets about her spanning several months comparing her to a dog.

While hosting President Trump’s favourite TV show Saturday Night Live, Stewart – who came out as gay in 2015 – directly addressed the show’s most loyal viewer.

She said: “I’m a little nervous to be hosting because I know the president is probably watching and I don’t think he likes me that much. Here’s how I know.

“A few years ago I was dating this guy called Robert, and we broke up and then we got back together, and for some reason it made Donald Trump go insane.”

4. Amandla Stenberg

Hunger Games star Amandla came out as bisexual via a series of Snaps back in 2016.

On the subject of minorities being “silenced” she said: “As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman I’ve been through it, and it hurts and it’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable.”

Stenberg made her film debut in 2011 in the film Colombiana before landing the role of Roo in the mega hit Hunger Games series staring alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

The actor, who played the character of Roo in the series, revealed her sexuality almost as an after-thought whilst she took over TeenVogue’s Snapchat profile.

Stenberg subsequently posted the video on her Tumblr page, where she talks about the lack of media representation of women of colour.

On the subject of minorities being “silenced” she said: “As someone who identifies as a black bisexual woman I’ve been through it, and it hurts and it’s awkward and it’s uncomfortable.”

5. Kesha

Kesha came out as bisexual in 2013, and has since officiated at two same-sex weddings.

Kesha returned to the spotlight in July 2017, and she brought a rainbow with her.

The superstar dropped her new song, Praying, nearly four years after her last single.

The song forms part of her new album, Rainbow, which was released on August 11.

During her emotional video for the song, the Tik Tok star addresses her producer Dr Luke, who she alleged raped her, and talks about dealing with depression during the court battle.

In a Beyoncé-esque intro, she tackles her depression head-on, asking: “Am I dead? Or is this one of those dreams? Those horrible dreams, that seem like they last forever?

“If I am alive, why? Why? If there is a god or whatever, something, somewhere, why have I been abandoned by everyone and everything I’ve ever known? I’ve ever loved? Stranded.

“What is the lesson? What is the point? God, give me a sign or I have to give up. I can’t do this anymore.

“Please just let me die. Being alive hurts too much.”

6. Gillian Anderson

As well as helping Kate McKinnon to realise her own sexual orientation, Gillian Anderson has also had relationships with women.

Back in 2014, years after revealing she had relationships with women, she said she owed it to a late female partner not to keep their relationship a secret.

Anderson was unrecognisable in a still from TV series American Gods, in which she’s playing David Bowie.

Anderson said of revealing the relationship: “She had died of a brain tumour a year earlier and I had never really spoken about her.

“She was a beautiful person who was very meaningful in my life and I wanted to honour her instead of hiding my experience.

“There was a point years after we split when she phoned to tell me to say she had been offered a large amount of money to sell a photograph of us together and had chosen not to do it.”

7. Margaret Cho

Margaret Cho has included her bisexuality as a theme in her shows.

The comedian says she has had “a lot of experience in the area of polyamory and alternative sexuality in general”.

In the 2002 show Notorious C.H.O., she discussed her sexual orientation.

The comic, actress and LGBT activist has opened up about the homophobic abuse she receives through social media.

In a Facebook post, the bisexual actress described some of the troubling encounters she has been involved in – both on and offline.

“I’ve experienced numerous breaches of security, a couple of very troubling face to face interactions and so much online trolling I can’t help but believe it’s all somehow connected,” she wrote.

8. Aubrey Plaza

Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza came out as bisexual back in 2016.

The actor who played April Ludgate in the hit TV show, has said that she “falls in love with girls and and guys”.

Her co-star Natalie Morales came out as queer in July 2017.

In an interview with The Advocate, the film and TV star said: “I know I have an androgynous thing going on, and there’s something masculine about my energy. Girls are into me — that’s no secret. Hey, I’m into them too. I fall in love with girls and guys. I can’t help it.”
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The actress, who has also starred in films such as ‘Life after Beth’, ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’ and ‘Dirty Grandpa’, added that she feels her tastes are like that of an old gay man’s and that she “grew up obsessed with Judy Garland”.

9. Cara Delevingne

The Paper Towns actor and model has had high-profile relationships with women.

In July 2017 she said she doesn’t like being “pigeonholed” by people who insist on labelling her gay.

The Suicide Squad star also opened up about her battle with depression, with a view to opening up a dialogue on the subject.
Delevingne also revealed her experience of working with disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein.

The model and performer says she had a “very odd and uncomfortable call” with the movie mogul when she started out as an actress.

Delevingne also claims he told her she would have no future in Hollywood if she is open about her sexuality and relationships with other women.

10. Daniel Newman

The Walking Dead star Daniel Newman who plays Daniel in the hit series came out as gay in an emotional reveal in early 2017.

In a touching YouTube video, he said a chance meeting with a girl at a homeless youth centre he was volunteering at had changed his mind about hiding his sexuality.

