Adam Lambert, Sean Hayes, Gus Kenworthy
and Ellen DeGeneres were among the out celebrities celebrating
National Coming Out Day on Thursday.
DeGeneres captioned a photo on
Instagram of herself sharing a kiss with wife Portia De Rossi: “It's
the greatest gift you could give yourself. #NationalComingOutDay,”
she captioned the photo.
“It's a beautiful thing to live
openly and honestly as your authentic self,” musician Steve Grand
messaged to his fans, “when you are ready; on your own terms.”
Comedian Fortune Feimster told fans
that coming out changed her life.
“I was never the girl who got asked
out. Boys didn’t write me notes or call my house. I never had a
Valentine. I wasn’t the object of anyone’s affection,” she
captioned a photo of herself with fiancee Jacquelyn Smith. “I made
people laugh. That’s where I received love. I just assumed that
would be the one and only place I would get it. Then I came out at
25. It changed my life and how I felt about myself. I finally
understood where all that early rejection came from. It didn’t feel
as painful or personal anymore. I became so much happier. I finally
got to experience the thing I’d seen my friends do most of my life;
date. Even with all its ups and downs, at least I was getting a shot
at it. It still took a while to find love but I finally did and boy
do I love her so.”
Olympian Gus Kenworthy posted a photo
on Instagram of himself sharing a kiss with boyfriend Matthew Wilkas.
National Coming Out Day, he said in the photo's caption, is “a
gentle reminder to us all to live our lives honestly and
authentically and not allow anybody else's expectations to force us
into silence.”
Singer-actor Billy Porter said in a
post that he came out at 16. “I am even more committed to
#equality and justice than ever before. We ain't going back. I
intend to fight for what's right until my dying day. Who's gonna
join me?”
Singer Adam Lambert said that coming
out at 18 was “a bit scary” but worth it.
“Anyone out there struggling with a
secret: you will feel such a beautiful sense of liberation when u
finally step into your full truth. I came out at 18 yrs old and even
though it was a bit scary, all of a sudden I finally felt like I
could be ME. My relationships felt deeper. Take the leap. For anyone
who rejects you for it, there are more out there who will celebrate
it with you,” Lambert captioned a photo of himself at 18.
“Today is National Coming Out Day,”
actor Sean Hayes said in an Instagram post. “As a proud, gay man,
I understand the struggle with acceptance of who you are when you
feel so different from everyone else around you. But if you are
struggling to find the words or you're feeling alone on your journey
to come out, find at least one person to lean on who can be the
support that you need. And when you do, you will be okay. I promise.
You should never be afraid to be yourself.”