11 of the Bt Gay Male Nu Scen of 2021, Acrdg to Experts

Contents:

• CHARL BARKLEY FENDS LGBTQIA+ MUNY, BUD LIGHT EXPLETIVE-FILLED RANT: ‘IF YOU’RE GAY, GOD BLS YOU’
• JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY
• 25 FAMO GAY CELEBRI IN THE WORLD (PHOTOS)
• HOLLYWOOD’S GAY POWER COUPL: SARAH PLSON AND HOLLAND TAYLOR, MORE
• GAY CELEBRI: WHO IS OUT? VIEW SLISHOW ACTRS ELLEN PAGE ME OUT AT TIME TO THRIVE, AN LGBT YOUTH NFERENCE. “I’M TIRED OF HIDG,” SHE SAID ONSTAGE. “I’M TIRED OF LYG BY OMISSN.”  (JAY L. CLENN / LOS ANGEL TIM) “WELL, ALL HONTY, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ‘THE GAY MUNY,’ YOU ARE TALKG ABOUT MY MUNY,” THE “GAME OF THRON” ACTOR NFIRMED WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS LARGE FOLLOWG AMONG “BEARS” DURG AN TERVIEW WH FAN BLOG WTER IS COMG MARCH 2014.  (JEROD HARRIS / GETTY IMAG FOR WIRED) THE “30 ROCK” ACTOR ME OUT A NOVEMBER 2013 TERVIEW WH OUT MAGAZE. “I JT CELEBRATED MY NE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WH MY PARTNER,” HE SAID. “IT FEELS LIKE A NICE TIME TO BE CELEBRATG SOMETHG LIKE THAT, PECIALLY ON THE HEELS OF THE DOMA AND PROP. 8 CISNS.”   (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) THE ACTOR SAID HE HID HIS ORIENTATN BEE OF HIS UPBRGG. “I WENT TO SCHOOL THE BRONX. I LEARNED TO NSTANTLY TRY TO VER UP THE FACT THAT I WAS GAY. THAT FA OF BEG SOMEBODY I’M REALLY NOT JT TO PROTECT MYSELF FELY HELPED WH ACTG,” HE TOLD OUT MAGAZE 2011.  (ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ / GETTY IMAG FOR NAACP) NETEEN-YEAR-OLD BRISH OLYMPIC DIVG BRONZE MEDALIST TOM DALEY REVEALED THROUGH A YOUTUBE VIO THAT HE’S A RELATNSHIP WH A MAN AND HAS BEEN SCE SPRG.  (CLIVE ROSE / GETTY IMAG) “TOUCH” ACTRS MARIA BELLO TOOK TO THE PAG OF THE NEW YORK TIM DECEMBER 2013 TO WRE AN ARTICLE HEADLED “COMG OUT AS A MORN FAY,” REVEALG THE NVERSATN SHE HAD WH HER SON THAT LED HER TO REVEAL HER RELATNSHIP WH ANOTHER WOMAN, CLARE.  (ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ / AFP/GETTY IMAG) IN A FACEBOOK MSAGE TO MARK THE END OF 2013 AND HER REVERY OM A TRANSPLANT FOR A RARE BLOOD DISORR, “GOOD MORNG AMERI” ANCHOR ROB ROBERTS ME OUT AS A LBIAN BY THANKG HER “LONG TIME GIRLIEND, AMBER,” AMONG OTHERS.   (JAY L. CLENN / LOS ANGEL TIM) WELL, GAWWWLY! “GOMER PYLE, USMC” AND “THE ANDY GRIFFH SHOW” STAR JIM NABORS MARRIED HIS LONGTIME PARTNER, STAN CADWALLAR, SEATTLE JANUARY. THE RELATNSHIP WAS NEVER A SECRET, BUT THE S STAR HAD NOT E OUT PUBLICLY BEFORE.  (KEN HIVELY / LOS ANGEL TIM) ACTOR VICTOR GARBER NFIRMED HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN A DIDN’T-EVERYONE-KNOW-ALREADY WAY EARLY JANUARY 2013. IN AN APRIL 2012 ISSUE OF CANADIAN MAGAZE FYI GARBER HAD MENTNED HIS 13-YEAR-RELATNSHIP WH PARTNER RAIER ANDREEN WAS ONE OF HIS PROUST ACHIEVEMENTS.  (ROB MARCHANT / GETTY IMAG) UNTIL JULY, ANRSON COOPER HAD NEVER PUBLICLY NFIRMED HE WAS GAY, BUT HE’D NEVER NIED , EHER. COOPER’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN HAS LONG BEEN AN OPEN SECRET, BUT TOOK AN ENTERTAMENT WEEKLY VER STORY ABOUT GAY CELEBRI TO PROMPT THE NEWSMAN TO FALLY E OUT.  (CAROLYN COLE / LOS ANGEL TIM) THE NEW YORK TIM BROKE THE STORY QUIETLY WH ONE UNRSTATED SENTENCE. “THE NORMAL HEART,” READ, “RONATED WH HIM ON A FEW LEVELS: MR. PARSONS IS GAY AND A 10-YEAR RELATNSHIP, AND WORKG WH AN ENSEMBLE AGA WAS LIKE NOURISHMENT, [PARSONS] SAID.”   (ALLEN J. SCHABEN / LOS ANGEL TIM) ZACHARY QUTO ME OUT TO NEW YORK MAGAZE, TAKG PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF HIS SEXUALY WH THE WORDS “AS A GAY MAN.”  (AL SEIB / LOS ANGEL TIM) ACTOR SEAN MAHER ME OUT TO ENTERTAMENT WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 2011, SAYG,”THIS IS MY G OUT BALL. I’VE BEEN DYG TO DO THIS.”  (ARAYA DIAZ/GETTY IMAG) JONATHAN KNIGHT OF NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, FAR RIGHT, ME OUT AS GAY 2011 WHEN ‘80S SONGSTRS TIFFANY SAID HE WAS GAY ON THE BRAVO TV SHOW “WATCH WHAT HAPPENS: LIVE.” KNIGHT RPOND ON THE BAND’S WEBSE, SAYG HE IS PROUD TO BE GAY AND HAS BEEN OPEN ABOUT FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.  (GLENN KOENIG / LOS ANGEL TIM) COUNTRY SGER CHELY WRIGHT WAS OUTED BY ONLE MAGAZE QUEERTY, WHICH SPECULATED WRIGHT WOULD E OUT THE DAY AFTER THE RELEASE OF HER NEW ALBUM AND MEMOIR 2010. WRIGHT’S JOURNEY IS EXAMED THE DOCUMENTARY “CHELY WRIGHT: WISH ME AWAY.”  (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) BRISH RAPPER LADY SOVEREIGN ME OUT AN APRIL 2010 TERVIEW WH DIVA MAGAZE.   (LAWRENCE K. HO / LOS ANGEL TIM) RICKY MART END YEARS OF MEDIA SPECULATN WHEN HE PUBLISHED AN OPEN LETTER SPANISH AND ENGLISH TO FANS ON HIS PERSONAL WEBSE.   (ERIC JAMISON / INVISN/AP) “GLEE” STAR CHRIS COLFER ME OUT TO AN “ACCS HOLLYWOOD” REPORTER AN TERVIEW 2009.   (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) SEAN HAY ED THE ADVOTE TO BREAK THE NEWS A 2010 VER STORY.  (AL SEIB / LOS ANGEL TIM) ROLLG STONE MAGAZE BROKE THE NEWS 2009. ADAM LAMBERT, THE “AMERIN IDOL” STAR, NFIRMED WHAT MANY HAD BEEN THKG, SAYG, ‘’I DON’T THK SHOULD BE A SURPRISE FOR ANYONE TO HEAR THAT I’M GAY.”  (IRFAN KHAN / LOS ANGEL TIM ) MEREDH BAXTER TOLD MATT LER OF THE “TODAY” SHOW THAT SHE DIDN’T WANT “SOME TABLOID TO TAKE A STORY AND MAKE UP. ... SO I WANTED TO BE MY OWN WORDS.”  ( VALERIE MAN / GETTY IMAG) ACTRS WANDA SYK ANNOUNCED TO A CROWD SHE WAS GAY AT A SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RALLY LAS VEGAS 2008. SYK SAID SHE FELT PERSONALLY ATTACKED BY CALIFORNIA’S PROPOSN 8 THAT BANNED GAY MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE ON THE EVENT.   (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) PEOPLE MAGAZE BROKE THE NEWS ABOUT THIS “AMERIN IDOL” STAR, WHO POSED ON S VER WH HIS NEWBORN CHILD. “I NNOT RAISE A CHILD TO LIE OR TO HI THGS,” HE SAID.  (CHARL SYK / INVISN/AP) DAVID HY PIERCE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN BEME PUBLIC WHEN THE ASSOCIATED PRS REPORTED THAT HE MOVED TO LOS ANGEL THE 1990S WH HIS PARTNER, BRIAN HARGROVE.  (PL MORSE / LOS ANGEL TIM) BLOC PARTY MICIAN KELE OKEREKE GAVE SEVERAL TERVIEWS WH GAY-ORIENTED MAGAZ UNTIL MORE OPENLY DISCSG HIS SEXUALY DURG A 2007 TERVIEW WH THE GUARDIAN.  ( MICHAEL ROBSON CHAVEZ / LOS ANGEL TIM) NEIL PATRICK HARRIS ME OUT WH A STATEMENT TO PEOPLE MAGAZE AS “A VERY NTENT GAY MAN LIVG [HIS] LIFE TO THE FULLT,” SAYG RATHER THAN IGNORE SPECULATN TO HIS PRIVATE LIFE, HE WANTED TO TELL THE PUBLIC THE TTH.   (LIZ O. BAYLEN / LOS ANGEL TIM) IN A 2004 TERVIEW CYNTHIA NIXON TOLD THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS SHE HAD “NOTHG TO HI” ABOUT HER RELATNSHIPS WH WOMEN.  ( LRA CAVANGH / GETTY IMAG) ROSIE O’DONNELL ME OUT DURG A EDY ROUTE AT A 2002 OVARIAN NCER BENEF.  (GARY FRIEDMAN / LOS ANGEL TIM) THE REM LEAD MAN, MICIAN MICHAEL STIPE, END YEARS OF PUBLIC SPECULATN WHEN HE TOLD TIME MAGAZE HE WAS A “QUEER ARTIST” DURG A MAY 2001 TERVIEW. PRR TO G OUT HE SAID HE “WAS BEG MA TO BE A WARD ABOUT ,” AND WAS READY TO TELL THE PUBLIC THE TTH ABOUT HIS SEXUALY.   (BRYAN CHAN / LOS ANGEL TIM) ELLEN DEGENER ME OUT PUBLICLY WH A TIME MAGAZE VER APRIL 1997. THE HEADLE: “YEP, I’M GAY.”  (BRIAN VAN R BG / LOS ANGEL TIM) MICIAN MELISSA ETHERIDGE ANNOUNCED SHE WAS A LBIAN DURG THE JANUARY 1993 TRIANGLE BALL — A GAY AND LBIAN GALA THAT CELEBRATED THE FIRST GURATN OF PRINT CLTON.  (MANUEL BALCE CEA / AP ) MICIAN K.D. LANG ME OUT 1992 TO ADVOTE MAGAZE. “THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT OPNS ON HOW TO GA ACCEPTANCE,” SHE SAID. “I DON’T WANT TO HURT MY MOTHER BY G OUT THE PRS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DON’T WANT TO HURT [GAY] CULTURE, AND ’S LIKE — WHAT DO YOU DO?”  (GA FERAZZI / LOS ANGEL TIM) RUPERT EVERETT WAS OPENLY GAY EARLY HIS REER, A CISN HE LATER TOLD THE GUARDIAN MAY HAVE HURT HIS BURGEONG REER. “IT’S NOT VERY EASY,” HE SAID. “AND, HONTLY, I WOULD NOT ADVISE ANY ACTOR NECSARILY, IF HE WAS REALLY THKG OF HIS REER, TO E OUT.”  (EVAN AGOSTI / GETTY IMAG) ACTOR IAN MCKELLEN DISCSED HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN FOR THE FIRST TIME 1988 ON BBC RAD 3 WHEN DISCSG THE LOGIC OF A BRISH BILL THAT PROHIBED THE “PROMOTN OF HOMOSEXUALY.”  (JENNIFER S. ALTMAN / FOR THE TIM) MICIAN ELTON JOHN FIRST ME OUT AS BISEXUAL DURG A ROLLG STONE “ELTON JOHN: IT’S LONELY AT THE TOP” TERVIEW 1976. IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER HIS SEND DIVORCE 1988 THAT HE TOLD ROLLG STONE HE WAS FORTABLE BEG A GAY MAN.   (MICHAEL ROBSON CHAVEZ / LOS ANGEL TIM) 1/35SHOW SLI INFORMATN GAY CELEBRI: WHO IS OUT?
• 29 CELEBRI WHO SOME BELIEVE ARE GAY

