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Celebrities who came out as bi+ since last year’s #BiWeek
More and more celebrities have been openly celebrating being bisexual+ (including pansexual, fluid, and queer) in the past year year. Take a look at the stars who came out as bisexual+ and proud since #BiWeek 2016 but in time to celebrate this year.
Special thanks to the viral advocacy and education campaign Still Bisexual for providing research for this list! Follow them on Twitter @StillBisexual.
Sara Ramirez
Sara Ramirez, best known for playing bisexual doctor Callie Torres on Grey’s Anatomy, came out as bisexual at the 40 to None Summit on LGBT youth homelessness in October. “Because of the intersections that exist in my own life: Woman, multi-racial woman, woman of color, queer, bisexual, Mexican-Irish American, immigrant, and raised by families heavily rooted in Catholicism on both my Mexican and Irish sides,” Ramierz said. “I am deeply invested in projects that allow our youth’s voices to be heard.” Aligning with her own identity, her role as Callie on Grey’s Anatomy was groundbreaking for its complex portrayal of a bi woman of color. Previously, Ramirez garnered acclaim from her Tony-Award-winning portrayal of the original Lady of the Lake in the 2005 Broadway musical Spamalot. Since coming out, Sara has been actively involved in intersectional advocacy, including speaking at the Equality March in DC, rallying with Equality Texas in March in opposition of anti-trans policies, signing GLAAD, The Ally Coalition, and Equality Texas’ #TXtogether letter, and more.
Alia Shawkat
Arrested Development and Search Party star Alia Shawkat opened up about being bi in May during an interview with Out Magazine. Shawkat stated: “I was a tomboy growing up, and I remember my mom asking me when I was 10, ‘Are you attracted to boys or girls?’ I said ‘I don’t know.’ Now I consider myself bisexual, and I think balancing my male and female energies has been a big part of me growing as an actor.” Shawkat has also appeared in Broad City as the romantic interest and look-alike of Ilana and is the lead in the new film, Paint It Black. In episode nine of the podcast Rookie, Shawkat discusses her decision to come out publically during today’s contentious political climate.
Taylor Bennett
Hip hop artist Taylor Bennett came out in January, tweeting, “Growing up I’ve always felt indifferent about my sexuality & being attracted 2 one sex & today I would like to openly come out to my fans. I do recognize myself as a bisexual male & do & have always openly supported the gay community & will keep doing so in 2017.” His critically acclaimed album, Broad Shoulders, features notable artists such as Donnie Trumpet, King Louie, and his brother Chance the Rapper. This February, he dropped his most recent project, Restoration of an American Idol. His older brother, Chance the Rapper, has been vocally supportive of Bennett being out and bi.
Anthony Bowens
Professional wrestler and fitness model Anthony Bowens came out in a YouTube video with his boyfriend, Michael Pavano. He discussed his experience coming out as a male athlete in an essay published in Outsports, writing about how he “was comfortable with the thought of being bisexual but not the thought of other people knowing.” After filming the video, he came out as bi on Facebook: “After about 30 minutes I told Mike to check his phone. I hadn’t told him I was planning on coming out, so I wanted it to be a surprise. He had the biggest smile on his face, our friends in the room cheered, and I made the decision to turn on my phone. The response was overwhelming positive — 986 likes and more than 200 comments, all positive; only a very few people unfriended me. I couldn’t help but cry as I let loose all of the years of stress, anxiety and fear of judgment. It was the best decision I had ever made.” Anthony Bowen won the WrestlePro Championship in 2016 in a match defeating Matt Macintosh.
Daniel Newman
Walking Dead actor Daniel Newman began to open up about his bisexuality in March, hoping that he would inspire others in the LGBTQ community who are struggling to be themselves. In an interview with PEOPLE, he revealed, “I don’t want to be hidden and have to dodge the question. I’m proud of who I am.” He explains that he decided to come out to help others do the same. “Even though I felt before that I couldn’t talk about my private life, I was like, ‘You know what, this is something that everyone should be comfortable with, being 100 percent themselves and authentic.'”
