In case you have been hiding under a rock and did not know by now, June is Pride Month. It is a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to society and to rejuvenate our fight for equal rights for all. To end this year’s Pride Month, let’s take a moment to honor celebrities of the past and present who have made great strides in the entertainment industry.
In a New York Times article in 2012, it was noted that actor Jim Parsons is gay and had been in a relationship for 10 years. He is now married to husband, art director Todd Spiewak. Parsons is known for playing Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory and has done some work on Broadway and in movies.
Though no longer living, Freddie Mercury continues to make an impact on many through his music and legacy. He was unafraid to be gay in a time where it was still a taboo thing. However, he did have to hide the fact that he was living with HIV because of the stigma. After his death, bandmates Brian May and Roger Taylor created the Mercury Phoenix Trust to raise money to fight HIV/AIDS around the world.
Singer Kesha, known for “Tik Tok” and, more recently, “Praying,” came out as bisexual in 2013. Since then, she has officiated two same-sex weddings. Aside from activism in LGBT, she also participates in animal rights activism and is a vegetarian. She has won and been nominated for several awards for her music.
Pop singer Aaron Carter, known for his music career stretching back to the 1990s, came out as bisexual on Twitter. He expressed that music has been a safe haven for him to explore his sexuality. He stated that he felt attraction to both genders from a young age, but was able to fully identify and experience this until he was 17.
Ellen Degeneres is most known for her talk show, but she is also an actress, comedian, producer, and writer. She came out as a lesbian in an interview on Oprah Winfrey’s show in 1997. This made Ellen the first openly lesbian actress to play an openly lesbian character on TV. She has won several awards for both her entertainment work and her charitable work.
Actress Angelina Jolie has been outspoken about being bisexual for a while. In 2014, when she was still married to Brad Pitt, she openly announced that she would support their then 10-year-old to identify as a male, who now goes by as John. John joined Angelina and Brad on the red carpet, sporting short hair and a tux.
Actress and Disney Channel star Raven came out as dating a woman in 2014 but did not want to be labeled as gay. Raven was forced to hide her sexuality while she was under Disney’s management. She is known for starring on “That’s So Raven” and the spinoff, “Raven’s Home,” but she has also done movies and has been a co-host on The View.
Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes came out as a lesbian in 2008, but, according to an interview she did with The Meredith Show, it was not intentional. She was speaking at an anti- Prop 8 rally and she was speaking about how the law would impact her. However, her coming out allowed her to be one of the few visible black lesbians at the time, so she was a positive voice for so many.
Actor Neil Patrick Harris is known for his role on How I Met Your Mother, but he is also a writer, producer, singer, magician, and comedian. In Nover 2006, he confirmed that rumors stating he was gay were true. He is married to David Burtka, and the couple had twins together through surrogacy in 2010.
Anderson Cooper is known for his reporting for CNN, but he also has experience in writing and hosts CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. He was also the narrator of the 2011 revival of Broadway’s How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. He officially came out as gay in 2012 after years of avoiding telling about his personal life in interviews.
Former Disney Channel star and singer Miley Cyrus has come out as pansexual in recent years. Not only is she part of the LGBTQ+ community, she is also using her platform to make a difference. She partnered with Instagram to start #InstaPride, which encourages users to tell their stories of being transgender. She also founded the Happy Hippie Foundation, which helps homeless and LGBT youth.
Lady Gaga is outspoken about her experiences with being bisexual, but she is constantly working to stop bullying, particularly when it comes to bullying the LGBTQ+ community. Her hit song, “Born This Way,” talks about loving others and yourself, no matter what. She always takes the opportunity to advocate for equal LGBTQ+ rights.
Barry Manilow has been in the public eye as a musician for decades, but he only came out as gay in recent years. He is known for hits such as “Copacabana.” He married his high school sweetheart, Susan, but the marriage failed after just one year. He married husband Garry Kief in 2014 but kept their marriage secret until 2015.
British musician Sir Elton John is known for his many hits, such as “Crocodile Rock,” “Tiny Dancer,” and “Philadelphia Freedom.” He has also won several awards and honors for his music. He has been openly bisexual since 1988 and entered a civil partnership with David Furnish in 2005. They officially married in 2014. In 1992, Elton established the Elton John AIDS Foundation. Elton John is one of the most well-known members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Singer Teddy Geiger, known for his song “For You I Will (Confidence),” came out as transgender in the comments of a post on Instagram in 2017. Though he has not made music of his own, he has written songs for musicians such as One Direction and Shawn Mendes in recent years. He has also made appearances on television and in movies.
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