List of famous gay, lesbian or bisexual people

From Academic Kids

This is a partial list of confirmed and debated famous people who were or are lesbian, bisexual, or gay. The historical concept and definition of sexual orientation has changed greatly over time— the word "gay" wasn't used to describe sexual orientation until the mid 20th century. See homosexuality and bisexuality for more about the primary (and by far the most controversial) distinguishing criterion of "lesbigay" people.

Some historical figures on this list wouldn't be considered "lesbigay" by today's standards, but they are included here because they were known to have had same-sex relationships. But even by today's standards, a relationship or two doesn't necessarily mean one is bisexual. Many people who identify as gay or lesbian have had different-gender relationships in their youth, and many who identify as heterosexual have experimented with same-sex relationships. Due to social norms that have remained consistent throughout history, little information about such matters when discussing historical figures is available; therefore, only educated guesses can be made, based on limited evidence.

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Controversy

The sexual orientation of famous individuals is often the subject of rumor and reports in the tabloid press. For example, the actor Tom Cruise has been such a case and has pursued libel suits on three occasions. In 1998, he successfully sued a British tabloid that alleged that his marriage to Nicole Kidman was a sham designed to cover up his homosexuality. In another suit, he obtained a default judgment against a gay porn actor (Chad Slater, aka "Kyle Bradford") who had given an interview to a tabloid newspaper in which he claimed he had a sexual relationship with Tom Cruise, and he sued Michael Davis, a magazine publisher, who alleged that he had photographs that would prove Tom Cruise was homosexual: this suit was dropped in exchange for a public statement by Davis that Tom Cruise was heterosexual.

Some homosexual groups (e.g., Outrage!), have followed a policy of outing public figures regularly for political purposes, usually only if that person is publicly anti-gay. However, such a policy is controversial even among lesbigay people because of privacy concerns, potential harm to family relationships, their right to cope with their own sexuality on their own terms, or the risk of discrimination.

For the above reasons inclusion in this list must be supported by the evidence discussed in the person's biography article.

Note that several of the people on this list were prosecuted for their behaviour under existing "sodomy laws".

Contents: Top - 0-9 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Persons of debated lesbian, gay, or bisexual orientation

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Persons of confirmed homosexual or bisexual orientation

The following list includes those people who have confirmed their homosexual or bisexual orientation or whose homosexual or bisexual orientation is not debated.

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A

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B

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C

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D

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E

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F

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G

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H

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I

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J

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K

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L

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M

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N

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O

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P

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R