Shaping culture and breaking barriers
Reese Witherspoon and Ryan Phillippe's daughter Ava opened up about her sexuality in an Instagram Q&A in January when she was asked if she likes boys or girls. "I'm attracted to... people!" Philippe answered casually. "Gender is whatever."
See also: The trans celebrities blazing a trail to acceptance
A fan tweeted a photo at the singer that said she was a lesbian and wrote, "look what they saying about you." SZA then replied on April 28, "It’s not wrong lol," sending fans into an excited tizzy.
Janelle Monáe announced on the April 20 episode of Jada Pinkett Smith's 'Red Table Talk' that, "I’m nonbinary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely." She added, "I am everything, but I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything beyond the binary.” Her representative confirmed that she still uses she/her pronouns. You might also remember that the singer previously came out as pansexual in a 2018 Rolling Stone cover story.
The 'Selling Sunset' reality star came out when she confirmed that she has been seeing non-binary Australian singer G Flip during the Netflix show's reunion special on May 6.
Following the "Don't Say Gay" bill and Disney's controversial response, the Disney family reportedly pledged US$500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign, America's largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and Walt Disney's great-nephew, Roy P. Disney, told the HRC: "Equality matters deeply to us especially because our child, Charlee, is transgender and a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community." Charlee Corra identifies as transgender and uses both they/them and he/him pronouns, and this was the first time the family addressed Corra's gender orientation publicly.
Reality TV star David Barta came out during the fifth season premiere of MTV's 'Ex on the Beach' where a stack of cast members from different reality shows live with their exes in a beach house. Barta explained that he's still coming to terms with his sexuality but has been learning over the past two years to accept himself, and announced that he is pansexual.
'Survivor' fan favorite Ozzy Lusth, who has appeared on four seasons of the reality show, took to Twitter on April 8 to come out as bisexual. "And for my Republican Colleagues, and anyone else who matters, Yeah I'm Bisexual. Am I committing crimes??" he wrote. "If so come get me. Let us ALL live with dignity. Ask yourself if you support people, or the f—ed dogma you've been fed."
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael, star of the NBC sitcom 'The Carmichael Show,' came out in his HBO Max comedy show 'Rothaniel,' which aired April 1. "At many points I thought I’d rather die than confront the truth of that, to actually say it to people," he said. "Because I know it changes some people’s perceptions of me. I can’t control that."
Greek vocalist George Perris spoke about his sexuality publicly for the first time, though he does "not consider this a coming out, in the sense that I never went into a closet," alongside the release of his third full-length English album 'No Armor'. He explained to Pride, "Now felt like the right time for me to talk about my private life openly, because firstly I felt ready but also because I wanted people to know why these songs influenced me so much, who this record was about."
Emeli Sandé, the singer-songwriter who struck fame with her 2012 hit song 'Next to Me,' was previously married to a man, but in March the news site Metro reported that she was in love with a woman, a classical pianist who she calls "the one for life." Sandé shared that they met through music, "and I definitely feel happier than ever. It feels great."
The 'RuPaul's Drag Race' alum came out as transgender and nonbinary in a heartfelt Instagram post in March. "I still don't know where my journey will take me, but I am trans-NB. I wanted to share my feelings in hopes that others who felt like me would know they aren't alone," the performer wrote.
Conservative lawmaker Jamie Wallis, a Tory MP from Wales, officially came out as transgender in a statement on Twitter at the end of March. “I’m trans. Or to be more accurate, I want to be,” Wallis wrote, including instances where he was almost outed, and an experience of being sexually assaulted. “I have never lived my truth and I’m not sure how. Perhaps it starts with telling everyone," he wrote.
Nicole Heavirland, a member of the US rugby team that competed in the Tokyo 2022 Olympics, came out as gay in an Instagram post in March. She detailed her years-long struggle and wrote, "I no longer fear what people will think of me when I say I like women. Coming out is different for everyone, everyone’s timeline is unique to them. You couldn’t have forced me to feel at ease, confidence, or proud any sooner.”
Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and R&B star Tevin Campbell came out in a now-deleted tweet in March. A fan tweeted, "My mom keeps telling me Luther Vandross, Teddy Pendergrass, and Tevin Campbell were gay," to which Campbell replied, "Tevin is," accompanied by the rainbow flag and sunglasses emojis. He then put a rainbow flag in the bio of his account.
'Hedwig and the Angry Inch' star John Cameron Mitchell came out as nonbinary to Pride in an interview in March. "Lately I've been getting a little bit of flack," he explained, from some people saying "only trans people can play that role [of Hedwig] because it's a trans role. I'm not trans, I'm non-binary, but that's a slippery slope because the character is forced into an operation and is not really trans."
