20. Sarah Paulson
Actress
[tag: sarah]
“[When I was a kid] I definitely made out with a lot of my girlfriends… but who doesn’t do that, right?”
–SheWired interview
19. Evan Rachel Wood
Actress
[tag: evan rachel wood bisexual]
“One of the reasons why I fought for those [“bad girls”] roles is that I think there are so many things about them that are just human, but people like to label them as weird or bad or wrong because they’re scared of them. I don’t consider them bad — they’re girls [laughs]. They’re going to make mistakes, but the films show the repercussions and show that they’re going to learn. A lot of people are made to feel bad for being sad, so on top of being unhappy, you’re gonna hate yourself for it. I have my own demons, my own pain and darkness, but I choose to embrace them and look at them head-on and deal with them. Then it doesn’t hurt, and you learn from it.”
– Interview Magazine
18. Jenny Shimizu
Model & Actress
[tag: jenny]
“One of my proudest moments was to be involved with [Ellen DeGeneres’ coming out episode]. No one knew. I mean, everybody was in tears. It opened the lines of communication for so many children and parents and you would not believe how many people the show touched. I was just so honored to be a part of that. “
– The Seattle Lesbian, 2010
17. Kate McKinnon
Comedian
[tag: kate // photoshoot]
“My ultimate dream would be to be Lily Tomlin or to be Tracy Ullman, you know, just a character woman. A character woman who does characters where characters are needed. I would kill to be the first gay person on SNL or have a Tracy Ullman-type show. That would be my ultimate dream.”
-via Autostradle Interview/Photoshoot 2009
16. Brandi Carlile
Musician
website // music
“My sexual orientation has very little to do with [the way I live], so I expect the country music industry to catch up to that sentiment — that even lesbians have chickens and horses and problems finding work and things that they sing about, and they will catch up to that eventually. I am of the strong belief that where you stand out most is exactly where you’re needed.”
– PrideSource, 2012
15. Jodie Foster
Actress
[tag: jodie]
“I have, in some ways, saved characters that have been marginalized by society by playing them — and having them still have dignity and still survive, still get through it.”
14. Brittney Griner
Athlete
[interview // tag: brittney]
“Just be who you are. Don’t worry about what other people are going to say, because they’re always going to say something, but if you’re just true to yourself, let that shine through. Don’t hide who you really are.”
– Sports Illustrated, 2013
13. Leisha Hailey
Actress & Musician, Uh Huh Her
website // music
[tag: leisha]
“I think you really just have to have a strong support system with your friends, and I think that family comes in lots of different ways. So you form families in life, as a gay person, where your friends become your family. So I think that if someone is having a hard time with their biological family, you just need to reach out, find local support groups or friends to talk to. You actually build your own support system that way.”
–Starry Mag, 2005
12. Clea Duvall
Actress
[tag: clea]
“When I did But I’m a Cheerleader, what Jamie went through with censors was ridiculous. There was the scene where Natasha goes into the office and masturbates, and you couldn’t even really see what was happening, but the shot was too wide, and they wouldn’t allow it; it had to be a close-up or the censors wouldn’t allow it. Now it just doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. But I’m a Cheerleader would probably get a PG-13 today, whereas they wanted to give us an NC-17 with the first cut. And the movie is so tame. The love scene that Natasha and I have, they would probably show on the CW today.”
–New York Magazine, 2012
11. Hannah Hart
Actress & “My Drunk Kitchen” Host
website
[autostraddle interview // tag: hannah]
“For the most part, interviewers totally ignore the gay thing. And I don’t know if it’s just because they don’t know, or if it’s not relevant to them. I get more ‘woman’ stuff than gay stuff. They’re like, “who do you want to be, Hannah? Tina Fey, right?’ And I’m like, no, I want to be Joel McHale. I want to be Jon Stewart, that’s who I want to be. The comparison is just because Tina Fey’s a woman. But she’s a sitcom writer, she’s an SNL writer. I don’t want to be a sitcom writer. I want to be an active host, participant and performer.”