The actor, who has also starred in Vampire Diaries, Homeland and Sex and the City, said the girl had thanked him profusely for helping the LGBT community.

After he had questioned why she was thanking him, she said: “Because you’re straight.” That was the moment he said he knew he had to come out.

“I’m not straight,” the actor, who plays Daniel in the show, had responded, and the girl’s answer floored him.

“Why have you never said that publicly before? You could help change our lives.”

“It hit me like a gut-punch,” Newman said. “It felt like someone knocked the wind out from me.

“And I realised how important it is in this day and age to be visible – to let people who know you are.”

11. Jess Glynne

The singer came out in 2015, saying she wanted to be honest with her fans. She later said she didn’t want to put a label on her sexuality and helped a gay couple get engaged.

Glynne had previously spoken of how her debut album was inspired by breaking up with an ex-girlfriend.

However, when the star recently opened up about her sexuality, she claimed she doesn’t want her honesty to mean she is branded as straight, lesbian or bisexual – instead, she wants to avoid labels altogether.

Glynne – who says she is proud of her sexuality – said: “I’ve only ever been with one girl in my life and that’s the girl from my album.

“It was hard at the beginning of the relationship, because until then I had only ever gone out with guys. But I am who I am,” she told The Daily Star Sunday.

“I’m never going to put a label on my sexuality and people should never feel uncomfortable about who they love,” she added.

She later explained why she was so honest with fans over her sexuality and the inspiration for her songs.

“I wanted my album to be as honest as possible. I’ve laid all my cards on the table and gave the truth.

“There was never a question of hiding the story behind it.

“I pray one day we get to a point where it’s no longer a thing.”

12. Holland Taylor

The 74-year-old actor spoke about her sexuality back in 2015, saying she never needed to come out because she lives out.

She and American Horror Story star Sarah Paulson have since confirmed that they are in a long-term relationship together.

On coming out, she said: “No, I haven’t come out because I am out. I live out.”

Taylor described her new relationship as “the most wonderful, extraordinary thing that could have ever possibly happened in my life.”

The 72 year-old actress was also asked why it had taken her such a long time to come out as gay.

“I haven’t come out because I am out,” she replied. “I live out.”

“I feel at this point in the conversation it feels kind of awkward. Now I feel very very shy of it.

“I’ve been really wrestling with this lately because most of my relationships have been with women and I don’t like talking about them because I don’t like talking about the politics of it all.

“I think we’re ridiculous in this country (the US) about it. Ridiculous.”

13. Michael Sam

Former NFL star Michael Sam came out as gay and was the first out gay player to be drafted.

After coming out in 2014 and has since had brief spells with the NFL’s St Louis Rams, the Dallas Cowboys, and Canadian Football League’s Montreal Alouettes.

He later said coming out ruined his NFL career, and called out racism in the gay community.

“I think if I never would have came out, never would have said those words out to the public, I would still be currently in the NFL,” he said in an interview.

“But because of me saying those words, I think it could have played a huge part in my current situation.”

Critics have been quick to discredit the star’s claims – with some insisting that the only reason he was ever drafted into the league was because of his sexuality.

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14. Fergie

Back in 2009, the Black Eyed Peas star confirmed she is bisexual. And she said she does love a “well-endowed man”.

The star, who married Josh Duchamel, told the Sun: “Put it this way, I’ve experimented definitely, but I have never had a steady girlfriend.”

She added: “You’ll like our next video, for ‘I Got a Feeling’, because I have a little girl-on-girl tease section of the video.

“I met the girls right before we did the scene.

“They were beautiful. They were hot.

“One of them was the director’s girlfriend — so he was happy!”

15. Anna Paquin

The True Blood star has been out as bisexual since 2010. In 2012 she said bisexuality is “just part of who I am”.

After coming out she said she was proud to be a happily married bisexual mother, and said that her bisexuality really hadn’t been a secret.

The, True Blood, star came out in 2010, and has spoken frequently about her bisexuality, but said that some people have a problem with the fact that she identifies as bisexual:

“Some people find it odd that you can identify with a sexual orientation that is not straight and yet be married to someone of the opposite sex. They’re like, ‘Obviously it’s not real if you’re married to a dude’”.

“But that’s not my problem, I’m like, okay, if that’s how you feel, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’m just living my life.”

“I am a happily married woman and I married a man,” she said, “I don’t think that negates that aspect of my life, but obviously I wouldn’t be with my husband if I didn’t want to be married to a man.”

16. Aaron Carter

Carter came out in a touching Twitter post in which he quoted fellow artist Boy George.

Carter, who is well known for kick-starting his pop career in the 1990s, took to the social media platform to come out to fans.

He wrote: “To start off, I would like to say that I love each and EVERY ONE of my fans.

“There’s something I’d like to say that I feel is important for myself and my identity that has been weighing on my chest for nearly half of my life.

