These famous lesbians and celebrities identify as lesbian, gay, or gay women. Some of them use the term dyke. Homosexuality is not something to be ashamed of. Things changed dramatically on June 26, 2015. On that date, the US Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in all fifty states. The Court also required states to honor out-of-state same-sex marriage licenses.
Following that decision, even more, celebrities came out of the closet, revealing their sexuality. Who are some of the most famous lesbians? Let’s find out.
Megan Rapinoe
How can you not love Megan Rapinoe? She was amazing during the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019. Her pink hair made it even that much more impossible not to love her.
Megan is a professional American soccer player. Currently, she plays for Reign FC in the American Women’s Soccer League.
In 2019, she won the Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year, becoming the fourth woman to win the award.
Rapinoe openly fights and advocates for equal pay in the soccer world and supports multiple LGBTQ+ organizations.
She came out publicly in 2012 in Out Magazine, saying she knew she was a lesbian since college. As of 2016, she is in a homosexual relationship with basketball player Sue Bird.
Sarah Paulson
When it comes to famous lesbians, Sarah Paulson is among the top. She was accidentally outed at the 2005 Tony Awards. At the time, her girlfriend Cherry Jones went up on stage to receive an award. Sarah said, “She won a Tony Award, I kissed her, and all of a sudden I was outed. I didn’t really didn’t think about it in that way at the time, I was just doing what one would do to a person they love”.
Born in Tampa, Florida in 1974, the American actress is famous for her performance in American Horror Story.
Jacqueline Wilson
Jacqueline Wilson is an author who publicly came out in 2020. She was 74 years of age at the time. She said that her romantic relationship with her partner Trish had never been a secret.
Coming out, Jacqueline Wilson said, “I’ve never really been in any kind of closet. It would be such old news for anybody that has ever known anything much about me. Even the vaguest acquaintance knows perfectly well that we are a couple”.
The English novelist is among the most popular children’s literature writers. Jacqueline Wilson wrote her debut novel in 1969. Since then, she has written over 100 books.
Kate Moennig
Our next celebrity lesbian is Instagram star, Kate Moennig. She plays Shane in the famous lesbian show The L Word. Her character was a main character in the original L Word seasons but also stars in Generation Q.
Her full name is Katherina Sian Moennig. Kate Moennig is an American actress. Fun fact: she has dated guys in the past. But since doing the L Word, she figured out she liked girls.
Coming from an environment that is not very open, Kate experienced people who were proud of their sexuality for the first time while recording the show.
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster might be the biggest name in the lesbian world. She came out publicly during a speech at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards ceremony. She said, “I have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never been able to air in public”. Then, she cracked jokes and explained she had already come out years ago to trusted friends and family.
Born in 1962, the American actress is one of the most successful in Hollywood. She has numerous awards and accolades. Following her Golden Globe Award win, she kissed her wife.
Lena Waithe
Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. Lena serves as the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi and the BET Comedy series Boomerang.
Lena Waithe is one of the most vocal activists in the LGBTQ community. Because of her activism, she has won the GLAAD Media Award, getting honored for bringing more LGBTQ representation in television and film.
The Master of None actor once said, “Being born gay, black, and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay, black female is”.
Ruby Rose
Fans of the Batwoman series were furious when Ruby Rose was cast as the titular character. At the time Ruby was already out as a homosexual. To be fair, comic book fans and comic series are angry when people change the sexuality of their favorite character for Hollywood reasons. Truth be told, she was made lesbian in the comics in 2006.
Coming from Australia, Ruby got famous with her role in Orange is the New Black. Besides acting, she is a model, writer, DJ, and television presenter.
Ruby Rose came out as a lesbian at the age of 12.
Leisha Hailey
If your favorite character in the L Word is Alice, you know a lot about Leisha Hailey. She plays Alice, one of the main characters.
Born in Japan to American parents, she has a musical career besides acting. Leisha got famous by singing in the pop duo The Murmurs.
Leisha came out of the closet at the age of 17. She dated Camila Grey from 2011 to 2016. Their relationship became famous when they weren’t allowed to go on a Southwest Airlines flight. The flight attendant asked them to stop kissing.
Rosie O’Donnell
Donald Trump had a lot of fun with Rosie during the presidential elections. But Rosie doesn’t care. The famous comedian is one of the most confident women in America. She came out as gay during a stand-up performance in 2002.
She has been married two times, once to Kelli Carpenter, and another to Michelle Rounds.