During a late February appearance on the 'Behind the Velvet Rope With David Yontef' podcast, 'One Day at a Time' actress Mackenzie Phillips said that she had dated both men and women. The host asked her if she realized she was kind of a gay icon, as she's never spoken publicly about her sexuality. “I love that,” she replied. “And I also love that I throughout my life have lived on both sides of the curtain. I've had boyfriends, I've had girlfriends, you know, throughout my life. I am neither one nor the other. I love our gay community.”
In February, rapper Lil Wop opened up about his sexuality on social media, telling his followers that he’s bisexual. “I’m Bisexual I Like Guys & Girls,” he wrote, keeping it simple with smile and heart emojis. “It’s W.E.”
'Dear Evan Hansen' Broadway actress Jessica Phillips told People magazine that at 50 years old she was still learning more about herself, particularly during the standstill the pandemic allowed. She now identifies as queer and said, "It wasn't about changing identities, rather expanding my identity." She added that she was nervous to tell her sons, both technically adults now, but they were immediately supportive.
'RuPaul's Drag Race' season 14 contestant Willow Pill came out as trans in March, writing that her cystinosis—a hereditary disease that affects the kidneys—stood in her way. "It's taken me a long time to come to terms with my transness because so much space has been taken up by my illness," she wrote. She cited the four other contestants who came out as transgender either before, during, or after their season as part of the reason she felt ready to come out.
In an episode of 'Untucked' in February, 'RuPaul's Drag Race' contestant Jasmine Kennedie opened up to fellow contestant Bosco about her gender journey. "Before coming here I was about to start hormones," she said, explaining that she was scared to go through the process while on the show, but that she found more affirmation from the other girls. "I definitely feel like I am trans," she continued. "I've been so scared to say it. I have held back from it for so long because I didn't want to hurt my dad but I can't lie about it anymore. I am trans."
In February, Heather Dubrow's daughter Kat came out at 15 years old as a lesbian. Just one year earlier, the TV personality's eldest daughter Max came out as bi. Kat said of her mom, "She's asked me trillions of questions that really show she cares. She's asked me about my pronouns. It's really easy to talk to her. It's not like I have to build up courage if I have something to tell her."
On February 9, videos of Rashad performing sex acts with other men were leaked and spread on Twitter, which is not only a horrific invasion of privacy but also outed him before he was ready. It was especially concerning because in the past his lyrics have included his battles with self-harm and depression, but fortunately fans rushed in with support and major figures in the hip-hop community made it clear that his sexuality was not an issue.
Singer-songwriter Sawyer Fredericks, who rose to fame as the winner of the eighth season of 'The Voice,' came out as bisexual via social media in February. "When I was younger I thought I was straight, because I was more attracted to women, and I didn’t know there were more options besides Gay and Straight," he wrote. "I am privileged and have never been discriminated against for my sexuality or ashamed of it. I’m truly sorry for any of you who have been, and I hope it gets better."
Maria Thattil, crowned Miss Universe Australia in 2020, came out on an episode of the British reality series 'I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!' without planning to. She had an emotional chat with campmate David Subritzky in which she said she was bisexual, something which she always buried.
Biofrost, a popular 'League of Legends' esports player, came out as gay in early May. In sharing his news, Biofrost, whose real name is Vincent Wang, also shed light on the rampant homophobia within the esports community.
Professional baseball player Solomon Bates came out as gay in an Instagram post on August 9. The pitcher told The Advocate he made the announcement to show that gay men have a place in the sport. "I came out because to me it just felt like the right time. I know who I am as a person and what I wanted to do was bigger than me," he said.
Fifteen years after making quite an impression on ‘American Idol,’ Sanjaya Malakar officially came out as bisexual on 'The Adam Sank Show' podcast on August 22. The singer spoke about how he was in denial when people would ask if he was queer because “At the time,” (in his young age), “I did not know, which was why it was so weird for me."
In an interview with Russian blogger Vitya Kravchenko in July, Russian pro tennis player Daria Kasatkina courageously spoke openly about the challenges of living as an out gay person in an authoritarian country where the government is hostile towards LGBTQ* people. In 2021, she had already publicly pledged her support for LGBTQ+ athletes.
Former New Zealand cricket player Heath Davis publicly came out as gay in a documentary series for The Spinoff titled ‘Scratched: Aotearoa’s Lost Sporting Legends.’ He’s the first male international cricketer in the country to do so, and in the doc he speaks candidly about the loneliness he experienced of having to live out a double life in dark corners and "seedy places."
