Black Celebrities Who Owned Their Coming Out Journey

In honor of National Coming Out Day (October 11), we’re celebrating the Black stars who are redefining what it means to live out loud.

For decades, conversations about queerness in the Black community were often met with silence or stigma. But in recent years, a powerful shift has taken place. More and more Black celebrities are stepping into the spotlight and sharing their truth — proving that living openly isn’t just an act of courage, it’s an act of freedom.

From icons who quietly opened the door to those who kicked it down, these trailblazers have redefined what it means to come out on their own terms.

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1. Da Brat

When rapper Da Brat, formerly known as Shawntae Harris, shared her truth in March 2020, it wasn’t through a headline — it was through love.

The Chicago-born hip-hop legend announced her sexuality in an emotional Instagram post celebrating her relationship with beauty mogul Jesseca “Judy” Harris-Dupart, founder and CEO of Kaleidoscope Hair Products.

“Jesseca was showing me some pictures and we were going back and forth, joking ‘I’ll post it,’ ‘No, I’ll post it.’ So when she did, I was like, ‘Oh s—! I just came out after 20-something years!’ But it feels good to share with the world when you’re happy,” Da Brat recalled to Variety.

For years, Brat kept her private life out of public knowledge.

“I’ve always felt like being private is the better way to go, because then you don’t have so many people in your business,” she told the publication. “I was fine staying quiet, but my partner is a social media mogul — that’s how she became who she is. And when you get with somebody, you have to meet in the middle. So to me, the middle was just letting everybody know: ‘Hey, she’s the one.’”

Brat and Judy’s love story unfolded for fans on their reality show Da Brat Loves Judy, giving a peek into the couple’s life. The two tied the knot in February 2022 and later welcomed their son, True Legend. 

“To me, Pride is loving myself and not making excuses for anything: live in your truth,” she told Rolling Stone in 2020.

2. Raven-Symoné

For Raven-Symoné, her truth started to form long before the world knew. The That’s So Raven star realized she was gay at 12 years old, but the spotlight prevented her from living openly. 

“I never thought I would come out because my personal life didn’t matter,” she admitted in an “It Gets Better” video released in 2016.“I felt lighter. I felt like I could go out and not have to put on 17 different hats to be myself,” she said in the video. “I realize that just living my truth of what I am, there’s one less person to fight me in my own head.”

When she came out publicly in 2013, it spoke volumes.

“I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however, am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to,” she said in a statement through her team.

Her public statement followed the legalization of same-sex marriage in several states.

“I am very happy that gay marriage is opening up around the country and is being accepted,” she added.

Years later, Raven got her wish. In June 2020, she married her longtime partner, Miranda Pearman-Maday, in a small, intimate ceremony at Debbie Allen’s Los Angeles home.

“My sexuality marinated in itself and started to change a little bit more and she was there,” Raven reflected in a 2022 interview with THEM. “It feels so good to be able to know you have someone there for you but you can still go out into the world.”

The couple hosts Tea Time with Raven & Miranda, a podcast where they unpack fame, marriage, and identity with humor and honesty.

3. Janelle Monáe

When Janelle Monáe speaks about identity, it’s with artistry and intention.

The singer, actor, and fashion visionary first came out as pansexual in a 2018 Rolling Stone interview. But later on a 2022 Red Table Talk episode — sharing that they identify as nonbinary and use both “they/them” and “she/her” pronouns.

“I’m nonbinary, so I just don’t see myself as a woman, solely,” Monáe shared in Rolling Stone. “I feel all of my energy. I feel like God is so much bigger than the ‘he’ or the ‘she.’ If I am from God, I am everything. I am everything, but I will always, always stand with women. I will always stand with Black women. But I just see everything beyond the binary.”

Monáe’s change reflects a broader understanding of identity. “I initially identified as bisexual, but then later I read about pansexuality and was like, ‘Oh, these are things that I identify with too.’ I’m open to learning more about who I am,” they unveiled on the Red Table Talk.

In true Monáe fashion, their journey isn’t about fitting into labels — it’s about expanding what they mean.

4. Queen Latifah

Queen Latifah, formerly known as Dana Owens,  has always moved with quiet confidence. For years, she tried to avoid speculation about her sexuality, choosing privacy over public curiosity. 

“I don’t have a problem discussing the topic of somebody being gay, but I do have a problem discussing my personal life,” she told The New York Times in 2008. “You don’t get that part of me.”

But at the 2021 BET Awards, when she accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award, Latifah let love take the stage. “Peace — happy Pride!” she said, before adding, “Eboni, my love. Rebel, my love,” acknowledging her longtime partner Eboni Nichols and their son.

It was subtle, powerful, and romantic — a moment  that didn’t need too many words. 

5. Niecy Nash-Betts

Emmy-winning actress Niecy Nash-Betts didn’t come out with a label — she came out with love, introducing herself to the world as Mrs. Nash-Betts.

In 2020 when Nash-Betts said “I do” to musician Jessica Betts, she didn’t frame it as a coming-out moment, she called it a “going into myself.”

“[My marriage] has absolutely nothing to do with gender and it has everything to do with her soul,” Nash-Betts told PEOPLE. “She is the most beautiful soul I have ever met in my life.”

The actress, was married twice to men before Betts, doesn’t identify her sexuality as anything except love. 

“I was not suppressing my sexuality my whole life,” she added. “I love who I love. At one point in my life, I married twice and I love those people. And today I love this person.”

Nash-Betts and Betts became the first same-sex couple to cover Essence magazine, where she reflected, “The least of my attraction is gender. What I was and am still attracted to is Jessica’s soul.”

At the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards, she explained her outlook with unapologetic clarity.

“What I do know for sure is that my name is Niecy Nash-Betts and I’m a lover. I will never hide the very thing I was created for… Let’s continue the fight for equality and normalizing that love is love,” she stated.

Love Unapologetically

From Da Brat’s transparency to Latifah’s quiet grace, these stars didn’t just come out — they came into themselves.

Each story is a reminder that pride doesn’t look one way. It looks like peace, authenticity, and choosing joy — in public, in private, and everywhere in between.

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