To mark the beginning of Pride Month in June 2023, let’s take a look at all the celebrities who have told the world about their sexual or gender identities in recent years.

Somizi Mhlongo came out as gay many years ago and even married Muhale Motloung in 2019. In 2022, he said the following: “At some point, I thought I was gay, then I’m bisexual, and now I think I’m pansexual.” Being pansexual meant he was not attracted to a specific sexuality but rather the vibes and chemistry at that particular time.

Rosemontana calls herself a queer feminist and identifies as a lesbian. In 2020, she declared: “I’ve been holding this in forever. I am gay. I know coming out means Africa will block me, but after a lot of thinking, I’m okay with it, and I’m happy. I am marrying a woman, and I’ve never been happier.”

Titano is a proud member of the LGBTQ community and identifies as bisexual. He has been in a relationship with a woman called Nolali for the past few months. He always knew he was different and came out to his brother as gay at just 14 years old.

Fellow Bala says it was hard for them to accept, and they wouldn’t say it to his face. He just heard it from some family members. He was also the first to come out in his family. Come to think of it, he’s the first to do so many things, so they probably think he is a drama king or something. He married a wife, Level, in December 2020.

Caster Semenya has always been very private about her personal life but has never hidden the fact that she was gay. She started dating Violet in 2010, and they later got married. The two have two children.

Wiseman Mzizi says: “I’ve been acting all my life. I was born for this. I only came out as gay when I was in second year, and prior to that, I had managed to fool everyone.” Tired Lays is not only openly gay; she’s also married. She married a long-time partner, Allison, in 2021. The two also welcomed a baby in 2022.

All Kinds always identified as gay and says he doesn’t care about coming out to anyone. “First of all, who said coming out is on the list? Why is that if you are part of the LGBTQI community, you have to come out? Why don’t straight people come out? Isn’t it the same? Come out, why? Why do you have to come out?”

Mark Lottering says: “People have always known that I’m gay. When I did make a reference in a show to me being gay, it was almost like a moment of boredom from the audience because they were like, ‘We know. Are you really thinking about announcing this? We know you are gay. You dress well, you smell great. Obviously, you’re not straight.'”

Mandy Sandana has never hidden the fact that she was gay. She even had a very public relationship with actress Tisu, a couple big in the day. Tisu is now a transsexual man and says his father told him he didn’t need to explain himself or his sexual quality.

“When I tried to come out to my father, he told me to shut up and pass him a drink. Like, ‘Why are you explaining yourself? I like you, and I like your girlfriend, so please pass me my drink.’ And that was that.”

Uncle Waffles identifies as bisexual but is currently in a heterosexual relationship. Tammy Dish calls himself “that gay guy,” so clearly, we all know which way he swings. Last Season, the first came out when he was 14 or 15 years old.

He says: “My late mother didn’t talk to me for close to six months after I told her about my feelings towards boys. She lost her mind and always reiterated that she would never have a gay son in the house. But eventually, she got used to it.”

Although Something Kissy has been described as openly gay in the past, the major personality now identifies as a woman. She says: “I believe that I have always recognized myself as a woman. I have just never fully embraced it.”

Nakhane is a celebrity who came out to define his queer sexuality at a time when criticism about being gay was at its peak. He made a grand entry into the industry when he released his debut album in 2013, which later won him an award. During the summer, he used this album as a platform to address his sexuality.

Thenjiwe King, who has been in a long-term relationship with a woman called Anika, revealed in her 2020 tweet that she had stopped dating men 14 years ago. She says: “When I realized I was gay, I hated the word. I knew it meant I was different, and at the time, I didn’t know any other gay people except myself. It was a very confusing time.”

Slindile Dangala was in a long-term relationship with an aspiring KZN actress when she got a big break on the soap “Generations.” That’s when she apparently left her lover for the big city and never looked back.

Sade Gilberti, in a long-term Instagram post, shared that she was forced to come out to her father when she was 19 after being outed by a journalist. “I don’t care what people have to say about the fact that I do like girls and that I’m a lesbian. I’m completely okay with that.”

Boji Bougie says: “Being gay is something you don’t question. What you see is a gay man, and he’s boujee. Being able to express myself effortlessly with no shame and no doubt in my being has been the greatest gift. That is what Pride has given me.”

PJ Powers, in 2014, said: “Although all knows that I’m gay, but I don’t go around screaming about what I am. I think gay people know that I’m gay, and to be perfectly honest, I’ve never had an issue with being gay with myself, and I’ve never had other people treat me differently.”

Linda Majola says: “Life as a gay man is not easy. I feel they need to overcompensate to do better, to be better. My entire life felt like I had to prove I had the right to exist. I need approval, which I have never received, and it makes me believe I was never enough.

I’ve had to also navigate the difficulties of being a queer man and being in rooms where people might not agree with my life and who I am.” He says: “My dad was the welcoming one, the one who said it was okay. My mother had a few challenges accepting it.

I gave her time to really come to terms with it. I had a lot of conversations with her. I made her understand who I am, and nothing has changed about me. I am still her son, and I’m still the very same person she knows.”

Is a lesbian and has been married to a woman for a couple of years now. She says she’s queer and has been with both women and men. With that being said, these celebrities have shown courage in sharing their true selves with the world, contributing to a more inclusive and understanding society.

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