Daniel Franzese, known for playing ‘Mean Girls’s fabulous gay teenager Damian, has come out in a heartfelt open letter to the character he played ten years ago.
Franzese wrote about how it meant a lot to him to play a gay character that “the audience laughed with rather than at“, how Hollywood typecast him into flamboyant, stereotypical gay roles
Finnish Olympian Ari-Pekka Liukkonen has become the first Finnish Olympian to come out while still active in his career. The swimmer, who competed in the London 2012 Olympics and won a bronze medal in the European championships of the same year, has reportedly said he decided to come out to raise awareness of Russia’s anti-gay laws before the upcoming Sochi Olympics.
Tyler Glenn, lead singer of the band Neon Trees has come out as gay in an upcoming edition of Rolling Stone magazine. The singer also spoke about his Mormon upbringing, and how the Church of Latter Day Saints responded to the same sex marriage ban Prop 8. “We were always taught, and I hate this word, ‘tolerance,’” he said. “The only time that felt different was when the Prop 8 thing came up,” Glenn reportedly began coming out to family and friends in October of last year, and said he was inspired by people like NFL player Michael Sam to go public.
Robin Roberts, the host of ‘Good Morning America’ has publicly acknowledged her girlfriend for the first time and revealed that she is a lesbian. Roberts posted a note to her Facebook page thanking her fans, colleagues and family for their support during the last year as she recovered from breast cancer and a bone marrow transplant. In the note the TV presenter also acknowledged her girlfriend Amber Laign.
In an essay published in Bloomberg Businessweek, Apple CEO Tim Cook informed the public that he is “proud to be gay”.In the essay he explained that although privacy was important to him, he felt that being open and proud of his sexuality was his small part in helping others. “We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick. This is my brick.” he concluded.
In an interview with the Sunday Mirror, UK boxing legend and UKIP candidate Kellie Maloney, formerly known as Frank Maloney, came out as transgender. Maloney worked for three decades as a boxing promoter, helping Lennox Lewis gain the world heavyweight title. “I was born in the wrong body and I have always known I was a woman. I can’t keep living in the shadows, that is why I am doing what I am today. Living with the burden any longer would have killed me. “What was wrong at birth is now being medically corrected. I have a female brain. I knew I was different from the minute I could compare myself to other children. I wasn’t in the right body. I was jealous of girls.” she told The Mirror.
Kristian Nairn, actor in the immensely popular series ‘Game of Thrones’, has publicly come out as gay. Nairn, who plays the lovable and enormous Hodor, revealed his sexuality in an interview with ‘Game of Thrones’ fan site ‘Winter is Coming’. The interviewer brought up the subject of the gay community when he told the actor he had gained quite a following in the bear community. Nairn responded with this: “”Well, in all honesty, when you talk about ‘the gay community, you are talking about MY community, haha,” he said. “I AM aware of it yeah, and I think it’s really lovely. There’s not a day that I don’t get a few messages, but 99 percent or more are super sweet and nothing smutty at all! Again, it’s a privilege, and I really mean that.”
Five time Olympic gold medalist Ian Thorpe came out as a gay man in a widely publicised interview with Sir Michael Parkinson. The champion swimmer’s declaration ignited a firestorm of comments and opinions from the public and the media covering a range of different perspectives
Actress Ellen Page has declared that she’s gay in a moving speech at the Human Rights Campaign’s inaugural ‘Time to THRIVE’ conference. Speaking at the American organisation’s conference is Las Vegas the Canadian actress said she hoped she could make a difference by be open about her sexuality. “I’m here today because I am gay. And because… maybe I can make a difference. To help others have an easier and more hopeful time. Regardless, for me, I feel a personal obligation and a social responsibility,” Page said.
Billy Gilman, 26, shot to fame at the tender age of 12 with a top 40 country hit with the hit “Only Voice.” Following country star Ty Herndon’s lead he posted a video online in which he acknowledges he’s a gay man with a partner of five months.
Michael Sam, who previously played football for the University of Missouri came out about his sexuality in an interview with ESPN on the 9th of February. After being cut from the team, Sam was drafted to play for the Saint Louis rams, making him the first openly gay player to be drafted for the USA’s National Football League. ESPN broadcasted Sam receiving the news over the phone. The athlete was tearful at the good news, and after hanging up the phone embraced his boyfriend and kissed him on national television.
Hunk and country music sensation Ty Herndon came out as gay in an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the video which reveled that he had been in a relationship for five years. Despite saying: “I felt it was time to be honest”, Gilman went on to say that his career will be negatively affected by his coming out. He said he had made the decision to come out after a reporter took a photo of him and his partner, and that he wanted to do it on his own terms. Regardless of his fears, Ty has received support from his fans, peers and the LGBT community. “Country music is changing its tune on equality,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “By sharing his story, Ty Herndon is helping to move the needle for LGBT music artists in the country industry. It’s personal stories like his that help people understand that gay people can also be Christians, cowboys, and even country music stars.”
Wrestler Darren Young announced he is gay. The WWE Star was speaking to a photographer in an airport when he made the surprise announcement. “I’m a WWE superstar and to be honest with you, I’ll tell you right now, I’m gay. And I’m happy. Very happy,” said Young.
Olympic rower Robbie Manson publicly came out as gay in 2014 after two years of being out to his friends and teammates. The 25-year-old-Cambriged-based athlete penned an emotive 1200-word blog for outsports.com detailing the “scariest decision” of his life. “There are already a lot of great gay sporting role models, and a lot who have achieved far more than I have, but I hope that my story can add something to what is already out there. ”To show other people who might be struggling with their sexuality, not only that it’s OK to be gay, but it’s a good thing, and it won’t change who you are or limit what you can achieve. At the end of the day, it’s only one of the many things that define me as a person.”
The last but not least entry into our 2014 last is the surprisingly majestic Kale. This saucy minx made it’s entrance into the world on a BuzzFeed game played with songstress Madonna. Despite Madonna being slammed by various media outlets, regrettably the dark leafy vegetable had nothing more to say.