CHARL BARKLEY FENDS LGBTQIA+ MUNY, BUD LIGHT EXPLETIVE-FILLED RANT: ‘IF YOU’RE GAY, GOD BLS YOU’

Even today, movi featurg gay sex or LGBTQ+ characters are typilly rated more strictly than movi wh straight characters. Look no further than Old Hollywood actor Rock Hudson, whose homosexualy remaed a tightly guard secret durg the height of his fame.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS ASSISTANT COACH KEV MAXEN MAK HISTORY AFTER COMG OUT AS GAY

However, the Tony and Emmy-nomated gay actor has also played Victor Strand on several seasons of "Fear the Walkg Dead, " and appeared films like "If Beale Street Could Talk, " "Selma, " and "Zola. " He discsed g out as gay 2014, after enterg a civil partnership wh poser Mark Bradshaw, llg public reactns "surprisgly lovely. Ma history as the first openly gay player to play a Canadian Football League regular-season game, playg for the Montreal Alouett.

Gay actor Matt Bomer won a Goln Globe for playg a closeted journalist the TV film adaptatn of Larry Kramer's AIDS epimic-foced play "The Normal Heart.

25 FAMO GAY CELEBRI IN THE WORLD (PHOTOS)

The actor explaed how he felt that "livg a gay life whout publicly acknowledgg is simply not enough to make any signifint ntributn to the immense work that li ahead on the road to plete equaly. It wasn't until she began watchg sci-fi TV seri "The X-Fil" that the first openly gay woman star of "SNL" Kate McKnon said she realized she was attracted to women. Helpg to change that is former NBA player Jason Colls, who beme the first openly gay man to play one of the four major profsnal team sports.

"When we get to the pot where a gay pro athlete is no longer forced to live fear that he'll be shunned by teammat or outed by tabloids … then g out won't be such a big al, " Colls wrote, but ultimately nced that we're "not there yet. " In 2013, he nfirmed that he is gay, though he hadn't exactly been hidg his LGBTQ+ stat—or his more than 20-year relatnship wh Raer Andreen, for that matter. After g out at a Prop 8 rally 2008, the edian claimed she was subsequently treated like a "unirn, " that most gay or bisexual Ain Amerins don't openly share their LGBTQ+ stat.

" Carver has sce been vol about Hollywood's tenncy to perpetuate negative LGBTQ+ stereotyp, as well as pigeonholg openly gay actors to playg specific typ of rol. Carver performed on Broadway "The Boys the Band, " which tails the gay experience 20th-century Ameri before the Stonewall Rts occurred. Bt known for playg Obi-Wan Kenobi the origal "Star Wars" trilogy, Sir Alec Guns kept his sexual orientatn—and his arrt for a homosexual act 1946—away om the public eye for the entirety of his adult life.

