Robin Roberts caps 2013 list of famous gay, bisexual and transgender celebs
Morning TV host Robin Roberts used her Facebook page to thank those who have helped her recover from a rare and serious blood disorder. Somewhere between her expressions of gratitude to God, her dog and her GMA fans, Roberts seems to have acknowledged, perhaps for the first time, that she has a female partner:
“I am grateful for my entire family, my long time girlfriend, Amber, and friends as we prepare to celebrate a glorious new year together.”
If so, she now joins her Good Morning America co-host, Sam Champion, who came out last year as gay and engaged to be married to Rubem Rohierb.
2013 has turned out to be quite a year for celebrities, athletes and political figures to come forward and publicly share, or at least acknowledge, their sexual orientation.
ACTORS
Maria Bello — film and TV actress, came out as bisexual in November in a New York Times essay about her family.
Lucas Cruikshank — creator of YouTube’s Fred Figglehorn, announced he was gay in a YouTube video with Jennifer Veal.
Matt Dallas — actor from “Kyle X/Y,” told the world in January that he had a male fiancé following years of prodding from Perez Hilton.
Jodie Foster — one of Hollywood’s best-known leading actresses, pleased many fans at the Golden Globe Awards in January with a somewhat bewildering statement about not needing to come out because she had already done so privately with friends and family.
Victor Garber — the familiar-faced TV actor confirmed to Greg in Hollywood that he had been in a long-term relationship with a man, saying he did not actively talk about it, but “everybody knows.”
Wentworth Miller — actor from “Prison Break,” came out in August as part of a protest against Russia’s anti-gay laws.
Jim Nabors — an 82-year-old actor and singer known for his beloved character “Gomer Pyle,” revealed in January that he had a newly legal husband after sharing 38 years of partnership together.
Maulik Pancholy — TV actor from “Weeds” and “30 Rock,” told Out.com that he has been in a relationship with a male partner for 9 years.
Greg Rikaart — actor on “The Young and the Restless,” tweeted a photo of himself with another man saying, “Not getting married anytime soon, but celebrating equality” after the Supreme Court’s landmark marriage decision.
Michelle Rodriguez — a Hollywood actress who specializes in tough female characters, told Entertainment Weekly in September, “I have gone both ways.”
Andrew Scott — actor from the UK program “Sherlock,” opened up to The Independent in November about being gay, and explained the “difference between privacy and secrecy.”
Raven-Simone — actress from “That’s So Raven” and “The Cosby Show,” stepped forward in a tweet about marriage equality.
Troye Sivane — a YouTuber and X-Men actor, came out in August through one of his YouTube videos.
Tuc Watkins — actor from “One Life to Live” and “Desperate Housewives,” told Marie Osmond that he was gay and had become a father through surrogacy.
Ben Whishaw — an actor who appeared as Q in “Skyfall,” was both “happy and proud” to be married to his husband in August.
Richard Wilson — a 76-year-old star of the BBC / PBS comedy “One Foot in the Grave,” confirmed to The Daily Mirror that he was gay after he had been touted as one of Time Out‘s most influential gay people in the UK.
SPORTS
Brian Boitano — the Olympic U.S. ice skater, came out in December after being selected by President Obama to be part of the U.S. delegation to Sochi.
Jason Collins — NBA player for the Washington Wizards, received support from President Obama and many others after he graced the cover of Sports Illustrated as, it seems, the first gay male athlete to come out while still active in U.S. pro sports.
Tom Daley — an Olympic UK diver, came out as bisexual in a YouTube video in December. Numerous, unconfirmed reports indicated his new love was screenwriter Dustin Lance Black.
Brittney Griner — a basketball player for the WNBA, told Sports Illustrated that she had always been open about her sexuality.
Bob Harper — celebrity fitness trainer, came out on his show “The Biggest Loser” in an effort to support one of the contestants, Bobby Saleem, who then came out to his father.
E.J. Johnson, III — a budding reality TV star, came out with his boyfriend via a TMZ video, and his famous basketball-playing dad, Earvin “Magic” Johnson, supported him fully in interviews that followed.
Robbie Rogers — U.S. & UK soccer player, simultaneously disclosed his gay “secret” in a February blog post and then retired from the sport.
Darren Young — a WWE wrestler, surprised many when he came out as gay during an interview with TMZ.
MEDIA
Anton Krasovsky — a Russian TV journalist, made international headlines when he publicly challenged his country’s laws by coming out in May.
Calvin “Mister Cee” Lebrun — a hip-hop DJ for New York’s Hot 97 FM, admitted in September to being sexually attracted to transgender women after being “deceitful” about his “secret.” He later declared his “sexual freedom” in an HIV-prevention PSA.
B. Scott — a well-known fashion blogger, fully welcomed “the ‘transgender’ label with open arms” while suing the BET network over a forced change of attire during a pre-awards show.
Jenna Wolfe — a well-known NBC Today show correspondent, said on-air that she was both pregnant and had a female partner, co-worker Stephanie Gosk. The couple gave birth to a baby girl in August.
MUSIC
Crystal Bowersox — singer and former American Idol finalist, said, in December, that she was “bisexual for as long as I can remember” while promoting her single, “Coming Out for Christmas.”
Clive Davis — an 80-year-old music executive, came out as bisexual while promoting his memoir.
Ke$ha Rose Sebert — pop singer and reality TV star, indicated that she doesn’t “love just men…. It’s not about gender,” in a January interview with Seventeen magazine.
Charice Pempengco — singer and “Glee” actress, cried as she told a Filipino TV show that she was a lesbian.
Brendon Urie — singer for Panic at the Disco!, talked about his and his wife’s attractions to people of the same-sex in a November issue of Between the Lines.
POLITICAL FIGURES
Kelvin Atkinson — Nevada state senator, shared on the floor that, “I’m 44 years old. I have a daughter. I’m black, I’m gay,” while showing his support for same-sex marriage legislation.
Kristin Beck — a former US Navy SEAL known as Christopher Beck, published “Warrior Princess” in June in which she shared her transgender journey. Later, she came to Washington to support ENDA.
Chelsea Manning — a former Army private known as Bradley Manning, confirmed that she was a transgender woman after enduring a much-debated trial and conviction for sharing classified U.S. documents with WikiLeaks.
Mike Michaud — a former congressman from Maine, came out in November in an op-ed.
Will Portman — the son of Republican senator Rob Portman, came out publicly in March and changed his dad’s political views in the process.
Jennifer Pritzker — formerly known as Army Lt. Colonel James Pritzker, came out as a transgender woman in an August statement; reportedly making her the first transgender billionaire.
Rod Snyder — president of the Young Democrats of America, told his organization about his struggle to come out as a gay man due to his conservative Christian roots.
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