Kate McKinnon
Fun fact: Kate McKinnon came out to her mother after watching TV. She says, “I figured it out by watching the X-Files and noticing my physiological reaction to it”.
Talking about her sexuality in 2016, she continued, “I thought it was a product of David Duchovny’s face, but it was Gillian Anderson who still is the queen of my heart. So I knew then. I told some of my friends, and eventually, I found my mother. She found me crying and said ‘what’s wrong. And I said ‘I think I’m gay’. She said fine and that was it”.
Ellen DeGeneres
Born Ellen Lee DeGeneres, the famous American comedian, television host, writer, and producer is one of the most famous lesbians in the world. She starred in the sitcom Ellen from 1994 to 1998 and since then has hosted her talk show, The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Ellen came out as homosexual during the fourth season of Ellen in 1997. She came out in an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her character in the show, Ellen Morgan, came out to a therapist played by Winfrey. The series went on to explore various LGBT issues.
In 2008, Ellen got married to her longtime girlfriend, Portia de Rossi.
Portia de Rossi
When you mention Ellen, you have to mention her longtime girlfriend and partner. Portia says, “When I really, truly came out was at the Golden Globes when Arrested Development was nominated. Ellen and I had been together for a month, and I was very, very nervous about going to that because I knew that I was going to meet up with her after the show and there was press”.
Fun fact: that Golden Globe ceremony was the first time Ellen and Portia stepped out together as a lesbian couple.
Hayley Kiyoko
Singer Hayley Kiyoko has a song called “Girls Like Girls”. Can you guess what is it about? Her fans refer to Hayley as Lesbian Jesus.
At one pride summit, Hayley Kiyoko said, “I didn’t want a label at all, but once I released my music, there was this outpour of support for the fact that I did like girls. I learned that by embracing my label as a lesbian, I was helping normalize that for so many other people”.
Samira Wiley
Samira Wiley is another cast member of the lesbian Netflix show Orange Is the New Black. The American lesbian actress also appears in The Handmaid’s Tale, The Sitter, and Social Animals.
She is married to Lauren Morelli, who is one of the writers of Orange is the New Black. They fell in love while filming the show and got married in 2017.
Holland Taylor
We continue with another actress from The L Word series. During one interview, she said she wants to use the term gay, not lesbian.
Speaking to a magazine in 2020, Holland Taylor said, “I have never concealed who I am. I’m not one to broadcast my private life anyway, but as far as simply being with whoever I’m partners with, of course, I am not going to be hiding in my house”.
Holland has been in a relationship with Sarah Paulson since 2015. It is just amazing to see Holland as a lesbian. After all, she plays Charlie’s mother in Two and a Half Men, a woman who is constantly trying to sleep with a man and get his money.
Cynthia Nixon
If you love Sex and the City, you know a lot about Cynthia Nixon. She plays Miranda Hobbes in the famous television series.
The lesbian celebrity is a huge activist and advocates for LGBTQ rights in the US. She advocated a lot for the rights of gay marriage. Cynthia and her wife Christine Marinoni got married in 2012, and they have a son together.
In one interview in 2020, she explained why she identifies as a queer woman. She said, “I feel like queer is an umbrella term, and it includes my formerly straight self too”.
Raven Symone
We continue our list of famous lesbians with the American actress, singers, and songwriters. She has received a lot of awards during her career. Born in 1985, she was quite excited in 2013 after the Supreme Court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
She instantly tweeted, “I can finally get married. Yay Government”. The American singer clarified her tweet in an interview with Oprah in 2014, saying, “That was my way of saying I am proud of the country. But I will say that I am in an amazing, happy relationship with my partner. A woman”.
Tegan and Sara
We have to mention the Canadian twin sisters forming the band Tegan & Sara. Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin are two identical twin sisters. And they are both openly lesbian celebrities and advocates for LGBT equality.
Cara Delevingne
Cara Delevigne is a model, singer, and actress from England. She has won the British model of the year award two times. She is one of the most beautiful women in the world.
And she is a lesbian. She came out saying she was “gender fluid”. Cara and actress Ashley Benson were dating for a while, but they broke up in 2020.
Ashley Benson
Let’s finish off the list of famous lesbians with the former girlfriend of Cara Delevigne. The two came out during Pride Month in 2019, confirming their relationship.
The American lesbian actress and model is famous for her role in the series Pretty Little Liars.
