This year is shaping up to one of the queerest on record in terms of celebrities – film legends, Grammy-Award-winning musicians, drag stars and sports people – coming out as LGBTQ+.
Here are the stars who have opened up publicly about their sexuality or gender this year. We’ll keep the list updated.
Maren Morris
Grammy-Award-winning country singer and drag-queen-lover Maren Morris came out as bisexual in a short post marking Pride month, telling her followers that she puts “the B in LGBTQ+”.
The “80s Mercedes” singer’s announcement came just months after she finalised her divorce from fellow singer-songwriter Ryan Hurd, after more than five years of marriage.
Jessica Gunning
British actress Jessica Gunning ascended to new heights of fame in April, following her turn playing stalker Martha in Netflix’s controversial Baby Reindeer.
The show’s creator and leading star Richard Gadd identifies as LGBTQ+, and while talking about the series’ success two months after its release, on the Reign with Josh Smith podcast, Gunning revealed that she too is queer.
She said she came out to family and friends in 2022, but now felt comfortable defining herself as a “big old gay” publicly.
Bulk Bronson
All Elite Wrestling star Bulk Bronson marked the beginning of Pride by announcing that he is bisexual.
Bronson, who makes up one-third of the wrestling tag-team the Iron Savages, came out in response to a trend started on X/Twitter.
Users were encouraged to post the Pride flag that corresponds with their sexuality, and Bronson shared the bisexual flag, alongside a selfie where he had a huge smile.
Bronson’s post came as Create A Pro Women’s champion Gabby Forza, his fiancée, declared that she is pansexual.
Bruce Joel Rubin
Eighty-one-year-old American screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin, who won an Oscar for hit 90s film Ghost, came out as gay in an interview with The Guardian in May. He said he was “fully gay” and “always knew it”, and revealed that his wife has known about his sexuality for more than 50 years.
Matt Terry
Singer and X Factor winner Matt Terry came out as member of the LGBTQ+ community in April, declaring that he is “no longer afraid” to hide his sexuality.
“I’ve been hiding who I was, and I haven’t really opened up. I’ve never let anybody in,” Terry said as he released “His Car”, a song dedicated to a former partner who the singer asked to keep their relationship a secret.
Terry won the singing competition in 2016, but has said the experience was stressful because of the public and media speculation over his sexuality.
“I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I hadn’t spoken to my family. I hadn’t spoken to my friends. It was getting on top of me,” he said.
“I’d be lying if I said I’m not nervous and that I’m tough-as-nails,” he said of his decision to come out now.
“But, I just love where I’m at and I love the man I’ve become. Being in love with another man is part of who I am, so if I don’t love me, then I’m not doing it right.”
Bethany Antonia
House of the Dragon actress Bethany Antonia, who plays Lady Baela Targaryen in the Game of Thrones spin-off, decided to use a troll’s hateful message to come out as gay.
After someone messaged her on Instagram to say that she “looks like s**t” and wished that she would “accidentally die on set”, Antonia responded with humour and grace.
“Wait till they find out I’m gay too,” she wrote, alongside a clown emoji.
Daniel Bedingfield
Hit-maker Daniel Bedingfield made a reference to his sexuality while performing at a concert in London in April, stating that he wrote his song “Borderline” about a woman he loved, with a man he loved.
“I wrote this song with a man I loved about a girl we both loved,” he said. “I’m not very gay, but we were on a hot spring, sitting on a rock, missing her.”
The BRIT-award winner added: “In my era, you had to be gay or straight, or f**k you.”
Sophia Bush
Sophia Bush, best-known as Brooke Davis in Noughties drama series One Tree Hill, came out as queer in a personal opinion piece for Glamour magazine.
In it, she revealed that she is currently in a relationship with retired US footballer Ashlyn Harris.
While the actress said she “hates the notion of having to come out in 2024”, she valued “standing proud in your identity” as US states continue to introduce anti-LGBTQ+ legislation.
“I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum. Right now, the word that best defines it is queer,” she wrote. “I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.”
F1NN5TER
Popular gaming YouTuber and Twitch streamer F1NN5TER announced in March that he is gender-fluid, bisexual, and has begun hormone replacement therapy.
He came out in a post on X/Twitter and in a more detailed YouTube video, saying that years of cross-dressing helped him to explore his gender.
“I think the label that suits me best is gender-fluid,” he said. “I feel really comfortable with who I am. I’m so glad I got to this point with such a supportive group of people.”
Jasmine Pineda
Jasmine Pineda, the reality TV personality and star of 90 Day Fiancé, came out publicly as bisexual in a March episode of the Discovery+ show, revealing that she had a crush on trans co-star Nikki Exotika.
“I mean, I have had girlfriends in the past so I get attracted to women as well as men. I’ve always had a crush on Nikki,” she said.
Grace Wilson
Grace Wilson made history in March by becoming Australia’s first A-league footballer to come out as non-binary.
The Adelaide United goalkeeper told Australia’s LGBTQ+ sports group Pride Cup that their gender “doesn’t fit into the Western standards of man or woman”, adding: I don’t feel like I’m anywhere near that, I feel separated from that. Every non-binary person experiences [gender] differently.”
Lauv
Earlier this year, “I’m So Tired” singer Lauv spoke about his sexuality for the second time, after saying that he is “gay but not gay” last August.