Australian rugby champion and Olympic gold medalist Ellia Green came out as transgender in a video on ending transphobia and homophobia for the Bingham Cup International Summit on August 16. "Banning transgender people from sport is disgraceful and hurtful. It only means the rates of suicide and mental health issues will get even worse," he says in the video, adding, "I’d like to help someone not feel so isolated by telling my story."
Field hockey player Peter Caruth came out in an Instagram post on June 24 and wrote, "I'm happy to announce that im GAY. It's been filtering around slowly but I'm here to say it's ok to be gay..... Being the first 'male' Irish Olympian and International Hockey player to come out as gay is an honour and I'm thankful for the support shown thus far!"
Kelly Convirs-Fowler, a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, came out as bisexual on stage at a Pride event in Virginia Beach. "I wanted to speak my truth, and it just felt right in the moment to say it," she told The Virginian-Pilot, adding that it’s important that her daughters feel comfortable to be themselves.
Former Brazil and São Paulo midfielder Richarlyson revealed in a podcast aired by website Globo Esporte on June 24 that he is bisexual, making him the first player from a Brazilian top-flight team to come out. "All my life I was asked whether I was gay or not. I had relationships with men and I had relationships with women, too," Richarlyson said. "I am normal, I have wishes and desire. I dated men, I date women. So what?"
For fans who missed her subtle reveal in December 2021 with the announcement of a baby on the way with Katie Harrington, Manchester City and English national soccer player Demi Stokes reiterated the news on January 1 with a sex reveal, February 8 with an ultrasound, May 2 with a baby shower post, and May 14 with the news that the baby arrived safely.
British swimmer Dan Jervis came out as gay in June. Jervis, who finished fifth on his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, said on the BBC’s LGBT Sport Podcast, "For so long, I hated who I was – and you see it all the time, people who are dying over this. They hate themselves so much that they’re ending their lives." He continued, "So if I can just be that someone people can look at and say, ‘yeah, they’re like me,’ then that’s good."
Luke Baines came out on June 25 with a short and sweet Instagram post in celebration of Pride Month. The actor, best known for his role as Jonathan Morgenstern in ‘Shadowhunters,’ wrote, "I’ve been lucky enough to have been in love twice - the first with a woman, the second with a man. Label that however you like, but all I know is that… love is love. Happy pride!"
US women’s national team soccer star Tobin Heath shared an artwork she created on Instagram called Out Now on June 21, which features letters in colorful blocks spelling out "I Am Gay." Heath created it for re—inc, a project she co-founded with teammates Megan Rapinoe, Christen Press, and Meghan Klingenberg in 2019 to sell artwork and eco-conscious fashion for all body types and gender identities. It was definitely one of the more creative ways of coming out!
A professional rugby player for Leinster in Ireland, Nick McCarthy came out publicly as gay in June. He said in an interview published on his team’s website that he'd considered leaving the sport because he didn’t think he could come out and continue playing, but was happily surprised when he was met with total support from his coaches and teammates.
British Olympic track champion Dame Kelly Holmes came out publicly as gay for the first time in mid-June, though she told the Sunday Mirror that she first knew she was gay at the age of 17 when a fellow female soldier kissed her—LGBTQ+ soldiers were banned from the military at the time. Holmes said a recent scary bout of COVID-19 made her realize that she wanted to show the world her "real self," adding, "I needed to do this now, for me."
Maybelle "Mae" Blair came out publicly for the first time at age 95 during the Tribeca Festival premiere of the Amazon series ‘A League of Their Own,’ which—as well as the 1992 film—is based on the All American Girls Professional Baseball League that Blair was part of. At the panel discussion, Blair said she was happy to see players not having to hide their sexual orientation anymore and added, "I hid for 75, 85 years and this is actually basically the first time I’ve ever come out."
On June 16, the singer-songwriter shared a message on Instagram celebrating Pride Month and telling everyone they are enough, before telling people that she is also part of the queer community somewhere. "I’m not gay. I’m not straight. I don’t know what I am. I love people. I love people because we are all our own little consciousness journeys, dancing around the sun." She added, "I refuse to be anything, really, except for open to it all."
Professional Scottish soccer referee Lloyd Wilson came out publicly as gay on June 2 in a YouTube video with mental health charity Back Onside.
The ‘Pitch Perfect’ star surprised fans on June 19 with an Instagram post with her girlfriend Ramona Agruma. "I thought I was searching for a Disney Prince… but maybe what I really needed all this time was a Disney Princess," she wrote, hashtagging #loveislove.
Professional Scottish soccer referee Craig Napier also publicly came out as gay on June 2, but through the Scottish Football Association’s social media. The milestone day marked the referees as just two of three openly gay male figures in Scottish soccer history.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Olivia Ponton came out as pansexual in an Instagram post on June 1 to kick off Pride Month.