“This doesn’t bring me shame, just a weight and burden I have held onto for a long time that I would like lifted off of me.”

Carter goes on to explain that he always found males and females attractive from a young age, but didn’t begin to come to terms with it until he was older.

“I grew up in this entertainment industry at a very young age and when I was around 13-years-old I started to find boys and girls attractive.

“There were years that went by that I thought about it, but it wasn’t until I was 17-years-old, after a few relationships with girls, I had an experience with a male that I had an attraction to who I also worked with and grew up with,” he wrote.

He finished the moving post by adding that for him, music has always been a safe haven and has been a tool to help him understand his sexuality.

17. Ellen Page

Inception star Ellen Page came out as gay in an incredibly moving speech at the Human Rights Campaign back in 2014. She said she was “tired of lying by omission”.

The star has since strongly campaigned for LGBT+ rights and has said she wished she had come out sooner.

Page has spoken candidly about a joke in her hit film Juno.

Page sprung to stardom through the Oscar-winning 2007 film, which starred her as a pregnant teenage girl.

The actress came out as gay in 2014 while speaking at an event for the Human Rights Campaign, and has since become a fierce LGBT activist.

In an interview this week, Page opened up about a moment in Juno that she bitterly regrets.

18. Tim Cook

The Apple boss who took over from Steve Jobs when he passed away, came out as gay in 2014.

Cook was even considered by Hillary Clinton as a possible running mate for her 2016 presidential bid.

In 2017, the Apple CEO won The Newseum Institute’s Free Speech Award for his work protecting LGBT rights.

He has slammed Trump’s Muslim ban and the President’s proposed ban on transgender people serving in the military.

And Cook wrote a powerful letter rejecting the President’s response to a white nationalist rally in Virginia, which claimed the life of one woman.

Trump was widely condemned for equating the actions of neo Nazis and anti-fascist campaigners.

Cook has been a vocal supporter of LGBT rights since he came out in 2014, with the Human Rights Campaign honouring him for his work in 2015.

19. Joel Grey

Cabaret star Joel Grey who played the Emcee in the hit film proved it’s never too late to come out, coming out as gay aged 82 back in 2015.

The Cabaret star played the Emcee in both the original stage and film versions of the Kander and Ebb musical – and later played a gay man in the stage version of AIDS drama The Normal Heart.

In an interview with People magazine, he said: “I don’t like labels, but if you have to put a label on it, I’m a gay man.

“All the people close to me have known for years who I am. [Yet] it took time to embrace that other part of who I always was.”

He also opened up about his childhood, and being surrounded by homophobia in the 1930s and 40s.

He said: “[I would hear] the grownups talk in the next room, my mother included, talking derisively about ‘fairies’ and men being dragged off to jail and even worse for being who they were.

“[About that time] I came to realize, along with being attracted to girls, I had similar feelings for boys.”

20. Kristian Nairn

Nairn, who plays Hodor in Game of Thrones came out as gay back in 2014.

He said: “Well, in all honesty, when you talk about ‘the gay community,’ you are talking about my community, haha.”

Nairn later said he is happy to fight gay stereotypes: “It’s been everywhere, People, CNN, all the way down to the little local paper in Belfast. I don’t want to be a figurehead or anything, but if I can help one person, I’ll be happy.”

“I’ve never hidden my sexuality from anyone, my whole life in fact, and I’ve been waiting for someone to ask about it in an interview, cos it’s not something you just blurt out. I’ve tried to lead the questions a few times, to no avail!

“It’s a very small part of who I am on the whole, but none the less, in this day and age, it’s important to stand up and be counted.”

Hodor is the first major character played by Nairn. The only word he ever speaks in the series is his name.

21. Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie has spoken about her bisexuality for a long time.

Speaking to Jane magazine, the readers of which said she was the most attractive star, she said: “They’re right to think that about me, because I’m the person most likely to sleep with my female fans. I genuinely love other women. And I think they know that.”

Back in 2014, Jolie, then married to Brad Pitt announced her support for their ten-year-old to self-identify as male.

The former couple were criticised in 2012 after they gave up waiting for marriage equality to marry, despite previously promising they would hold off.

John Jolie Pitt attracted widespread attention when they appeared on the red carpet for Angelina’s film ‘Unbroken’, wearing a tuxedo and with cropped hair.

The family have for several years shown full support for John’s right to explore their self-identification.

Back in 2010, Jolie said: “She wants to be a boy. So we had to cut her hair. She likes to wear boys’ everything. She thinks she’s one of the brothers.”

22. Wentworth Miller

Prison Break star Wentworth Miller came out as gay back in 2013 when he declined to attend a Russian film festival.

He has since used his prominence to speak out about his mental health issues and self-harm stemming from troubles with his sexuality.

Miller hit back at a follower who said he is not a “real man” back in 2016, and later starred in a powerful PSA about mental health issues.