In the latest TikTok, shared with his 1.5 million followers in March, he said: “I feel like I’m gay, OK. I’ve said this so many times and still not claimed to actually ‘be’, because I’ve not had enough experience to actually say.”
Jinkx Monsoon
Two-time RuPaul’s Drag Race winner and Doctor Who star Jinkx Monsoon shared an update with her fans in March, revealing that she identifies as trans-femme and will now use she/her pronouns.
In a post on social media, Jinkx wrote that she decided to undergo facial feminisation surgery, saying it’s “never too late” to step into your authentic identity.
The Broadway star later revealed that she had changed her personal name to Hera Hoffer, and talked about how playing Audrey, a cisgender woman, in the Off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors had been “affirming” for her gender identity.
Zoe Lister-Jones
Life in Pieces and Slip star Zoe Lister-Jones used a moment at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in February to publicly announce that she is “here and queer” and in a relationship with filmmaker Sammi Cohen.
“I have some fear, but I’m working through it,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
Lister-Jones urged film award ceremonies to make categories genderless, saying: “The Film Independent Spirit Awards is about defying categorisation. It’s about defying formula. I’m so grateful to [them] for being pioneers in that area.
“It’s also where I’ve been recognised for my work this awards season [she wrote and directed as well as starred in Slip], so I’m really proud to be here in terms of my work and where I’m at in my life. I’m dating a non-binary person, I’m friends with so many non-binary people…”
Colin Grafton
American skater and Dancing On Ice professional Colin Grafton came out publicly as gay in January during an interview with PinkNews.
“I know there’s a lot of curiosity about my sexual orientation and my love life, but I never actually came out to the public… I guess this is me announcing it to you guys,” he said.
Grafton explained that he feared being “put into a box” had he come out as gay earlier on in his career, but he wanted to speak about his sexual orientation now to improve queer visibility on screen.
Tom Hollander
Although not explicitly a coming out, BAFTA-winning actor Tom Hollander hinted about previously having same-sex experiences. He declined to expand beyond that while speaking to Vanity Fair in January.
“My own sexuality is sufficiently liberal to have encompassed many different experiences, which are not anyone’s business,” said the star of The White Lotus, Bohemian Rhapsody and Harley Quinn.
The actor is currently in a relationship with interior designer Fran Hickman, and the pair welcomed their first child last year.
Reneé Rapp
While fans of Mean Girls star and “Snow Angel” singer Reneé Rapp knew that she identified as bisexual – she came out in 2022 – she clarified live on Saturday Night Live in January that she is a lesbian.
While performing in a comedy skit alongside comedian Bowen Yang and Saltburn star Jacob Elordi, Rapp was introduced as a “little lesbian” in what fans have since dubbed the hard-launch of her sexuality.
Since then, she’s addressed her second coming out, saying that she made the decision just before going on air to change “bisexual” to “lesbian” in the SNL script.
Madame LaQueer
RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant Madame LaQueer revealed in January that she is a trans woman, and has known she is trans since 2006.
The Puerto Rican performer, who appeared on season four of show in 2012, revealed that she now uses the name Cassie when out of drag.
“It’s something I’ve been pondering for years,” she said. “I think this serves for me to be a voice for those who have persuaded themselves into not pursuing their truths and let time take over. It’s never too late to come out and live your true experience and be authentic.
“There’s nothing like feeling loved in your own skin.”
Amanda Tori Meating
While RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16 crowned Nymphia Wind as its official winner, Amanda Tori Meating arguably claimed the biggest prize: the ability to “reform” her gender identity.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in January, Amanda said she refers to herself as a “t-girl” now.
“I showed up to Drag Race in this space of: I’m going to advocate for myself I’m going to stand up for myself, I’m not going to allow myself to be victimised in the way that I feel I have been in the past, pre-Drag Race,” she said.
She went on to say that being around her Drag Race sisters, helped her feel “comfortable” with her gender identity.
Morphine Love Dion
Another RuPaul’s Drag Race star to clarify their gender identity was top-five queen Morphine Love Dion, who asked fans to refer to her using she/her or they/them pronouns.
The Miami-based queen became known on season 16 for being gifted in the gluteus maximus area, with fans making jokes about her getting a Brazilian butt lift (BBL).
But after fans kept tagging her in a post about men getting BBLs, Morphine wrote on X/Twitter: “Hi, I love y’all but please stop tagging me in this. Y’all know I’m a they/them/her, and if you didn’t know, now you know.”
Parvati Shallow
A slight cheat here, because reality TV star Parvati Shallow actually came out as queer on New Year’s Eve last year. And what a way to do it: the Survivor winner, who went on to be a Traitor on The Traitors US, revealed that she is part of the LGBTQ+ community at the same time as announcing that she is in a relationship with Feel Good actor Mae Martin.
“We’re here. We’re queer. Happy New Year,” Shallow wrote in an Instagram caption, alongside a photo of the pair kissing, hugging and laughing together.
Erika Casupanan
If we had a penny for every Survivor winner who came out as queer via Instagram on New Year’s Eve 2023, we’d have two pennies: joining Parvati Shallow, 2021’s victor Erika Casupanan came out as a lesbian in a cheeky video post.
In the clip, Casupanan joked about previously trying the NYE ritual of eating grapes under a table in hopes of getting a boyfriend. However, she went on to say that instead, she “chugged wine” and realised she’s a lesbian.
“I was wearing rainbow socks, what did I expect?” she wrote.
