These LGBTQ Celebrities All Came Out Later in Life

In today’s pop culture landscape, we have inspiring LGBTQ celebrities who are coming out at younger and younger ages — like YouTube sensation JoJo Siwa who came out as gay in 2021 at age 17, or Zaya Wade, the transgender daughter of Siohvaughn Funches and Dwyane Wade, who came out to her parents at age 12 but (according to dad) has known her gender identity since she was 3 years old. Our current climate has by no means eradicated the homophobia that just a few decades back was as commonplace to sit-com TV as a laugh track, but the progress is undeniable, as we remember the generations of LGBTQ stars who hid their true identity for fear of being blacklisted from the business, jeered in the press, or alienated from their loved ones.

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