– Autostraddle, 2011
10. Kate Moennig
Actress
[tag: kate moennig]
“At this moment, I miss a lot about [Shane]. The beauty of that character was her unabashed way of viewing life. She was so unapologetic. She was always deemed the bad girl and that was always good to play. She was a bit dangerous but also extremely screwed up in the head. I was sad to see her go. I miss her soul. I loved the debauchery that she created in her life.”
– Los Angeles Times, 2009
9. Portia de Rossi
Actress
[tag: portia]
“I’ve got to tell you, I had a hell of a time convincing people I was gay — which was so annoying! First of all, you live with the fear people might find out. Then you actually have the courage to tell people and they go, ‘I don’t think you are gay. No, no, that doesn’t seem right to me.’ It’s enough to drive you crazy.”
– The Advocate, 2005
8. Amber Heard
Actress
[autostraddle interview // tag: amber]
“I hate the idea of a label just as much as anyone else but I’m with who I’m with, I love who I love and if I’m not a better actress than I was yesterday and my personal life should have no affect on that. I think the injustice of people staying in the closet is more than I can bear with a clear conscience and I couldn’t sleep at night if I was a part of that problem.”
– AfterEllen, 2010
7. Ellen DeGeneres
Actress & TV Personality
[tag: ellen]
“The world’s a scary place, you know? It can be really sad and stressful and negative. I try to counterbalance that. I believe everything in life is energy. If we’re destroying our trees and destroying our environment and hurting animals and hurting one another and all that stuff, there’s got to be a very positive energy to fight that. I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that. I really want my time here to be positive and productive.”
– Good Housekeeping
6. Jasika Nicole
Actress & Artist
style thief // [tag: Jasika]
“I guess you have to make the decision, ‘Do I want to be the token person in this community, or do I want to hide it to keep my personal life private because everybody deserves to have the right to privacy?’ It’s just such a weird, complicated little mess in my head, but everything I always come back to is that I am not ashamed of who I am and who I’m with, so there is no reason for anybody else to be feeling that way, either.”
– AfterEllen, 2008
5. Megan Rapinoe
Athlete
[tag: megan]
“I definitely like to entertain. Sometimes it just doesn’t work — or looks ridiculous. I take it very seriously, but I also like to laugh. I like to make other people laugh. That’s something really important to me, to have fun — always. This game and this life are too serious to not just totally mess around sometimes.”
–OUT Magazine, 2012
4. Sara Quin
Musician, Tegan & Sara
website // music
[tag: tegan & sara // photoshoot]
“We must seem like the biggest losers in love, because we’re always singing these breakup songs. Obviously that’s not true; I’m feeling great in my life right now. I’m in a happy relationship, and I’m very content with my career, but I think it’s interesting for me to go back and re-imagine and score things and concepts in my life — through the lens of a 32-year-old — and writer about them. There is a part of my life that is happy and full of love that’s reciprocated, but I don’t find that to be interesting in terms of a creative process.“
– City Pages, 2013
3. Holly Miranda
Musician
website // music
[autostraddle record club interview // tag: holly]
“I’m not here to cheer you up, if you want ‘happy’ music, turn on the radio. You probably won’t find me there… but most music I hear on the radio doesn’t make me feel happy. What makes me feel good is knowing I’m growing and expanding my mind. Again it goes back to evolution, we need to learn from each other’s mistakes as well as their successes to expand the collective consciousness. This is my truth, and how you take that is up to you.”
– Autostraddle, 2011
2. Tegan Quin
Musician, Tegan & Sara
website // music
[autostraddle interview #1 // autostraddle interview #2 // tag: tegan & sara]
“We have always been extremely open and vocal about our own sexuality and our own lifestyle choices. I hope that we are providing a source of inspiration to the next generation, not to mention our own generation and the older generations. I hope that we represent them as best we can.”
– Elle Magazine, 2013
1. Rachel Maddow
Total Babe
[tag: rachel maddow]
“I wish I had been more sensitive to my parents. But I certainly don’t regret coming out. I think that everybody has to find their own way on coming out issues. And some people decide never to. I tend to think it is always better to be out than not out. But not everybody has the option. And when I was a freshman in college, I felt like I had the option, and I exercised it with an exclamation point. I think it says more about being 17 than it does about being gay.”
– Fresh Air, 2012
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