Aug 10, 2022
More than ever, celebrities are being open about their sexualities, on and off the screen. These lesbian celebrities (aka celesbians) are living in their truth and inspiring all of us to live a little more authentically ✨
How could you not find the story of ‘Girls like girls’ singer Hayley Kiyoko embracing her lesbian identity in her music and support from her fans heartwarming? Or Felicia Pearson’s uncle accepting her being a lesbian when she came out at twelve and even finding her support in his lesbian friend?
A celesbian is a celebrity in the lesbian world. They can be actual lesbians who are actually famous, like Ellen Degeneres or Lena Waithe, or D-list dykes like the former cast members of The Real L World (sorry, babes).
Celesbians also include internet celebrities or influencers that lezzies worship. Basically, any widely recognized dyke or dykon (dyke icon) is a celesbian.
It’s important to note that straight celebrities who play a lesbian character do not necessarily fit underneath the celesbian umbrella, so let’s celebrate the amazing people who identify as lesbians on and off the screen.
These twenty-five celebrities all have something to be inspired by and can help us all to look inward more.
These stories offer the good, bad and everything in between!
What would a list of the most inspirational lesbian celebrities be without the multitalented Lena Waithe? The Emmy-winning actress, producer and screenwriter has been out as a lesbian for a while now and has let it inspire some of her art. She based an episode of Master of None on her experience coming out to her mom years ago.
Waithe is also an LGBTQ+ activist both on and offline, including during a major part of the New York LGBT Center’s Stonewall riots campaign. She’s never been shy about using her voice.
Between her impressive catalog of work and her LGBTQ activism, Waithe is doing it for black creatives everywhere!
Sex and the City lovers will recognize Cynthia Nixon as Miranda Hobbes. A huge advocate for queer rights, Nixon is a regular at gay rights rallies and other activism events. She even met her wife Christine Marioni, who she married in 2012, at a rally. They currently have an adorable son as well! 😊
Though Nixon is in a lesbian relationship, she’s been open about preferring the term queer because it is an umbrella term that also describes her former straight self.
A great actress and a powerhouse in the queer community? It doesn’t get better than that.
This musical duo has become a household name with their foot-tapping bops, frequently used in popular lesbian shows, including The L Word Generation Q.
They’re openly lesbian and advocates for queer rights as well. Great music and great advocates? Sounds perfect.
With the infamous role as Poussey on Orange is the New Black, Samira Wiley has been catapulted to superstardom. Her journey with accepting being a lesbian is far more challenging, though.
Not always open about her journey, Wiley is very open about being outed by an OITNB cast member in an interview before speaking on her sexuality publically. Candidly speaking about not coming to terms with her sexuality immediately, she discusses how falling in love with the character Poussey helped her to fall in love with herself.
Wiley has been married to her wife Lauren Morelli (who she met while on OITNB!) since 2017 😍.
Source: People
This famous lesbian couple revealed in 2015 that they’re together (and have been ever since!). Both of them have been in a host of films, including Paulson starring in Ratched, American Horror Story and The People vs OJ. Catch Taylor in The Practice and Two and a Half Men.
The couple posts adorable pictures on their Instagrams and seems to be happy with each other!
We can’t mention Ellen without discussing awareness of the allegations against the toxic work environment for employees on her show. She’s still crucial to the list as one of the first lesbian celebrities to openly come out.
Ellen and Portia have become household names, together since 2008. Ellen openly came out in 1977 with a Time cover simply stating “ I’m Gay”. This was revolutionary because, during this time, lesbian celebrities were not speaking out due to the hostility surrounding being a lesbian. It was radical for Ellen to risk her career and reputation during this time to live her truth.
She and Portia have been named the most popular couple many times and have helped to normalize lesbian relationships all around us.
Wanda Sykes is another lesbian celebrity who’s been out for a while. The comedian, actress and writer came out as gay in 2008 at a gay rights rally. She recently married her wife Alex, and judging by their adorable Instagram photos, they are living their best lesbian love life.
The Hunger Games star has been very open about their sexuality and gender identity in interviews. In 2018, they announced via Instagram that they’re out and proud.
This is in reference to the Wonderland Magazine interview they did simply stating “Yep, I’m gay”. This was the first time confirming their sexual orientation after being very open about being non-binary in previous interviews.
Lea DeLaria couldn’t be missed from this list of lesbian celebrities 🙂
You may know her as Big Boo on Orange is the New Black, but DeLaria is no stranger to being out and embracing her identity. A self-proclaimed butch dyke, she’s not shy in talking about her experiences with feeling different from others and often discusses the stereotyping she faced in her life.
DeLaria makes it clear that all butch dykes have a shared life experience due to the othering they face in society. Going even further, anyone that’s part of a group that’s considered “different” has a shared experience.
Felicia Pearson may be comfortable with her lesbian identity now, but she gives a lot of credit to her uncle for bringing her to that point. The actress is known as “Snoop” on The Wire and has written a memoir Grace After Midnight, detailing her struggles with growing up in Baltimore foster homes. She’s also been in various R&B videos from artists Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Snoop Dogg and more.
When she was twelve, her uncle helped her to accept her sexuality by showing empathy when she came out, bringing a close lesbian friend to be nearby to support her.
Pearson is now dating her girlfriend, J. Adrienne, and you can catch them both on Love and Hip Hop.
Disney+ show Loki star Sasha Lane identified with her lesbian identity in 2018. Originally coming out as bisexual in 2015, she found that gay was more accurate to represent her identity.
Her role as Jane in The Miseducation of Cameron Post resonated heavily with her because she came from a conservative family where she wasn’t accepted. Playing Jane helped her to find freedom in who she truly is.
