Random LGBTQ+ Black Celebrity In Hollywood (27 items)

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  (#1) Lil Nas X

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  On the last day of Pride Month in 2019, Lil Nas X tweeted, "some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care, some of y’all not gone fwm no more. but before this month ends i want y’all to listen closely to c7osure," along with a rainbow emoji. He followed it with an image from his albumt that features a building made of rainbow colors in the background, writing, "deada** thought i made it obvious."
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  (#2) Lena Waithe

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  Lena Waithe is known for the impact she makes, speaking out about being LGBTQA+ in Hollywood. "Being born gay, Black and female is not a revolutionary act. Being proud to be a gay, Black female is," she said, during the Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards in 2018.

  In September 2018, Waithe made history as the first Black woman to win an Emmy for Outstanding Writer for a Comedy series for her Master of None episode about coming out. The "Thanksgiving" episode focused on her character, Denise, throughout the years, and how her mother dealt with her coming out, and later bringing partners home for the holidays. 

  Waithe was honored as Out Magazine's Artist of the Year in 2018, and she made headlines when she wore a rainbow pride cap to the Met Gala.
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  (#3) Laverne Cox

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  Laverne Cox has long been an advocate for trans people. She first gained fame for appearing as Sophia Burset on Netflix hit Orange Is the New Black, but has starred in numerous other projects, such as Fox's The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again.

  "I'm done debating whether trans is real. I'm real. I'm sitting here and I have lived experiences as a woman, as a woman of trans experience, as a Black woman, and so I'm done with that and I know a lot of trans folks are done with that," she said in an October 2019 interview with Advocate.  
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  (#4) RuPaul

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  Drag queen, actor, and singer RuPaul Charles has been a beacon of empowerment since he first emerged in the music industry with his hit "Supermodel (You Better Work)." He has since dedicated his life to promoting LGBT causes with everything he does.  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#5) Raven-Symoné

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  "That's So Raven" star Raven-Symone has stated via Twitter, "I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to."
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  (#6) Wanda Sykes

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  Comedian and actress Wanda Sykes publicly came out at a same-sex marriage rally in 2008. She married her wife, Alex, earlier that year, and the couple have two children together.  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#7) Meshell Ndegeocello

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  Musician Meshell Ndegeocello is bisexual, and she was involved in a relationship with the author Rebecca Walker. Ndegeocello has been nominated for 10 Grammy Awards.
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  (#8) Karamo Brown

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  Karamo Brown famously came out as gay to his roommates in the 2004 season of The Real World, set in Philadelphia. However, he doesn't like to use the phrase "coming out." 

  "For me, 'coming out' gives the power to the other person to accept or deny you. When you're 'inviting them in,' you have the power," he explained. He added, in an interview with NowThis News, "My grandmother said this and I loved the way she put it: Imagine if somebody came to your house and knocked on your door and you said, 'Hey, come into my fabulous home. It represents me.' And they were like, 'I don't like it.' You're not gonna cry. You're gonna close your door and feel comforted, because you're in your house. And that was the same way [with] me. When I was letting people into my life, if they didn't want to come into my life, I knew that was OK because I still had my home. I felt safe about myself."
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  (#9) Paris Barclay

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  Emmy Award winning director Paris Barclay has been openly gay since he was in college. He and his longtime partner, Christopher Mason, married in 2008, and they have adopted two children together.  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
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  (#10) André Leon Talley

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  Vogue editor Andre Leon Talley started his career as an assistant to Andy Warhol. He has stated, "I have had very gay experiences, yes, I swear on my grandmother’s grave that I never slept with a single designer in my life. Never, ever desired, never was asked, never was approached, never, ever bought, in my entire career. Never. Not one. Skinny or fat. Never."
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  (#11) Lee Daniels

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  Precious director Lee Daniels is openly gay. He says that he was never in the closet. He told Arsenio Hall, "There was never a closet… My earliest memories were coming down the stairs in my mother’s high heels at six years old while my dad’s playing cards with the buddies."  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#12) Jason Collins

  NBA player Jason Collins came out as gay in an interview with Sports Illustrated magazine in 2013. He is the first active athlete to come out as gay in any of the major American sports. His announcement provoked mixed reactions from his fellow players and the media.  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#13) Angel Haze

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  The rapper formerly known as Angel Haze - who recently announced she wanted to go by Roes - identifies as pansexual and agender, though she does not use the "they" pronoun. 