Miller back in March hit out at a meme mocking him for his weight gain after leaving his most iconic role.

The actor was a huge name while starring in Prison Break, but was forced to deny gossip about his sexuality at the time.

He spent several years away from the spotlight after Prison Break ended in 2009 struggling with depression – before coming out as gay in 2013, admitting he “chose to lie” previously for the sake of his career.

23. Jason Collins

Jason Collins became the first NBA star to come out as gay back in 2013.

Collins later praised the NBA for moving its All Star game out of North Carolina over an anti-LGBT bathroom law.

Collins gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention last year, as Hillary Clinton prepared to accept the party’s Presidential nomination.

In his speech, Collins reveals that the Clintons knew he was gay before he told the world.

Collins gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2016, as Hillary Clinton prepared to accept the party’s Presidential nomination.

In his speech, Collins reveals that the Clintons knew he was gay before he told the world.
He said: “My dream was to play in the NBA and live my authentic life as a proud gay man at the same time.

“I was able to accomplish both of those goals because of the people who have supported me throughout my life.

“Before I came out to the world on the cover of Sports illustrated, I came out privately to the Clinton family.

“I have known their family for almost 20 years. I knew that they would accept me for who I was; and that they would help pave a path for others to do the same.

“I am forever grateful for their words of wisdom back then and their unconditional support.“

24. Cynthia Nixon

Sex and the City actor Nixon, who played Miranda in the series, first came out as bisexual, and later as gay.

The star caused controversy shortly before her marriage, when she claimed her homosexuality was a choice.

She later clarified that she didn’t identify as bisexual and that she is gay.

Nixon this year attacked President Trump in a powerful speech she gave at the Stonewall Inn, over his attitude towards LGBT issues.

“I didn’t really identify as bisexual,” she said, “but people were so insistent that I pick a ― you know, it caused a huge controversy and everyone wanted to graft on to me this narrative ― [that] I felt that I had just simply been mistaken about myself for all these years and finally the veil was lifted and I was a lesbian. And that was not true.”

Nixon also spoke about her role in A Quiet Passion, the upcoming biopic of poet Emily Dickinson written and directed by Terence Davies.

The actress speculates that Dickinson could have been bisexual, and spoke about how hard it is to capture the true essence of her story so many years on.

“I do think she was [bisexual.] It’s so hard for us 150 years later to really get tone right,” she adds.

25. Jodie Foster

Jodie Foster came out as gay in a speech at the 2013 Golden Globes, opening up about her partner.

A hilarious clip of Foster dealing with a heteronormative interviewer this year resurfaced and went viral.

The twice-Academy Award winner married Alexandra Hedison in 2014.

Foster was in 2016 finally been given the honour of her own spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The star’s very own star was placed on Hollywood Boulevard on 4 May.

Kristen Stewart will be responsible for presenting Foster with Hollywood’s highest honour (except that Oscar).

“We have been waiting for a long time for Jodie Foster to set a date for her star and are thrilled that the time has come,” Walk of Fame producer Ana Martinez tells WENN.

“She is a great role model for women and we are proud to add her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

26. Ben Whishaw

The London Spy star Ben Whishaw has been out as gay for some time. In 2016 he said he thought keeping his sexuality a secret had a negative effect on his career.

“I’m not damaged,” Ben Whishaw told the Guardian. “Not more than anybody else.”

He later said he was “baffled” that there is even a debate around gay actors and whether they should come out.

The London Spy star told the Guardian that keeping his sexual orientation a secret at the beginning of his career was damaging.

He said keeping it quiet “just made it worse.”

“Because then people assume you’ve got some really juicy, awful thing that you’re keeping from them,” he went on.

Discussing the fact that his civil partnership was revealed by a journalist, Whishaw said it was actually a relief.

27. Raven Symone

Back in 2014, the That’s So Raven star came out, saying she was dating a woman but that she didn’t want to be “labelled gay”.

She later said she was made to hide her sexuality by Disney while managing her image.

The 30-year-old said: “My likeness… had 15 people dictating what I should and should not look like, if I did whatever I want, I’m not gonna sell ’cause it doesn’t go with the brand. I was branded at such a young age.”

Going on, she said the pressure to maintain a sellable self-brand led her to hide her sexual orientation.

“My awareness of my sexuality was prevalent to me at 12, but there was some things younger in like the single digits. I had friends that I experimented with, but I never went far because I knew that this can’t be talked about,” she went on.

28. Wanda Sykes

Comedian and actor Wanda Sykes came out as a lesbian at a Prop 8 rally back in 2008.

She later said she never meant to come out but that once she did she was “treated like a unicorn”.

Sykes has revealed that she never meant to come out at a Prop 8 rally in 2008 but when she did, she was treated like a unicorn.