HOLLYWOOD’S GAY POWER COUPL: SARAH PLSON AND HOLLAND TAYLOR, MORE

Actor Marlon Brando once told his bgrapher, "Like a large number of men, I, too, have had homosexual experienc and I am not ashamed. Acrdg to mic legend Qucy Jon, one of Marlon Brando's alleged homosexual trysts was wh edy legend Richard Pryor the 1970s. Long before directg movi like "Prec" or -creatg Fox's "Empire, " Lee Daniels was a young gay man g to terms wh his homosexualy while growg up Philalphia.

Hopg to quash the ntroversy, Banks me out as bisexual that same year, addg that nearly all of her iends are gay and that one of her siblgs is transgenr. That same month, he donated $1 ln to GLSEN (Gay, Lbian, and Straight Edutn Network), which works to create clive and safe environments schools.

While his most notable role of the last few years put beg gay ont and center stage, actor Lee Pace was not always as forthg about his own sexualy.

GAY CELEBRI: WHO IS OUT? VIEW SLISHOW ACTRS ELLEN PAGE ME OUT AT TIME TO THRIVE, AN LGBT YOUTH NFERENCE. “I’M TIRED OF HIDG,” SHE SAID ONSTAGE. “I’M TIRED OF LYG BY OMISSN.”  (JAY L. CLENN / LOS ANGEL TIM) “WELL, ALL HONTY, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT ‘THE GAY MUNY,’ YOU ARE TALKG ABOUT MY MUNY,” THE “GAME OF THRON” ACTOR NFIRMED WHEN ASKED ABOUT HIS LARGE FOLLOWG AMONG “BEARS” DURG AN TERVIEW WH FAN BLOG WTER IS COMG MARCH 2014.  (JEROD HARRIS / GETTY IMAG FOR WIRED) THE “30 ROCK” ACTOR ME OUT A NOVEMBER 2013 TERVIEW WH OUT MAGAZE. “I JT CELEBRATED MY NE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY WH MY PARTNER,” HE SAID. “IT FEELS LIKE A NICE TIME TO BE CELEBRATG SOMETHG LIKE THAT, PECIALLY ON THE HEELS OF THE DOMA AND PROP. 8 CISNS.”   (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) THE ACTOR SAID HE HID HIS ORIENTATN BEE OF HIS UPBRGG. “I WENT TO SCHOOL THE BRONX. I LEARNED TO NSTANTLY TRY TO VER UP THE FACT THAT I WAS GAY. THAT FA OF BEG SOMEBODY I’M REALLY NOT JT TO PROTECT MYSELF FELY HELPED WH ACTG,” HE TOLD OUT MAGAZE 2011.  (ALBERTO E. RODRIGUEZ / GETTY IMAG FOR NAACP) NETEEN-YEAR-OLD BRISH OLYMPIC DIVG BRONZE MEDALIST TOM DALEY REVEALED THROUGH A YOUTUBE VIO THAT HE’S A RELATNSHIP WH A MAN AND HAS BEEN SCE SPRG.  (CLIVE ROSE / GETTY IMAG) “TOUCH” ACTRS MARIA BELLO TOOK TO THE PAG OF THE NEW YORK TIM DECEMBER 2013 TO WRE AN ARTICLE HEADLED “COMG OUT AS A MORN FAY,” REVEALG THE NVERSATN SHE HAD WH HER SON THAT LED HER TO REVEAL HER RELATNSHIP WH ANOTHER WOMAN, CLARE.  (ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ / AFP/GETTY IMAG) IN A FACEBOOK MSAGE TO MARK THE END OF 2013 AND HER REVERY OM A TRANSPLANT FOR A RARE BLOOD DISORR, “GOOD MORNG AMERI” ANCHOR ROB ROBERTS ME OUT AS A LBIAN BY THANKG HER “LONG TIME GIRLIEND, AMBER,” AMONG OTHERS.   (JAY L. CLENN / LOS ANGEL TIM) WELL, GAWWWLY! “GOMER PYLE, USMC” AND “THE ANDY GRIFFH SHOW” STAR JIM NABORS MARRIED HIS LONGTIME PARTNER, STAN CADWALLAR, SEATTLE JANUARY. THE RELATNSHIP WAS NEVER A SECRET, BUT THE S STAR HAD NOT E OUT PUBLICLY BEFORE.  (KEN HIVELY / LOS ANGEL TIM) ACTOR VICTOR GARBER NFIRMED HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN A DIDN’T-EVERYONE-KNOW-ALREADY WAY EARLY JANUARY 2013. IN AN APRIL 2012 ISSUE OF CANADIAN MAGAZE FYI GARBER HAD MENTNED HIS 13-YEAR-RELATNSHIP WH PARTNER RAIER ANDREEN WAS ONE OF HIS PROUST ACHIEVEMENTS.  (ROB MARCHANT / GETTY IMAG) UNTIL JULY, ANRSON COOPER HAD NEVER PUBLICLY NFIRMED HE WAS GAY, BUT HE’D NEVER NIED , EHER. COOPER’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN HAS LONG BEEN AN OPEN SECRET, BUT TOOK AN ENTERTAMENT WEEKLY VER STORY ABOUT GAY CELEBRI TO PROMPT THE NEWSMAN TO FALLY E OUT.  (CAROLYN COLE / LOS ANGEL TIM) THE NEW YORK TIM BROKE THE STORY QUIETLY WH ONE UNRSTATED SENTENCE. “THE NORMAL HEART,” READ, “RONATED WH HIM ON A FEW LEVELS: MR. PARSONS IS GAY AND A 10-YEAR RELATNSHIP, AND WORKG WH AN ENSEMBLE AGA WAS LIKE NOURISHMENT, [PARSONS] SAID.”   (ALLEN J. SCHABEN / LOS ANGEL TIM) ZACHARY QUTO ME OUT TO NEW YORK MAGAZE, TAKG PUBLIC OWNERSHIP OF HIS SEXUALY WH THE WORDS “AS A GAY MAN.”  (AL SEIB / LOS ANGEL TIM) ACTOR SEAN MAHER ME OUT TO ENTERTAMENT WEEKLY SEPTEMBER 2011, SAYG,”THIS IS MY G OUT BALL. I’VE BEEN DYG TO DO THIS.”  (ARAYA DIAZ/GETTY IMAG) JONATHAN KNIGHT OF NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK, FAR RIGHT, ME OUT AS GAY 2011 WHEN ‘80S SONGSTRS TIFFANY SAID HE WAS GAY ON THE BRAVO TV SHOW “WATCH WHAT HAPPENS: LIVE.” KNIGHT RPOND ON THE BAND’S WEBSE, SAYG HE IS PROUD TO BE GAY AND HAS BEEN OPEN ABOUT FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.  (GLENN KOENIG / LOS ANGEL TIM) COUNTRY SGER CHELY WRIGHT WAS OUTED BY ONLE MAGAZE QUEERTY, WHICH SPECULATED WRIGHT WOULD E OUT THE DAY AFTER THE RELEASE OF HER NEW ALBUM AND MEMOIR 2010. WRIGHT’S JOURNEY IS EXAMED THE DOCUMENTARY “CHELY WRIGHT: WISH ME AWAY.”  (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) BRISH RAPPER LADY SOVEREIGN ME OUT AN APRIL 2010 TERVIEW WH DIVA MAGAZE.   (LAWRENCE K. HO / LOS ANGEL TIM) RICKY MART END YEARS OF MEDIA SPECULATN WHEN HE PUBLISHED AN OPEN LETTER SPANISH AND ENGLISH TO FANS ON HIS PERSONAL WEBSE.   (ERIC JAMISON / INVISN/AP) “GLEE” STAR CHRIS COLFER ME OUT TO AN “ACCS HOLLYWOOD” REPORTER AN TERVIEW 2009.   (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) SEAN HAY ED THE ADVOTE TO BREAK THE NEWS A 2010 VER STORY.  (AL SEIB / LOS ANGEL TIM) ROLLG STONE MAGAZE BROKE THE NEWS 2009. ADAM LAMBERT, THE “AMERIN IDOL” STAR, NFIRMED WHAT MANY HAD BEEN THKG, SAYG, ‘’I DON’T THK SHOULD BE A SURPRISE FOR ANYONE TO HEAR THAT I’M GAY.”  (IRFAN KHAN / LOS ANGEL TIM ) MEREDH BAXTER TOLD MATT LER OF THE “TODAY” SHOW THAT SHE DIDN’T WANT “SOME TABLOID TO TAKE A STORY AND MAKE UP. ... SO I WANTED TO BE MY OWN WORDS.”  ( VALERIE MAN / GETTY IMAG) ACTRS WANDA SYK ANNOUNCED TO A CROWD SHE WAS GAY AT A SAME-SEX MARRIAGE RALLY LAS VEGAS 2008. SYK SAID SHE FELT PERSONALLY ATTACKED BY CALIFORNIA’S PROPOSN 8 THAT BANNED GAY MARRIAGE, ACRDG TO A NEW YORK TIM ARTICLE ON THE EVENT.   (KIRK MCKOY / LOS ANGEL TIM) PEOPLE MAGAZE BROKE THE NEWS ABOUT THIS “AMERIN IDOL” STAR, WHO POSED ON S VER WH HIS NEWBORN CHILD. “I NNOT RAISE A CHILD TO LIE OR TO HI THGS,” HE SAID.  (CHARL SYK / INVISN/AP) DAVID HY PIERCE’S SEXUAL ORIENTATN BEME PUBLIC WHEN THE ASSOCIATED PRS REPORTED THAT HE MOVED TO LOS ANGEL THE 1990S WH HIS PARTNER, BRIAN HARGROVE.  (PL MORSE / LOS ANGEL TIM) BLOC PARTY MICIAN KELE OKEREKE GAVE SEVERAL TERVIEWS WH GAY-ORIENTED MAGAZ UNTIL MORE OPENLY DISCSG HIS SEXUALY DURG A 2007 TERVIEW WH THE GUARDIAN.  ( MICHAEL ROBSON CHAVEZ / LOS ANGEL TIM) NEIL PATRICK HARRIS ME OUT WH A STATEMENT TO PEOPLE MAGAZE AS “A VERY NTENT GAY MAN LIVG [HIS] LIFE TO THE FULLT,” SAYG RATHER THAN IGNORE SPECULATN TO HIS PRIVATE LIFE, HE WANTED TO TELL THE PUBLIC THE TTH.   (LIZ O. BAYLEN / LOS ANGEL TIM) IN A 2004 TERVIEW CYNTHIA NIXON TOLD THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS SHE HAD “NOTHG TO HI” ABOUT HER RELATNSHIPS WH WOMEN.  ( LRA CAVANGH / GETTY IMAG) ROSIE O’DONNELL ME OUT DURG A EDY ROUTE AT A 2002 OVARIAN NCER BENEF.  (GARY FRIEDMAN / LOS ANGEL TIM) THE REM LEAD MAN, MICIAN MICHAEL STIPE, END YEARS OF PUBLIC SPECULATN WHEN HE TOLD TIME MAGAZE HE WAS A “QUEER ARTIST” DURG A MAY 2001 TERVIEW. PRR TO G OUT HE SAID HE “WAS BEG MA TO BE A WARD ABOUT ,” AND WAS READY TO TELL THE PUBLIC THE TTH ABOUT HIS SEXUALY.   (BRYAN CHAN / LOS ANGEL TIM) ELLEN DEGENER ME OUT PUBLICLY WH A TIME MAGAZE VER APRIL 1997. THE HEADLE: “YEP, I’M GAY.”  (BRIAN VAN R BG / LOS ANGEL TIM) MICIAN MELISSA ETHERIDGE ANNOUNCED SHE WAS A LBIAN DURG THE JANUARY 1993 TRIANGLE BALL — A GAY AND LBIAN GALA THAT CELEBRATED THE FIRST GURATN OF PRINT CLTON.  (MANUEL BALCE CEA / AP ) MICIAN K.D. LANG ME OUT 1992 TO ADVOTE MAGAZE. “THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT OPNS ON HOW TO GA ACCEPTANCE,” SHE SAID. “I DON’T WANT TO HURT MY MOTHER BY G OUT THE PRS. BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DON’T WANT TO HURT [GAY] CULTURE, AND ’S LIKE — WHAT DO YOU DO?”  (GA FERAZZI / LOS ANGEL TIM) RUPERT EVERETT WAS OPENLY GAY EARLY HIS REER, A CISN HE LATER TOLD THE GUARDIAN MAY HAVE HURT HIS BURGEONG REER. “IT’S NOT VERY EASY,” HE SAID. “AND, HONTLY, I WOULD NOT ADVISE ANY ACTOR NECSARILY, IF HE WAS REALLY THKG OF HIS REER, TO E OUT.”  (EVAN AGOSTI / GETTY IMAG) ACTOR IAN MCKELLEN DISCSED HIS SEXUAL ORIENTATN FOR THE FIRST TIME 1988 ON BBC RAD 3 WHEN DISCSG THE LOGIC OF A BRISH BILL THAT PROHIBED THE “PROMOTN OF HOMOSEXUALY.”  (JENNIFER S. ALTMAN / FOR THE TIM) MICIAN ELTON JOHN FIRST ME OUT AS BISEXUAL DURG A ROLLG STONE “ELTON JOHN: IT’S LONELY AT THE TOP” TERVIEW 1976. IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER HIS SEND DIVORCE 1988 THAT HE TOLD ROLLG STONE HE WAS FORTABLE BEG A GAY MAN.   (MICHAEL ROBSON CHAVEZ / LOS ANGEL TIM) 1/35SHOW SLI INFORMATN GAY CELEBRI: WHO IS OUT?