Singer Sinead O’Connor was one of the earliest celesbians to come out back in 2000. In a Curve interview, she identified as a dyke and discussed not feeling comfortable with her sexuality despite going out with women.
Since this interview, she has changed to say that she overspoke and doesn’t fit into a particular box when it comes to her sexuality. She’s still worth mentioning because this interview was revolutionary for the time.
WNBA star Candace Parker is not shy about gushing over her wife Anya Petrakova. She recently announced their two-year wedding anniversary as well as the fact that they are expecting a baby 👼❤️
Blue Water Road singer Kehlani has been open about her sexuality, out as queer for a while. She announced in a video “she finally knows she’s a lesbian!”. Though they haven’t announced an official relationship, she has many pictures getting cozy with singer 070 shake.
Source: NPR
Niecy Nash never identified as a member of the queer community before “seamlessly” falling in love with her partner Jessica Betts.
Her extensive acting career is nothing to sneeze at, with some noteable roles in Claws and When They See Us on Netflix.
Nash connected with her wife Jessica on social media in 2015 when going through problems in her previous marriage. The pair remained friends for a while before developing feelings over a seafood dinner. If you don’t believe in love at first sight, these two will surely show you!
Another couple that can’t stop gushing over each other, Outer Banks star Madison Bailey and her partner Mariah Linney knew it was love as soon as they saw each other. Originally meeting on Tik Tok, they reconnected on Instagram a little while later and the rest is history.
During the pandemic in 2020, they spent a lot of time together inside and have been inseparable since.
Source: YouTube
Real name Mikaela Strauss, King Princess is also out and proud of who she is. Identifying as a lesbian, she didn’t always feel connected to the term as much as the term gay.
Though she uses the term lesbian “sometimes”, she doesn’t always feel that it describes her. At times, she feels like a girl dating girls, but at times she feels like a gay man.
Strauss is correct in saying “there’s no right way to be a lesbian”.
Pitch Perfect star Rebel Wilson came out in June via Instagram with the most adorable caption about her partner, fashion designer Ramona Agruma.
Stating that she “thought she was searching for a Disney prince, but what she really needed was a Disney princess”.
It sure seems like Wilson is living her fairytale.
You may remember Nikki Blonsky from her unforgettable role in Hairspray, but she came out as a lesbian in June 2020. By the way, catch her Tik Tok! Her video with the music “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross is unmissable.
NCIS: New Orleans fanatics may recognize Shalita Grant as NCIS Special Agent Sonja Percy. Her career began on Broadway, but she’s gone on to have other notable TV roles including on Search Party and Sherry on Netflix hit You.
In terms of her sexuality, she’s been out for a while, even previously married to director Sabrina Skau. They later divorced.
She met her current partner Jessica Aguilar through a mutual friend after the divorce. Check out her Instagram for some lovable pictures of the two of them.
Gen Z is all about their individuality, aren’t they? Dance Moms alum turned superstar Jojo Siwa is no exception to this rule. She’s gone on to be way more than a dancer, recording music, starring on Nickelodeon, competing on Dancing with the Stars and even being listed as TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. And this is all before turning twenty!
Siwa came out in 2017, though she doesn’t prefer to label her sexuality. She’s been very open about her attraction to women and is currently in a relationship with girlfriend Kylie Prew and playfully calls herself “Ky-sexual”.
Soccer and WNBA lovers will recognize this duo from their impressive sports feats, as well as their beautiful relationship.
Megan Rapinoe is known for her professional career on the Women’s National Soccer League, as well as, the United States Professional Team. Sue Bird is a professional WNBA player for the Seattle Storm and has won an impressive four WNBA championships.
This sports power couple has been together for over five years, and engaged for about two. Rapinoe proposed to Bird in 2020 in a beautiful way. Though Rapinoe was engaged to someone else when they first met, she instantly felt like being around Bird was “home”.
Raven-Symoné is one of the first Disney stars to be open about her sexuality in a time when they were silenced. Disney stars would often have to fit into a heteronormative role, but she dared to challenge that.
Symoné met her partner Miranda Pearman-Maday at a gay bar around 2015 and they got married the same year (looks like the U-Haul was already loaded!) in an intimate ceremony in Debbie Allen’s backyard.
“Girls like girls” isn’t the unofficial official lesbian anthem for nothing. At a pride summit she explained how originally she didn’t want to label herself, but when she started releasing music she realized how much support she had with liking girls.
Kiyoko confirmed her relationship with Bachelor star Becca Tilley in her music video for “For the Girls”, also confirming their four year relationship on Instagram. How adorable!
Learning to embrace her lesbian identity helped to embrace herself and empower others 💜.
Audre Lorde’s influence is still impactful after her death in 1992.
She was one of the most open black lesbians, describing herself as “black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet”. Her poetry was dedicated to speaking out on social justice topics, such as racism, sexism, classism and homophobia. Her advocacy for marginalized groups stems conversations that we still have today and continues to raise awareness for those who don’t always have a voice.
First things first, please let people come out at their own pace. It’s not your place to tell someone’s story even if it seems “obvious” or you believe it’s for the best. Yes, this goes for your best friend, siblings, coworkers or whoever. It’s never your place to out someone’s sexuality.
On a lighter note, these celesbians show that there’s a whole lot of love in the lesbian community. In both the supportive bestie and love of your life ways, there’s always love to go around. Whether you’ve been out for ten days or ten years there’s always support and open arms 👭🏿❤️👭
Alexandra hails from Boston, MA but is currently living in the DC Area. She's passionate about social justice, self-care, spirituality, and watching documentaries. She's no stranger to telling her story through writing and has written for a variety of freelance publications. You can find her on Instagram at @lexlexlexlexlex__.