The comedian told The Meredith Show that she was called on stage by organisers as she had been vocal about her support for the anti Prop 8 campaign. She revealed that people treated her like a “unicorn” because, at the time, there were few out African-Americans.

She said: “It just came out. I had just gotten married. So instead of speaking as a supporter, I was speaking as one of the victims. It just happened. I didn’t even think about it… We continued with the rally and by the time I got to the hotel, I’m looking at the CNN scroll and it says, ‘Comedienne Wanda Sykes: I’m proud to be black and gay’ and whatever, I was like, ‘Oh lord. What the hell just happened?’ It was crazy.”

Sykes married her wife Alex Sykes in 2008 just before Proposition 8, the law that banned same-sex marriage in California, was passed.

Sykes revealed she was treated like a unicorn because she was a visible representative of the black LGBT community.

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29. Charlie Carver

Teen Wolf star Carver came out as gay in a five-page letter published on Instagram back in 2016.

In January 2017 he reflected on coming out.

He also said he would quit acting rather than hide his sexuality, if he had to choose.

Carver, who played Porter Scavo in Desperate Housewives and Ethan in Teen Wolf, came out as gay in a series of posts on Instagram in January 2016.

“I didn’t really give a f**k at that point because, for me, not that I was living under duress, but I’d said to myself if I can’t do this when I’m young, I’m not sure I wanna stay in this business,” Carver told the June issue of Attitude about his decision to come out publicly

“I think the world is changing, representation is changing, and I wanted to be a part of that and I wouldn’t wanna be in this business if I couldn’t be a part of that.”

In the interview, Carver also opened up about the impact of learning at the age of 12 that his father Robert Mortensen was gay.

30. Jake Zyrus

After coming out as a lesbian, the Glee star who played Sunshine came out as trans in 2017, revealing his post-transition look and new name.

Zyrus spoke for the first time in July 2017, since his transition to male.

He began work on the musical hit in its second season, starring in the role of Sunshine Corazon, a foreign exchange student.

Speaking to Philippino publication The Inquirer, Zyrus said transitioning was a natural process.

“I just went with the flow, as always,” he said. “I had to wait, because I knew it wasn’t going to be easy.”

n 2013 the Glee star, known then as Charice Pempengco, came out as a lesbian.

A year later during an interview with TV personality, Oprah Winfrey, Zyrus revealed his “soul” was male.

The interview with Oprah took place on a ‘where are they now’ special where she catches up with celebrities that were once in the public eye.

“I knew when I was five,” he told Oprah.

“I was in grade school and I saw this girl and I felt different… I didn’t know what it was, but I just knew at that time, it felt special.

31. Jim Parsons

Big Bang Theory star Jim Parsons came out as gay in 2012, and later said it was “wonderful” to come out quietly.

He is thought to be the highest paid out gay actor in Hollywood.

Check out some photos from his beautiful wedding to Todd Spiewak earlier in 2017.

The ceremony was conducted in the Rainbow Room, a glamorous New York landmark in the Rockefeller Plaza, according to Page Six.

While Parsons has been together with Spiewak for nearly a decade and a half, the actor only came out in 2012, when a New York Times writer outed him.

The actor, who plays Sheldon Cooper on the show – which was renewed for seasons 11 and 12 earlier this year – generally keeps his private life to himself.

32. Michelle Rodriguez

2 Fast 2 Furious actor Michelle Rodriguez came out as bisexual back in 2013, saying she is “too curious not to be”.

She defended a controversial film she starred in that included a forced gender-reassignment surgery, saying that it made her realise her femininity.

She told Page Six: “I had to tape my breasts down, and I still looked like a hermaphrodite.”

Going on she said playing the character made her realise she had been more feminine than she thought: “All my life I felt alienated by women. They were into the lipstick, nails, and dressing up, and I always felt like a tomboy, like I didn’t fit in.

“I felt like I had masculine qualities versus feminine qualities just because I am an alpha. I do what I want, and never let anybody tell me otherwise. I am kind of hardcore about that. But then when I go and actually play a man, I realized I am such a girl; there is nothing manly about me.”

Adding: “I was so confused growing up, so it took playing a man to make me a woman.”

33. Janet Mock

Mock came out as transgender publicly in 2011.

She is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist and TV host. She often campaigns on trans rights.

In 2015, Mock said she would “unapologetically” embrace her identity.

In a new interview, Mock says she has a renewed energy to deal with social issues, given the current administration.

“It created an urgency in me … [to be] even more exact, even more clear, even more conscious of speaking truth to power in the way that’s inclusive,” Mock tells Rolling Stone.

Earlier this year, after featuring Mock on their show, a comedian in the US refused to apologise after making a ‘joke’ about killing trans people on a radio show.

34. Ryan O’Callaghan

Ryan O’Callaghan was drafted to the New England Patriots in 2006, and has also played for the Kansas City Chiefs.

The player, who is now retired from professional football, opened up about his sexuality in an interview with Outsports.