(Reportedly, however, Pace ma headl 2012 when his "Hobb" -star, Ian McKellen, accintally scribed Pace as gay an terview.

While he adms he was never outright srned for beg gay, there have been stanc where he felt was more of a hdrance than jt a fact that shouldn't matter.

He told Variety that while watchg "Love, Simon, " a love story wh a gay protagonist, he realized, "Straight people go to the movi and lerally see themselv all the time. "When I fally told my iends and fay I was gay after beg sred the closet for 18 years, and all they said was 'we know, '" Schnapp wrote of his g-out story, addg, "I gus I'm more siar to will than I thought. "When I was younger I thought I was straight, bee I was more attracted to women, and I didn't know there were more optns bis gay and straight.

29 CELEBRI WHO SOME BELIEVE ARE GAY

In a now-leted tweet that was screenshotted by celebry gossip and news se The Jasme Brand and posted to Instagram, the 45-year-old crooner, who is bt known for his early '90s classics like "Can We Talk" and "I'm Ready, " reportedly nfirmed that he is gay to a fan. "My mom keeps tellg me Luther Vandross, Teddy Penrgrass, and Tev Campbell were gay, " the fan's tweet read, to which Campbell simply quote-tweeted and said, "Tev is, " acpanied by the rabow flag and sunglass emojis. Then Augt, durg an terview wh People Magaze's Every Day podst, the R&B star remisced about his s-long reer the mic/entertament dtry so far, while also givg listeners a rare glimpse to his personal life and nfirmg that he do intify as a gay man.

The edian, actor, and star of the NBC's The Carmichael Show me out as gay April durg his HBO Max edy show Rothaniel.

The popular and credibly private vio game streamer, who is most known for playg Mecraft and for streamg on Twch, me out an April Twter Q&A wh his followers when he was asked by a fan what his favore moment the gay, romantic, teen Netflix seri Heartstopper was. ""For those nfed basilly I gus I am technilly unlabeled as the way I have kda always gone around life jt beg attracted to whoever I am attracted to jt so happens that most of them le up wh a 'certa type' you uld say, " he later clarified, sayg that he is "okay wh the gay label. Vcent Wang -- the popular, UK-based League of Legends ports player better known by his streamg name Bost -- publicly me out as gay a May Twter statement.