'King Richard’ (2021) actress and Oscar-nominee Aunjanue Ellis told Variety in an interview published June 1 that she is "very clear about being bisexual." When asked why she hadn’t spoken about it publicly before, she simply replied: "Nobody asked."
On May 20, ‘The Bachelor’ alum Becca Tilley confirmed her romance with pop star Hayley Kiyoko in an Instagram post. "Hard to say if this is a hard or soft launch, but it is a launch," Tilley wrote alongside a compilation of some of their sweet memories.
Jake Daniels, a soccer player for Blackpool FC, came out publicly as gay in May, reportedly making him the only publicly out pro men’s soccer player in England. Daniels told Sky Sports that he has received total support from his family and teammates. "They’ve been asking tons of questions, they have all been intrigued and their reaction has been brilliant. It’s the best thing I could have asked for," he said.
The actor, who played queer character Kris Fisher in the soap opera ‘Hollyoaks,’ came out in a lengthy Instagram post on June 20 to celebrate Pride Month. McCarthy outlined their journey with both sexuality and gender identity, revealing that they’re in a relationship with a man, and explaining "gender is used as another way to categorise us." McCarthy concluded that they "like the term ‘non-binary'" and will use they/them pronouns in addition to he/him.
After a career full of speculation about her sexuality, Madonna appears to have come out in a TikTok video shared October 9. In the clip, the pink-haired Material Girl aims to throw a pair of fuchsia underwear in the garbage with the words "If I miss, I'm Gay," written overtop. She then tosses the undies and misses the bin by quite a lot. She throws a hand up in playful acceptance and turns away.
Former Major League Baseball pitcher T.J. House came out as gay while announcing his engagement to partner Ryan Neitzel on December 7. House, who played for the Cleveland Guardians and the Toronto Blue Jays, is only the third MLB player to come out as gay publicly, People reports. In his lengthy Facebook post, the athlete wrote, "Shame has kept me quiet all these years, but Love has finally set me free," and added that while he's grateful for his successful career in baseball, "I wanted to be loved not for what I did, but who I was."
With each new year of progress, the closet doors open wider and wider, and things don't seem so bleak on the outside. That's why more and more people are feeling comfortable enough to come out and claim their membership to the LGBTQ+ community—a community which has been celebrating more and more wins in terms of representation and acceptance every day.
From strengthening intersectional representation of Black and queer people, to seeing more firsts among the transgender community, to witnessing people coming to terms with a gender and sexuality not assigned to them at birth, it's really a wonderful time to be alive. Of course, there is still a ways to go before we can start to celebrate true equality, but that's why it's so important when famous faces have the courage to come out and be examples for others, and hopefully advocates as well.
With this in mind, click through to see the stars who came out in 2022.
On September 29, Zander Murray became the first active professional soccer player in Scotland to come out as gay. The athlete plays for the Gala Fairydean Rover.
California state running champion Nico Young was named National Gatorade Player of the Year in 2022. In September, Young came out as gay in a heartfelt Instagram post in which he admitted to experiencing internalized homophobia: "I have realized that the only reason I never liked this part of who I am was because of what society has told me, not because of how I actually feel."
German professional handball player Lucas Krzikalla became the league's first openly gay player in October. He is also the first active male player of a professional sport in German to come out.
'Pretty Little Liars' star Shay Mitchell seemingly came out as bisexual in October in a rather creative manner on TikTok involving a green velvet couch! Fans were ecstatic over what appeared to be a confirmation of her sexuality, which had been hinted at for years.
Hockey player and sports media expert Jack Jablonski came out as gay at the age of 27 in September. "I feel like for the first time in my life, I’m happy and excited about the future,” he told The Athletic.
Canadian actor Avan Jogia hinted at their gender identity in a humorous TikTok video in December before officially updating their pronouns to “he/they” on the app. Jogia is known for playing the brooding Beck Oliver on the Nickelodeon show 'Victorious.'
'RuPaul's Drag Race' and 'We're Here' star Eureka O'Hara came out as a trans woman in an interview with People in December. "It's been really magical and it's been probably the easiest transitional and coming out journey that I've ever been on," she revealed. "I hope my story teaches people that gender is a journey, and we are ever-evolving people."
Australian pro basketball player Isaac Humphries, who has played for the Kentucky Wildcats and Atlanta Hawks, came out as gay in November. “I figured out a lot about myself in the offseason,” he told CNN, “and I knew if I was to join a team and start a season I would have to be who I am and not hide anymore because I’ve made too much ground within myself to go backwards and be put back in the closet.”
