14 LBGT Celebrities Who Outed Themselves

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Empire star Jussie Smollet’s recent announcement he was homosexual is just one example of celebrities being increasingly comfortable discussing their sexuality. Smollet discussed the matter with Ellen DeGeneres, and by and large the news cycle kept moving.

With more and more of Hollywood’s elite among the LBGT community, the news being more of a discussion than a revelation was a bit of a sign of progress. These 14 LBGT celebrities that outed themselves helped change the tone of such discussions with their choice to come out.

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Photo: Ellen Show screen capture

photo: WENN

Jussie Smollet

When Smollet said he told Lee Daniels Jamal Lyon was him, it hinted at art imitating life. Turns out the hints were on point, as Smollet disclosed being homosexual during a recent interview with Ellen DeGeneres.

Mr. Cee

There wasn’t much outing to do after Cee repeatedly got busted for indecent exposure during his encounters with cross-dressing prostitutes. But Cee gave a heartfelt, often tearful interview that cleared the air as much as he possibly could given the timing and circumstances.

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Michael Sam

The St. Louis Rams made Michael Sam the first openly gay athlete to be drafted by an NFL team in 2014. The former University of Missouri defensive back briefly logged time with the Rams and Dallas Cowboys.

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Angel Haze

Haze has a strong pimp hand, which she displayed by going public with Ireland Baldwin. Those who listened to her music could deduce she wasn’t talking about a man though.

Amber Rose

Before Kanye and Wiz Khalifa, Amber freely admitted being bisexual. Those cakes attract men and women.

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Raven Symone

Actor and singer Raven Symone has a girlfriend, but would prefer not to self identify as lesbian.

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Frank Ocean

Odd Future affiliate Frank Ocean doesn’t self identify as homosexual or bisexual, but in 2012 he dropped a lengthy Tumblr post confirming he was singing about a man he fell in love with on one of his songs.

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Azealia Banks

When it comes to having the box attended to, Banks says both men an women are welcome.

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Lee Daniels

During arguably one of the funniest moments on The Nightly Show With Larry Wilmore, Daniels said he took his mother to her first gay pride parade.

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Michelle Rodriguez

The world saw Rodriguez become one of the many women model Cara Delevingne has macked in public when the two began making out at a Knicks game. Have you seen how horrible the Knicks are? We should all be so lucky.

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Sheryl Swoopes

WNBA baller Sheryl Swoopes usually let her game do all the talking. But when she came out as a lesbian in 2005, she was one of the most prominent openly gay African-American athletes in the country.

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Wentworth Miller

Former Prison Break star Wentworth Miller said he tried to commit suicide several times while attempting to come to terms with his sexuality. Ultimately, Miller made a brief powerful statement by both coming out and boycotting Russia’s St. Petersburg International Film Festival when he came out in 2013.

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Wanda Sykes

In 2008, comedian, actor, and writer Wanda Sykes came out during a rally in Las Vegas.

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Jason Collins

On February 24, 2014, Collins became the first openly gay athlete in North America’s four major professional sports when he signed with the Brooklyn Nets.