Last year, we brought you our top 10 list of out women who ‘totally rocked’ 2014, but this year we’re switching it up a bit as so many famous ladies found the courage to start living their truths (or 2015 was just the year that they spoke about their identities to the media) that we couldn’t help but celebrate!
Our hearts have swelled and we may have shed a few tears or so finding out that yes, celebrities are just like us. So without further ado, here’s our list of 10 famous women who came out during 2015.
1. Holland Taylor
If you’re up to date on queer media then you’ll probably know Holland Taylor as Peggy Peabody in The L Word or as Mrs. Petrie in D.E.B.S, but if you’ve spent any time on the Internet in the last few weeks then you’ll know her from the media’s headlines.
During an interview with WYNC’s Death, Sex and Money podcast, Taylor explained that “I haven’t come out because I am out, I live out” and that she’s in her ‘first-ever deeply committed relationship’.
Calling the relationship “the most wonderful extraordinary thing that could have ever possibly happened in my life”, Taylor didn’t reveal her partner’s identity during the podcast but following Internet speculation, it was soon confirmed that her girlfriend is the one and only Sarah Paulson.
2. Kristen Stewart
Kristen Stewart is best known to heterosexuals for her role as Bella Swan in the Twilight movie franchise but she’s (probably) best known to the rest of us as the woman of our dreams. Indeed, after photos of her out and about with her ‘gal pal’ Alicia Cargile began to do the rounds, many began to ask whether or not Kristen Stewart is actually not-heterosexual.
After her mother appeared to out her, confirming the relationship between the two women, the actresses interview with NYLON was published. In it, she explained that
I don’t feel like it would be true for me to be like, ‘I’m coming out!’ No, I do a job. Until I decide that I’m starting a foundation or that I have some perspective or opinion that other people should be receiving…I don’t.”
Moreover, she thinks that “in three or four years, there are going to be a whole lot more people who don’t think it’s necessary to figure out if you’re gay or straight. It’s like, just do your thing.”
3. Caitlyn Jenner
When it comes to the Kardashian/Jenner family, it’s usually Kim, Khloe, Kylie or Kendall making the headlines but in June, it was Caitlyn Jenner as she came out as a trans woman.
In a beautiful photoshoot and interview with Vanity Fair, the Olympian and reality TV star revealed her true gender identity.
Caitlyn has been a controversial figure amongst the transgender community ever since (her E! reality show suggests that she still has a lot to learn about the struggles of less-privileged trans people) and on The Ellen DeGeneres show she admitted to the talk show host that she’s still a bit wary when it comes to same-sex marriage but her coming out did spark a conversation and it encouraged many other people to come out too.
4. Ingrid Nilsen
If you don’t spend much time on YouTube then there’s a good chance that up until June of this year, you had no idea who Ingrid Nilsen was.
But, in an emotional, 19 minute video, the beauty and fashion vlogger revealed her struggle of being closeted and how much it meant to her to be able to tell those around her (and her almost 4 million subscribers) about her identity.
And, in a super cute turn of events, not long after Ingrid came out, she revealed that she’s dating (fellow YouTube superstar) Hannah Hart!
5. Jess Glynne
Holy My Hand, Not Letting Go, My Love, Rather Be, and Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself; these massively popular songs all reached number 1 in the UK and earned Jess Glynne a place in the record books as the British solo female with the most #1 singles (a record she shares with Cheryl Fernandez Versini). But as we were all dancing along, Jess revealed exactly what inspired all of the tracks.
Her debut album, I Cry When I Laugh, was inspired by her break up with her ex-girlfriend, though she told The Daily Star Sunday that “I’m never going to put a label on my sexuality and people should never feel uncomfortable about who they love”.
6. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus is one controversial figure and her tabloid-featuring antics mean that some people loathe her rather than like her.
However, plenty of people supported her when the former Disney star came out as pansexual earlier this year and she also spoke about her gender identity too.
Speaking to Paper magazine, the singer and actress told the publication that “I don’t relate to being boy or girl, and I don’t have to have my partner relate to boy or girl”.
Note: Despite this being a list of ‘out famous women’, Miley Cyrus identifies as gender-fluid and not as a woman.![]()
7. Ramona Bachmann
This year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup was a defining moment of 2015 for so many reasons.
Not only was it the most viewed women’s world cup in the tournament’s history and not only did it ignite a debate about sexism and equal treatment (due to the women being paid less than the men and having to play on astro-turf) but because many non-heterosexual football players would be playing too.
Joining Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach, Ali Krieger and several others was Swiss player Ramona Bachmann who actually came out at the world cup. She revealed that her girlfriend, Camille, was at the tournament supporting her and that they’d been together for almost a year.
8. Cara Delevingne
Supermodel and actress Cara Delevingne is no stranger to the LGBTQ community having made headlines last year when she attended a basketball game with her then-girlfriend Michelle Rodriguez, with the two of them being all over each other as they sat court-side.
But in Vogue she spoke openly about her sexuality, saying that she’s in love with her girlfriend Annie Clark (known by her stage name, St. Vincent) and that she could fall for anyone of any gender.
Unfortunately, the Vogue interview seemed to frame her sexuality as a phase and not long after, Delevingne clarified, saying “my sexuality is not a phase. I am who I am”
9. Patricia Velasquez
Model and actress Patricia Velasquez is credited as being the world’s first Latina supermodel and in 1994 she was also the first Venezuelan model to be part of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition. But what people didn’t know is that during that same decade – the 90s – Velasquez was also coming to terms with her identity as a gay woman.
In her memoir, Straight Walk: A Supermodel’s Journey to Finding Her Truth, she reveals that she first realised her sexuality after she fell for Sandra Bernhard and that
among the fashion world and fashion people, I always felt great because, you know, the fashion world is very open and I felt very welcome”.
10. Angel McCoughtry
Angel McCoughtry is one of the WNBA’s most talented players having helped the USA basketball team win Olympic gold and world championship gold, but earlier this year it wasn’t her basketball achievements that had everyone talking.
The sports web was abuzz as McCoughtry left Turkish club Fenerbahҫe (officially due to contractual disagreements) and came out on Instagram.
In an Instagram post with her fiancé, Brande Elise, the basketball star revealed that “yes we been discriminated against! We lost friends! Family members are upset! They said I disgraced my religion!” also claiming that Fenerbahҫe “threatened” her job if she didn’t post on social media saying that their relationship is a lie. Hardships aside, “one thing I do know”, wrote McCoughtry, “is that LOVE is a great feeling”