Shannon Purser
This April, 19-year-old Riverdale and Stranger Things actress, Shannon Purser, came out as bisexual on Twitter, saying that she’s “only just recently come out as bisexual to [her] family and friends.” The breakthrough star made her acting debut as Barb on Stranger Things just this year, becoming a beloved fan favorite, inspiring a #JusticeForBarb Twitter trend, and earning an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She’s been open about her identity as a person of faith and as a member of the LGBTQ community, tweeting advice to others coming to terms with their sexuality: “Getting comfortable with your sexuality is a process. It’s going to be ok. I wish I’d known that sooner…Either way, I know what it’s like to have anxiety about it. Especially trying to come to terms with it and my faith. It can be really scary…All that to say, you’re not alone. You’re in my prayers and, if you’re the praying kind, please keep me in yours.”
Lauren Jauregui
In an open letter to Trump supporters published on Billboard, Fifth Harmony’s Lauren Jauregui came out as bisexual: “I am a bisexual Cuban-American woman and I am so proud of it.” Recently, Jauregui joined Halsey on the hit song “Strangers,” a groundbreaking top-charts pop song about queer women by queer women. In her letter. Jauregui stated:
“If I could tell every Trump supporter two things, it would be to travel and read a history book. Look beyond yourselves, look at how petty the morals you uphold seem when you realize we are not the only ones. Realize that your white skin is the result of immigration from Europe, that the only true ‘Americans’ are Native Americans, who are indigenous people that inhabited this land before these conquerors from other countries (England, France, Italy, Spain) wiped them out almost entirely. None of us belong here but all of us deserve the right to feel safe and live our lives in peace. To not have to worry about potentially dying, or being electro-shocked, or beaten, or raped, or emotionally abused because our existence and/or choices for ourselves upset someone else. This is the world Trump is fostering. This is the division that has risen since the beginning of the campaign. We are not America indivisible any longer, we are united on two separate sides; Love and Hatred. We are not ‘whining’ about our presidential choice losing, we are screaming battle cries against those whose political and personal agendas threaten our lives and sanity. We are making sure you hear us, no matter how much it bothers you, we EXIST.”
Keiynan Lonsdale
Keiynan Lonsdale, the actor behind Wally West in the CW series The Flash, shared that he’s attracted to more than one gender on Instagram in May. Lonsdale, who doesn’t use a label for his identity, wrote, “I like to change my hair, I like to take risks with how I dress, I like girls, & I like guys (yes). I like growing, I like learning, I like who I am and I really like who I’m becoming.” Lonsdale is also known for playing Uriah in The Divergent Series and his most recent role as Oliver in the feature film adaptation of Dance Academy.
Aaron Carter
Just me pic.twitter.com/8mbASXkREJ
— Aaron Carter (@aaroncarter) September 16, 2017
Singer Aaron Carter recently came out in August as bisexual, tweeting that his identity “doesn’t bring me shame, just a weight and burden I have held onto for a long time that I would like lifted off me.” In an interview with Elvis Duran on The Z100 Morning Show, he elaborated on his decision to come out: “I came out about my history and said I’m attracted to men and women equally. I just can’t live a lie anymore.” Carter released his most recent EP, LØVË, in February 2017.
Natalie Morales
Parks and Recreation‘s Natalie Morales came out in a heartwarming essay on Amy Poehler’s Smart Girls blog about her personal history, her love of privacy, and her connection to the LGBTQ community. “The reason I decided to share this with you and with the world is because even though me telling you I’m queer might not be a big deal these days, things are still pretty bad out there for people like me. There are gay concentration camps in Chechnya where people are being tortured right this second. In our very country, 49 people were killed and 58 people were wounded just last year because they were dancing in a gay club. Our safe spaces are not safe. I think it’s important that I tell you that this familiar face you see on your TV is the Q part of LGBTQ, so that if you didn’t know someone who was queer before, you do now.”
Who’s your favorite bi+ celebrity? Tweet us @GLAAD using the hashtag #BiWeek to let us know!
www.glaad.org/blog/celebrities-who-came-out-bi-last-years-biweek
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