Fresh Wave of Coming Out Stories
More stars going public with their personal journeys
BY TAT BELLAMY-WALKER
More stars are coming
out about their
sexual orientation
and gender identity
in 2021.
From former WWE Superstar
Gabbi Alon Tuft to the WNBA’s
Layshia Clarendon, this year has
seen a wave of celebrities openly
expressing their queerness and
transness — and many of the stars
hope their visibility can translate
into better representation for the
LGBTQ community.
Tuft came out as a transgender
woman in an Instagram post
on February 4. The 42-year-old
penned a heartfelt message about
her journey alongside a photo in a
red, spaghetti strap tank top with
ripped denim jeans.
“The ball dropped early today as
this is now worldwide news,” Tuft
wrote. “This is me. Unashamed,
unabashedly me. This is the side
of me that has hidden in the shadows,
afraid and fearful of what the
world would think; afraid of what
my family, friends, and followers
would say or do.”
In the post, she credits her wife
and family for helping her through
her transition, especially the fi rst
couple of months, which she described
as the hardest.
“The previous eight months have
been some of the darkest of my entire
life,” Tuft wrote. “The emotional
turmoil of being transgender and
having to face the world has almost
ended me on multiple occasions.”
Meanwhile, Clarendon, a WNBA
player for the New York Liberty
basketball team, revealed their
top surgery results in a Twitter
post on January 29. Clarendon is
trans and non-binary and uses all
pronouns. While they have been
out as a non-cisgender person for
years, this is the fi rst time they
have shared their medical transition
photos.
I’m usually not scared to share
news publicly but the amount of
hate, myths & ignorance actually
had me debating sharing this joy. I
had Top Surgery! I’m feeling free &
euphoric in my body & want Trans
people to know and see that we’ve
always existed & no one can erase
us! In an Instagram post, they expanded
on the surgery and how it
renewed their joy.
“On Jan 13th at 10 a.m., I
hugged my wife in front of my surgery
building, walked in, and took
a deep breath…The day was fi nally
here,” Clarendon said. “The day I
got to have Top Surgery!!!!!!!”
Clarendon added, “It’s hard to
put into words the feeling of seeing
my chest for the fi rst time free of
breasts, seeing my chest the way
I’ve always seen it, and feeling a
sense of gender euphoria as opposed
to gender dysphoria. Sighhhh…
freedom… freedom at last.”
Relatedly, country star T.J. Osborne
came out as gay during an
interview with Time magazine published
on February 3. The 36-yearold
musician said that his sexual
orientation is known among his
friends, family, and within his small
Nashville, Tennessee community,
but the world was still in the dark.
“I’m very comfortable being gay,”
Osborne told Time magazine. “I
fi nd myself being guarded for not
wanting to talk about something
that I personally don’t have a problem
with. That feels so strange.”
The star feared telling others
could appear disingenuous. Plus,
few openly queer country singers
make it big.
“People will ask, ‘Why does this
even need to be talked about?’
And personally, I agree with that,”
he told Time. “But for me to show
up at an awards show with a man
would be jaw-dropping to people. It
wouldn’t be like, ‘Oh, cool!’”
Osborne hopes being open about
his identity can pave the way for
other queer musicians. Most importantly,
the country singer
wants the love stories detailed in
his songs to refl ect his real life.
Among others, Nats Getty, the
long-time partner of trans You-
Tube star Gigi Gorgeous, came out
as transgender and non-binary in
January, while another YouTube
personality, JoJo Siwa, also came
out to her fans earlier this year.
COMING OUT
TWITTER/ LAYSHIA CLARENDON
The WNBA’s Layshia Clarendon spoke up on social media after undergoing top surgery.
REUTERS/TIM FULLER
Out gay country music star TJ Osborne said he feels “very comfortable” with his sexuality.
GayCityNews.com | February 11 - February 24, 2021 29
/GayCityNews.com