O’Callaghan explained that he had tried to come out once before, in 2014, when he publicly thanked his boyfriend while receiving an award.

But in 2017 he later came out again as the acknowledgement went generally unnoticed.

The player, who is now retired from professional football, opened up about his sexuality in an interview with Outsports.

O’Callaghan explained that he had tried to come out once before, in 2014, when he publicly thanked his boyfriend while receiving an award.

However, the news went pretty much unnoticed, so he took the leap again in an interview this week.

He explained to Outsports of being in the closet: “I used football as a cover for my life. Football was the most masculine thing I could do, so I decided to dedicate myself to football.

“No one is going to assume the big football player is gay. It’s why a football team is such a good place to hide.”

35. Ian Thorpe

Legendary Olympic swimmer Ian Thorpe came out as gay back in 2014.

He has since spoken at length about his reasons for not coming out and why he denied being gay for so long.

The Australian five-time Olympic gold medallist faced rumours about his sexuality for years, but always aggressively denied being gay.

He came out in 2014, explaining in a TV interview: “I’ve wanted to [come out] for some time… I’m comfortable saying I’m a gay man.”

Since coming out, Thorpe has been linked in tabloids to Ricky Martin, but is currently in a relationship with model Ryan Channing.

The swimmer, who first represented Australia internationally at the age of 14, spoke about his struggles with his sexuality.

Speaking on ABC show Anh’s Brush With Fame, he confessed: “I wish I had come out earlier.”

He said: “You know I was [first] accused of being gay when… I think I was 16 at the time.

“But because it was kind of like I was being accused of it, I’d always thought of it, as that being a bad thing.”

36. Vanessa Carlton

Thousand Miles singer Carlton came out at a Pride event in Nashville in 2010.

She told an audience of 18,000 people at a gay and lesbian festival in Nashville, Tennessee that she was “proud” of her sexual orientation.

Carlton said: “I’ve never said this before, but I am a proud bisexual woman.”

The A Thousand Miles star, 29, was headlining the Nashville Pride Festival at the city’s Riverfront Park.

She has previously dated John Mayer and Third Eye Blind frontman Stephan Jenkins.

Her announcement follows the one made by actress Anna Paquin recently.

Paquin appeared in a public service advert to declare she was bisexual.

37. Michael Stipe

REM frontman Stipe came out as gay in 2008, a few years before the American indie icons called it a day in 2011.

The year the band split, Stipe went on to say he was “80 percent gay”. He later said that he was reluctant to get tested for HIV in the 1980s.

The singer, who has previously described himself as “80% gay”, said on Logo’s TV special Trailblazers that he is proud of the progress made towards gay rights.

He said: “In the early Eighties, as a 22-year-old queer man living during the Reagan-Bush administration, I was afraid to get tested for HIV for fear of quarantine, the threat of internment camps and having my basic civil rights stripped away.

“I waited five years to get my first anonymous test.

“I am happy that attitudes have matured and changed, and I feel lucky that I live in a country where acceptance, tolerance and policy toward HIV/AIDS and LGBTQ issues have advanced as far as they have.”

Stipe was the lead singer of band R.E.M until their split in 2011.

38. Amber Heard

Danish Girl actor Amber Heard has been vocal about her bisexuality for years. She recently said being married to Johnny Depp doesn’t define her sexuality.

This year she spoke about an “obsession” with bisexuality in Hollywood.

Tabloid newspaper the Sun claimed in a sensational report that Heard’s “bisexual tendencies” and a close friendship with Cara Delevingne led to the breakdown of her marriage with Johnny Depp.

The 30-year-old finalised her divorce with Depp amid allegations of domestic abuse and donated the whole of the $7 million divorce settlement to charity.

The star has been open about her bisexuality and past relationships with women.
Speaking at the Pride and Prejudice event held by the Economist, she says she became “attached” to the label bisexual.

“Then I realised the gravity of what I had done and why so many people-studio execs, agents, advisors-did not want this coming before my name,” The Danish Girl star said.

“I became attached to a label. I’ve never seen myself defined by the person I’m with.”

39. Sarah Paulson

American Horror Story star Paulson has been out for years and has spoken more recently about her relationship with star Holland Taylor.

This year she said she wanted to play President Trump in a comedy sketch.

Paulson was named alongside Gavin Grimm and RuPaul as one of the most influential LGBT people by TIME magazine.

The American Horror Story star also expressed her desire to play Trump in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter.

“I’d like to play Donald Trump,” the Emmy Award-winner said, adding: “Why not? That’s an acting challenge to be sure.”

40. Miley Cyrus

The Climb singer Miley Cyrus came out as pansexual back in 2015. She later confirmed she is gender-neutral.

The daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus first achieved fame as Disney Channel character Hannah Montana, but took a more singular path with her 2013 turning-point album Bangerz.

