8 Celebrities on Why They Didn't Come Out Publicly Sooner
Coming out is a very personal experience. There’s no right or wrong time, place, or way of doing it. When you’re a public figure, the coming out process can be even more daunting. With all eyes on you, sometimes it’s just easier to keep your private life private for as long as you can. Read what these eight celebrities had to say about why they didn’t come out sooner.
Dan Levy
“I didn’t have the security of seeing a lot of people like myself being celebrated in popular culture.”
Sara Ramirez
“Coming out publicly was something that I was afraid of because I was concerned that it would affect my career in a negative way. I was afraid of the discrimination that I might face not just outside of Hollywood, but within.”
TJ Osborne
“I [found] myself being guarded for not wanting to talk about something that I personally don’t have a problem with. That feels so strange… I want[ed] to get to the height of my career being completely who I am… I mean, I am who I am, but I’ve kept a part of me muted, and it’s been stifling.”
Lil Nas X
“Growing up in the Atlanta area, I [saw] a lot of microaggressions towards homosexuality… [I remember] pushing that part of myself in more and more, almost convincing myself that it’s not even actually there…Mentally, it’s really draining and straining sometimes…The pressure of living your entire life knowing the identity of what a rapper is supposed to be, what rappers [are supposed to] do, and going out there in front of all these people, it’s terrifying.”
Wanda Sykes
“I don’t really talk about my sexual orientation. I didn’t feel like I had to—you know—I was just living my life & not necessarily in the closet. I was just living my life. Everybody that knows me personally, they know I’m gay...and that’s the way people should be able to live their lives.”
Zeke Smith
“I didn’t discuss my trans status in my initial video because I wanted the show to desire me as a game player and an eccentric storyteller, not as ‘The First Trans Survivor Player.’”
Lance Bass
“Growing up in Mississippi and in a Southern Baptist church, in a town where everyone knows your business, I had a secret: I was gay...And at the time, I thought that I would never be able to tell anyone because...I was terrified of the lasting rejection—I was certain that that would happen.”
Alexandra Shipp
"I didn’t come out until I was 28. Though I don’t believe in regrets, this would definitely be #1 for myself. I denied denied denied. I struggled with not only my sexuality, but my femininity. I was scared it was too late. I was scared I wasn’t going to be able to get work. I was scared no one would ever love me. Scared. Scared. Scared. It’s exhausting being scared all the time. It’s exhausting chasing other people’s ideas and opinions of who you should be."
