10+ awesome LGBT celebrities’ stories for National Coming Out Day
(Getty)
Today is National Coming Out Day!
Founded in America in 1988, the annual event was based on the idea that homophobia thrives in an atmosphere of silence and ignorance.
It was thought that people would be far less likely to maintain bigoted, oppressive views if they knew that they had LGBT+ friends or family – and so, NCO Day was born.
After LGBT+ teenagers shared their wonderful coming out stories, it’s time to see how amazing LGBT+ celebrities have taken the important step.
1. Lauren Jauregui
(Getty)
A member of famous girl group Fifth Harmony, Jauregui came out via an open letter that she penned to Trump supporters earlier this year.
In the letter, she referred to herself as a “proud bisexual Cuban-American” who is “proud to be part of a community that only projects love and education and the support of one another.”
2. Kristen Stewart
(Getty)
The Twilight actress came out in 2015, before making a statement on Saturday Night Live when she responded to Donald Trump’s ‘obsession’ with her, saying “I’m, like, so gay, dude.”
3. Elton John
(Getty)
The renowned musician initially came out as bisexual in 1976, before divorcing his wife and coming out as gay in 1988.
4. Mara Wilson
(Getty)
The actress famous for her iconic role as Matilda came out last year as bisexual.
“I *used* to identify as mostly straight. I’ve embraced the bi/queer label lately,” said Wilson.
5. Halsey
(Getty)
The 22-year-old singer has been out as bisexual for a while now, and has owned her sexuality for even longer.
She told Rolling Stone last year that this has been the case since school, when a student broke into her locker and spread a topless photo of her meant for her boyfriend around the premises.
“Teachers saw it; everyone saw it, she said.
“And suddenly, I was not the weird girl, I was the slut. I could have recoiled and deflected my sexuality, but instead I was like, ‘I’m going to own it now.'”
And when she collaborated with Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui to release a bisexual love song earlier this year, fans were thrilled.
6. Brandon Flynn
(Getty)
The Thirteen Reasons Why actor came out earlier this year through an Instagram post about the Australian same-sex marriage vote.
And he was recently seen kissing Sam Smith as the pair strolled through New York City together.
7. Hayley Kiyoko
(Getty)
The actress and singer rose to fame after starring in Disney’s ‘Lemonade Mouth’, and has since made her name by releasing multiple queer-themed songs.
Kiyoko herself has openly said that she’s attracted to girls and wants to portray that in her art.
This is a great example:
8. Laverne Cox
(Getty)
The Orange Is the New Black actress came out during her teen years.
Since then, she has been open about her experiences as a transgender woman, using her platform to bring awareness to important trans issues.
9. Ellen DeGeneres
(Getty)
The beloved talk show host came out as gay in 1997, on the cover of Time magazine with the caption: “Yep, I’m gay.”
She often uses her platform to help those in need and to speak up on important LGBT+ issues.
10. Alex Bertie
(YouTube/Alex Bertie)
The transgender YouTube star has been out online since 2013, posting a variety of videos discussing trans and queer topics.
He recently published a book based on his experiences as a trans man, titled: Trans Mission.
11. Jake Edwards
(YouTube/Jake Edwards)
Jake is another trans YouTuber – who also happens to be Alex Bertie’s boyfriend!
They have been out online for over four years now – their YouTube career started with song covers and original music, and now they also post videos about their transition along with other LGBT+ content.