Young English actor Kit Connor stars in the groundbreaking Netflix series 'Heartstopper' as a bisexual teen struggling with his identity. Following the show's success, Connor was accused of queerbaiting and took a break from social media. He reappeared briefly to make the following statement: “back for a minute. i’m bi. congrats for forcing an 18 year old to out himself. i think some of you missed the point of the show. Bye.”
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, the breakout star of Mindy Kaling's Netflix series 'Never Have I Ever,' revealed that she focuses on personality over gender when it comes to dating. "I’m very much so a personality person. If you get that banter with me, you can read my face perfectly, I don’t care if you’re a boy, girl or in between. You are my person, and you are just the package that that person comes in," she told Laverne Cox in a December interview.
Country star Sam Williams came out as gay in October, and true to form, the momentous occasion was accompanied by a song and music video. In the song 'Tilted Crown,' Williams discussed the pressure he felt growing up as the son of music legend Hank Williams, Jr., and he is seen kissing his real boyfriend in the video.
Argentinian tennis star Nadia Podoroska came out in October in a heartwarming Instagram post. The photo showed her hugging and kissing fellow tennis player Guillermina Naya, with the caption, "Today I celebrate you from afar, but I feel you by my side every day of my life.”
In July, the rapper changed their pronouns to "they/them" on Instagram in honor of International Nonbinary People's Day that same month.
Gina Pareno, a legendary actress from the Philippines, casually came out during a YouTube interview at the age of 72. When asked about her sexuality, she simply said, “Yes [I am an LGBTQ+ member]–why, is there a problem?”
Australian rugby player Toby Rudolf opened up about the fluidity of his sexuality in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in July. "I’m not a one-stop shop. Love is love, and I love to share it with everyone."
Singer August Alsina appeared in the 2022 series of 'The Surreal Life,' during which he appeared to come out. He made a heartfelt speech about how "Love showed up, but in a new way," and that he wanted to share and honor the person "that I love and loves me back and is teaching me so much about love and healing." A man then joined Alsina on camera, and Alsina professed his love to him.
Actress Cynthia Erivo came out during Pride month in June of 2022. “[LGBTQ+ people] still feel the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently,” she told British Vogue in an interview for their Pride issue.
Ginger Gonzaga plays best friend and paralegal Nikki Ramos in the hit series 'She-Hulk.' In reflecting on her character's queerness, she herself came out as bisexual: “I thought of her initially as being bi, because I’m kind of projecting myself onto this character.”
French singer-songwriter Chris, who performs under the names Christine and the Queens and Redcar, shared that he uses the pronouns he/him in August. He previously came out as genderqueer in 2019 and had been using the pronouns she/they, before revealing that he has been presenting as masculine in his personal life in 2022.
The musician and famous TikTok creator shared that she is lesbian in January before the release of her song 'God is a Freak.' “I guess now is a good time to tell you all, I’m a lesbian" she said. "Came out as a lesbian today (to be fair the closet was made of glass lol),” she wrote on Instagram later.
Bosco appeared as a contestant in 2022's season 14 of 'RuPaul's Drag Race.' The show premiered in January and she came out as a trans woman in February. She revealed that she had started hormone therapy after filming the show in 2021.
'Yellowjackets' star Tawny Cypress told the story of her coming out in the 'Queer for Fear' docuseries, which was released in October of this year. This was the first time the actress had discussed her sexuality publicly, although she revealed that she fell in love with her best friend when she was 18.
Thomas Hartley (pictured in the center) first came out as gay at the age of 15. He appeared in the reality show 'Married at First Sight UK' where he married a man, but in December he shared the realization that he is actually pansexual.
Jena Malone, known for movies like 'Donnie Darko' (2001) and 'Sucker Punch' (2011), came out as pansexual and polyamorous on Instagram in August.
Do you remember? All the major stars who came out as LGBTQ+ last year
More and more celebrities are publicly embracing their true identities
CELEBRITY Famous
With each new year of progress, the closet doors open wider and wider, and things don't seem so bleak on the outside. That's why more and more people are feeling comfortable enough to come out and claim their membership to the LGBTQ+ community—a community which has been celebrating more and more wins in terms of representation and acceptance every day.
From strengthening intersectional representation of Black and queer people, to seeing more firsts among the transgender community, to witnessing people coming to terms with a gender and sexuality not assigned to them at birth, it's really a wonderful time to be alive. Of course, there is still a ways to go before we can start to celebrate true equality, but that's why it's so important when famous faces have the courage to come out and be examples for others, and hopefully advocates as well.
With this in mind, click through to see the stars who came out in 2022.