Speaking about her appearance as a judge on The Voice right after the US presidential election, she said she had wanted to change people’s minds about gender.

“I needed some sparkle in my life, to make me able to deal. Radiating love is ­something that is important to me – hopefully, that is being political.”

The Wrecking Ball singer explained that she doesn’t feel like a girl or a boy: “I just feel like nothing.”

And the 24-year-old said she sometimes asks her fiancé, actor Liam Hemsworth, “Do you like being a boy?”

41. Zachary Quinto

Star Trek star Zachary Quinto came out as gay in 2011.

He has since said he thinks he gets more work since coming out.

Quinto defended the decision to make Hikaru Sulu gay in the latest Star Trek film, after George Takei said a new character should be introduced as queer.

He also said other actors in the closet had come to him for help.

Quinto has accused Kevin Spacey of a “calculated manipulation” after he came out as gay following allegations of sexual assault.

House of Cards star Keven Spacey confirmed that he is gay for the first time today following allegations he made sexual advances on a teenage boy.

In an interview with BuzzFeed, Star Trek star Anthony Rapp claimed that when he was 14, Spacey invited him to a party at his New York apartment, and while drunk, tried to seduce him by climbing on top of him.

In response, Spacey said he didn’t remember the incident, but apologised for “deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour.”

42. Bella Thorne

Back in 2016 Disney star Bella Thorne came out as bisexual after posting a video on Snapchat of her kissing a woman.

She later responded to a Twitter user who asked if she was bisexual, confirming that she is.

One of the pictures shows the 18-year-old taking hold of her female partner and kissing her, the other shows her being the recipient.

It didn’t take long for fans to react to the news.

Responding to comments she received, Bella took to Twitter to thank fans for being so accepting.

43. Mara Wilson

The Matilda actor came out back in 2016, in the wake of the Orlando Pulse massacre.

“I *used* to identify as mostly straight. I’ve embraced the Bi/Queer label lately,” she said.

She more recently called for more boring representation of bisexual people in film and television.

Speaking to Lambda Legal, Wilson explained that at the time she had hoped coming out would enable her to be a platform which would champion LGBTQ+ voices in light of a horrific attack against the community.

Related: Mara Wilson is fighting for more ‘boring’ bi representation
However, when reflecting on the decision Wilson explained that she hasn’t done it at that time.

She said: “I often wish that I hadn’t done it then because I got accused of taking advantage of a tragedy for personal attention.

“Now clearly I like attention, but I am not so callous as to make a tragedy about myself, my life and my story. That isn’t what I was going for.”

The star explained that she believes it’s important for people with privilege to come out.
“I think that if you’re in a place of security and privilege  —  which I can admit that I am  —  it’s important for you to [come out].

“I don’t see myself as anybody’s savior, but I’d rather it were me  —  who can afford therapy and afford this platform  —  getting harassed for being who I am than a young LGBTQ kid. I think it’s important.”

44. Kevin Spacey

Star Trek actor Anthony Rapp said that in 1986, a 26-year-old Spacey invited him to a party at his New York apartment and climbed on top of the child, “trying to get with me sexually.”

Rapp, now 46, said he managed to flee before the encounter progressed any further.

In response, Spacey wrote on Twitter that he didn’t remember the incident, but apologised for “what would have been deeply inappropriate drunken behaviour.”

The Baby Driver actor added that he was “sorry for the feelings he [Rapp] describes having carried with him all these years,” before saying: “I choose now to live as a gay man.”

45. Nyle DiMarco

America’s Next Top Model star DiMarco came out in 2015, saying he is “sexually fluid”.

The model – one of last year’s most popular contestants – revealed to his sexuality to his followers during a Twitter Q&A.

He later said he is glad to be deaf because it means he doesn’t have to listen to Donald Trump.

The America’s Next Top Model and Dancing With the Stars winner says being deaf is not just part of his identity, but also an “advantage”.

“I don’t find not being able to hear an obstacle or a boundary,” he told the crowd at the Human Rights Campaign National Gala over the weekend.

“For me and for many of us, it is an advantage and it’s a part of my identity in fact. It’s a huge part of who I am,” he added.

“In this very turbulent political year, trust me, don’t you want to sometimes just turn the volume off completely when Donald Trump starts to rant?”

46. Gordon Thomson

One of the original stars of Dynasty, Gordon Thomson came out as gay.

Popular US soap opera Dynasty aired on ABC from 1981 until 1989.

Gordon Thomson played the role of Adam Carrington, the villainous the long-lost son of characters Blake Carrington and Alexis Carrington.

Thompson came out in an interview with the Daily Beast.

He explained that to come out “to come out [in the 80s] would have been professional suicide without question”.

47. Etta Ng

Ng took to Instagram to tell the world that she is a gay, posing in front of a rainbow coloured background.

Etta is the daughter of Jackie Chan and former Hong Kong beauty queen Elaine Ng.