  "People talking about me, like, 'I’m glad there’s an actual woman of color representing queerness and pansexuality, someone who is like me in the spotlight,'" she said to Out Magazine in 2014.
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  (#14) Johnny Mathis

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  Musician Johnny Mathis was quoted in Us Magazine as stating, "Homosexuality is a way of life that I've grown accustomed to." He received a lifetime achievement Grammy Award in 2003.  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#15) Janet Mock

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  Janet Mock is a beloved trans rights activist and bestselling author. She told The Guardian in 2018 that she had always known she was a woman, and just felt cursed by biology. "I believed I was, and knew myself as, a young woman, even when I had a penis. It wasn’t as if I needed the surgery to confirm that for me," she said.
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  (#16) Amandla Stenberg

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  In 2016, Amandla Stenberg came out as bisexual on a Snapchat video for Teen Vogue, meant to inspire Black women to embrace their identity. 

  However, in a 2018 interview with Wonderland magazine, she clarified that she is, in fact, gay. "I was so overcome with this profound sense of relief when I realized that I’m gay – not bi, not pan, but gay – with a romantic love for women," she said. She also clarified, "My sexuality is not a byproduct of my past experiences with men, who I have loved, but rather a part of myself I was born with and love deeply."
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  (#17) Robin Roberts

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  Newsanchor Robin Roberts publicly announced that she was gay via a Facebook post which stated, "At this moment I am at peace and filled with joy and gratitude. I am grateful to God, my doctors and nurses for my restored good health... I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together." She has been with her partner, Amber Laign, for over 10 years.  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#18) Janelle Monáe

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  Janelle Monáe came out as queer publicly for the first time in 2018. She told Rolling Stone, "Being a queer Black woman in America. Someone who has been in relationships with both men and women – I consider myself to be a free-a** motherf**ker."

  She also dedicated her album Dirty Computer to those struggling with their identity. "I want young girls, young boys, nonbinary, gay, straight, queer people who are having a hard time dealing with their sexuality, dealing with feeling ostracised or bullied for just being their unique selves, to know that I see you. This album is for you. Be proud."
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  (#19) Isis King

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  Isis King first gained acclaim as a contestant on America's Next Top Model, where she came out as trans. In 2012, she became the first transgender model for American Apparel, and later released her own line with them. 

  In 2019 she gained praise for her role as transgender character Norman-Marci Wise in Ava DuVernay's Netflix series When They See Us, about the conviction of the Central Park Five.
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  (#20) Sheryl Swoopes

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  WNBA player Sheryl Swoopes announced that she was gay in 2005. She stated, "it doesn't change who I am. I can't help who I fall in love with. No one can."
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  (#21) Tessa Thompson

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  Tessa Thompson came out as bisexual in a 2018 Net-a-Porter interview. "[In my family] you can be anything you want to be. I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion," she said.
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  (#22) Don Lemon

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  Newsanchor Don Lemon came out as gay in his memoir, Transparent. He also said that he suffered from sexual abuse as a child.
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  (#23) LZ Granderson

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  Sports reporter LZ Granderson openly stated that he was gay to CNN He supported NBA player Jason Collins with his decision to publicly speak about his sexuality.
  
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  (#24) Tracy Chapman

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  Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman has never publicly discussed her sexuality, but it is widely known that she was in a relationship with A Color Purple author Alice Walker. Chapman is a gay icon for writing empowering songs like "Talkin' 'Bout a Revolution."
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  (#25) Frank Ocean

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  Frank Ocean penned an open letter on his Tumblr blog stating that he had a romantic relationship with another man when he was 19. He instantly became a gay icon, as there are very few musicians who are open about their sexuality in hip-hop and R&B. Def Jam co-founder Russell Simmons said, "Today is a big day for hip-hop. It is a day that will define who we really are. How compassionate will we be? How loving can we be? How inclusive are we? [...] Your decision to go public about your sexual orientation gives hope and light to so many young people still living in fear."  

  Photo Via: Shutterstock
  
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  (#26) Azealia Banks

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  Musician Azealia Banks is openly bisexual, but she doesn't want that to define her as an artist. She told the New York Times, "I'm not trying to be, like, the bisexual, lesbian rapper. I don't live on other people's terms."
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  (#27) Jussie Smollett

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  Actor Jussie Smollett of Empire had kept quiet on his personal life, but finally stated that he was gay on Ellen in March of 2015. He added, "I've told Ellen, now who else do I need to tell?" Like many actors before him, Smollett found that bringing his sexuality into the open - even though he stated "There is without a doubt, no closet that I’ve ever been in," - would ease speculation and hoped that it meant people "don't need to ask anymore."

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