From drag legends to writers to K-pop stars, a whole lot of celebrities came out as LGBTQ+ this year.
And look, we’ve said it before and we’ve said it again, coming out is never a requirement for a queer person.
Having said that, the experience, while daunting, can represent a monumental step in self-acceptance. This year, when LGBTQ+ rights were rolled back around the world, these 13 celebrities took the brave step to be their authentic selves and came out to their fans.
Jinx Monsoonย
View this post on Instagram
Drag Raceย star turned Broadway legend Jinkx Monsoon has long been open about her gender and sexual identity, and this year she revealed that she is pansexual – after joking that she is straight – during an interview with Ziwe. She later took to X and wrote “Congratulations, I’m pansexual”.
Mark Shields
View this post on Instagram
Armagh GAA player Mark Shields spoke about his sexuality publicly for the first time in June, 2025, having come out as gay to his teammates ten years ago. Shields spoke about his experience in the GAA at the annual Gaelic Players Association (GPA) Pride Brunch and said he thinks the sport is becoming “more accepting”.
Cherry
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
K-pop singer Cherry is a celebrity who officially came out as transgender on an Instagram livestream on Saturday, July 19. The vocalist received a wave of support from fans online following her announcement, which defies the conservative cultural norms that often underlie K-pop culture.
โThis isnโt a hobby, itโs my life. Iโm trans,โ the singer said in Korean during the livestream.
JoJo Siwaย
View this post on Instagram
Former child star JoJo Siwa has been open about her identity in the past, coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community in a TikTok in 2021. This year, however, while on Big Brother, she shared more details about her sexuality, stating that she is queer and uses any and all pronouns.
Bain
View this post on Instagram
Bain, a member of the K-pop group JUSTB, shared that he is a member of the LGBTQ+ community during a concert in Los Angeles earlier this year. He also dedicated a performance of Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ to anyone who is part of the LGBTQ+ community or who is “still figuring it out”.
Taylor Jenkins Reidย
View this post on Instagram
Author Taylor Jenkins Reid has written plenty of queer characters in her novels but this year she opened up about her own sexuality. In an interview withย Time Magazine, she shared that she is bisexual, and described her attraction to women as “a room in the house that is my identity”.
Aja
View this post on Instagram
Drag Raceย star Aja has been open about being trans in the past, and this year she revealed that she is also bisexual. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), she shared that she is “definitely bisexual”, and had been “in denial about it”.
Teeny Chirichillo
View this post on Instagram
Teeny Chirichillo won the hearts of many reality TV fans when he competed onย Survivor 47, and this year, he came out as trans in a powerful essay forย Cosmopolitan. In the article, he spoke about the impact of invasive speculation about his identity, as well as the clarity he now feels after coming out as a trans man.
Valentina
View this post on Instagram
Anotherย Drag Raceย star who got candid about her identity this year was Valentina. In a heartfelt post on Instagram, Valentina shared that she is trans and acknowledged that she had been feeling pressure to come out for some time. She also thanked her fans for their love and support.
Lola Youngย
View this post on Instagram
‘Messy’ singer Lola Young is among the celebrities who came out this year, when she shared a glimpse of her sexuality with fans while clapping back at a hateful comment on TikTok, telling the commenter, “I like pu**y as well u kno”. She also addresses her sexuality with her track “F**k Everyone”, which contains the lyrics suggesting that she likes to “f**k guys” and “girls”.
Lara Raj
View this post on Instagram
Lara Raj, a member of the hugely popular global girl group Katseye came out as queer in March while chatting with fans on Weverse, a South Korean platform, telling them that she is “half a fruitcake”, and has been since childhood. She told fans she worried being her authentic self could have jeopardised her position in the girl group, but the support and love from fans offered huge reassurance.
Megan Skiendiel
View this post on Instagram
Shortly after her band-mate Lara came out as queer, Katseye’s Megan also shared with fans that she is bisexual. During a live chat on Weverse, she told fans, “Guys, I’m coming out, I’m bisexual”. She then joked that Lara should hand over an award presented to her by the Los Angeles LGBT Centre.
Cocona
Visualizza questo post su Instagram
Cocona, a member of the Japanese hip hop and R&B group XG, has come out as transmasculine non-binary in a heartfelt Instagram post shared on the day of their 20th birthday.
Taking to the groupโs Instagram on their 20th birthday, Cocona shared: โAs I reach this new chapter in my life, I want to share something thatโs been in my heart for a long time. I am AFAB transmasculine non-binary.โ
Indeed, these 13 celebrities came out this year, but it’s important to remember that not everyone’s coming out story will look the same. For more information on coming out, check out LGBT Ireland’s helpful tips right here.
GCN’s wonderful Christmas Raffle is back! To be in with a chance of winning some fantastic prizes while also supporting GCN, buy a raffle ticket from as little as โฌ5 at this link.
© 2025 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
Support GCN
GCN is a free, vital resource for Irelandโs LGBTQ+ community since 1988.
GCN is a trading name of National LGBT Federation CLG, a registered charity - Charity Number: 20034580.
GCN relies on the generous support of the community and allies to sustain the crucial work that we do. Producing GCN is costly, and, in an industry which has been hugely impacted by rising costs, we need your support to help sustain and grow this vital resource.
Supporting GCN for as little as โฌ1.99 per month will help us continue our work as Irelandโs free, independent LGBTQ+ media.