10 Famous Lesbian And Bisexual Actresses

The entertainment business has not always been a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion. But in the past years, actresses and actors from all around the globe are speaking out and are proudly coming out creating a safe space for all the world to see and paving the way for everyone else to follow.

Here is our list of 10 influential and proud lesbian and bisexual actors.

1. Jodie Foster

“I hope you're not disappointed that there won't be a big coming-out speech tonight. I already did my coming-out about a thousand years ago,” said the iconic actress at the Golden Globes in 2013. The actor and filmmaker has won countless awards throughout her career, including two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes. Since coming out she has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ+ rights and a visible role model for queer women around the world.

2. Amandla Stenberg

Rising to fame at just fourteen years old with their breakthrough role as Rue in The Hunger Games. In 2016 the Teen Choice Award Winner came out as bisexual, but a few years later shared that they had learnt more about themself and realised they were gay. Continuing to publically share their journey to discovering their identity they came out again in 2017 as non-binary revealing they use they/them pronouns. "I’m allowed to explore myself and how I see myself in the world however the f*** I want," they shared to Teen Vogue at the time. 

3. Sarah Paulson

Sarah Paulson has been in a relationship with both men and women. She is currently in a loving relationship with fellow actress Holland Taylor. In 2016, Paulson said: “If my life choices had to be predicated based on what was expected of me from a community on either side, that’s going to make me feel really straitjacketed, and I don’t want to feel that. What I can say absolutely is that I am in love, and that person happens to be Holland Taylor.” She has had an iconic career, appearing on screen alongside many other LGBTQ+ stars, particularly with her many roles on American Horror Story working with Ryan Murphey.

4. Cynthia Nixon

The Sex And The City actress has clarified her bisexuality in the past, stating: “In terms of sexual orientation, I don’t really feel I’ve changed...I’ve been with men all my life and I’d never fallen in love with a woman. But when I did, it didn’t seem so strange. I’m just a woman in love with another woman.” Cynthia Nixon started her career in acting before crossing into politics and running for governor of New York. Recently she stepped back into acting for the reboot of SATC, And Just Like That, in which her character Miranda explored her own sexuality.

5. Wanda Sykes

Wanda Sykes came out to the world as gay in her 40s. "The drive behind me coming out publicly was when it became political," she explained. Now, the Emmy Award winner is one of the most prominent LGBTQ+ actors.

6. Samira Wiley

Samira Wiley rose to fame playing Poussey in Orange is the New Black, then playing Moira in Hulu's Handmaid's Tale cemented her reputation as an impressive actor. She's also married to the lead writer of Orange is the New Black, Lauren Morelli and the two have a daughter together. 

7. Kristen Stewart

Kristen Stewart decided to come out while hosting the Saturday Night Live show in 2017. In an interview, she said that learning to handle the spotlight actually helped her come to terms with her bisexuality. “When I was dating a guy I was hiding everything that I did because everything personal felt like it was immediately trivialized, so I didn’t like it,” she said. “It changed when I started dating a girl. I was like, ‘Actually, to hide this provides the implication that I’m not down with it or I’m ashamed of it, so I had to alter how I approached being in public. It opened my life up and I’m so much happier.”

8. Janelle Monae

"Nobody tells me what to do," explains Janelle Monae on why she waited to come out publically. The singer and actor has won an Screen Actors Guild Award and a Children's and Family Emmy Award, and been nominated for a total of eight Grammy Awards. She came out as pansexual back in xx, and just last year also came out as non-binary, sharing: “My pronouns are free-ass motherf— and they/them, her/she.”

9. Lily Tomlin

Lily Tomlin has been in a committed relationship with her (now) wife since the 70’s. She said, “I only officially came out in 2001 or something. And that’s because a guy who was interviewing me said something about being gay and I said, ‘Yeah.’”

10. Megan Fox

Megan Fox has said in the past that she has no doubt that she is bisexual. In an interview in 2011 the actress stated: “I think people are born bisexual and then make subconscious choices based on the pressures of society. I have no question in my mind about being bisexual.”

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