The 17-year-old wrote: “In case no one got the memo, I’m gay.”

The revelation was followed by the hashtags “#lgbtqai, #lgbt, #lesbian, and #androgynous”.
Etta was born following an extra-marital affair, and it is not not known how he has reacted to her coming out.

Chan, who has appeared in more than 150 films, also has a son, actor Jaycee, with his wife and former actress Lin Feng-jiao.

48. Ryan Atkin

A referee, Ryan Atkin became the first out gay official in English football.

Ryan Atkin has given a wide-ranging interview with Sky Sports, where he spoke about his sexuality and the homophobia that still blights football.

“For a number of reasons, I feel it’s the right time for me to say that I’m someone involved in professional football who happens to be gay,” Atkin said.

“Clearly, this is a step into the unknown – in our UK pro game, it’s widely known that there are currently no openly gay footballers, nor have there been any openly gay referees until now.

“I hope that my action, however small, will help give others in a similar situation the confidence to be themselves.”

Of potentially being abused by fans, Atkin said: “Of course, being gay doesn’t matter in the context of refereeing a match but if I’m speaking about equality and diversity, then I’m going to mention that I’m gay because it’s relevant.

49. Ellen Stephenson

Stephenson, a 20-year-old creator from Brighton, UK, had gained more than 3,000 subscribers from her charming videos.

But while she began socially transitioning at home at the age of 11, Ellen was not open about her gender identity online – until now.

Ellen told PinkNews that being openly trans at home for so long while not out online was a “Hannah Montana situation.”

She explained: “I started living my life inside the house as a girl [while still presenting as male to the outside world]”.

The announcement, released on her channel, was a shock for some of her fans.
Ellen said she originally didn’t have any plans to come out when starting on YouTube.

50. Matt Bomer

The American Horror Story star has been out as gay since 2012. He married his husband Simon Halls in 2011.

The Magic Mike star revealed his parents’ shocking reaction to his coming out in May 2017.

He has since revealed how his parents reacted to the news of his coming out in an interview with Out magazine.

He said the gay publication: “Telling your family is a huge, huge deal.
“I really view my life as divided between the time before I told my parents, and the time after.

“And the decisions I made, and the life I lived, before and after, are vastly different. It’s night and day.”

“There was radio silence for a long, long time, at least six months,” he added.

“And then I came home and we had the blowup that I’d always feared.

“But we got that out of the way, and we got down to the business of figuring out how to love each other.”

51. Tyler the Creator

Tyler the Creator who has been involved in controversy over anti-gay lyrics in the past appears to have come out in a new track.

His track ‘I Aint Got Time!’ was leaked over the weekend along with other tracks from the album ‘Flower Boy’.

It was leaked two weeks before it is set to be officially released.

In the leaked track, he says: “Next line will have them like woah / I been kissing white boys since 2004.”

Reports also compared the lyrics to another song leaked, titled ‘Garden Shed’.

In that track he says: “That was real love I was in, ain’t no reason to pretend / All my friends was lost / They couldn’t read the signs / I didn’t wanna talk / I tell ’em my location and they ain’t want to walk.”

But in a previous track, Yonkers, released in 2011, Tyler denies being gay.

He says: “I’m not gay, I just wanna boogie to some Marvin”.

The rapper, accused of homophobia for using the word “faggot” in many of his songs has denied he is anti-gay.

52. Lil Peep

‘Post-Emo’ rapper Lil Peep has come out as bisexual in a couple of nonchalant tweets.

The New York-born 20-year-old sent a tweet this week simply confirming that he was coming out.

He wrote on Twitter: “Yes I’m bi sexual”.

In a later tweet he added: “Who wants a kiss”.

The rapper, real name Gustav Ahr, has more than 112,000 followers on Instagram and 82,000 followers on SoundCloud.

He posted his debut song on SoundCloud just over a year ago.

In a Pitchfork profile earlier this year, the rapper spoke of his image.

He said: “It’s like professional wrestling—everyone has to be a character.”

“If you’re not a fun enough character, then no one’s gonna f**k with you because you don’t have enough sh*t that’s different.”

According to Pitchfork, Lil Peep’s style is described as “post emo” or “new emo”.

53. Teddy Quinlivan

Quinlivan, a model who has walked for everyone from Marc Jacobs to Louis Vuitton, has come out as transgender.

Teddy, who has also worn the likes of Gucci and Versace on the runway over the past few months, made the announcement during an interview with CNN Style.

The model, who transitioned when she was 16, said she wanted to come out now because of the way Donald Trump’s administration is treating trans people.

Last month, Trump officially and indefinitely instructed the Pentagon to ban transgender troops from serving in the US Military.

Quinlivan, 23, said: “I’ve decided to reveal my trans identity because of the political climate in the world right now – particularly in the United States.

“We made an amazing progression under the Obama administration, and since the new administration took office there’s been a kind of backlash.”