Gay women in hollywood
Home / gay topics / Gay women in hollywood
In truth, the arrangement was likely more about maintaining her career than a true romantic connection. Figures like Anita Bryant led anti-gay campaigns that fueled Hollywood’s hesitation to embrace queer narratives.
Then came the 1980s, and with it, the devastation of the AIDS epidemic. A closeted gay man in an industry that demanded strict heterosexual conformity, Novarro was beloved by audiences but tormented by the need to hide his true self.
Nowhere is this more true than in LGBTQIA+ Hollywood history representation in the entertainment industry.
As a bisexual person, I’ve seen firsthand how even within the LGBTQIA+ community, certain identities are dismissed or erased. “One of the reasons people weren’t afraid of that movie is that I was playing a gay man.
Films like Philadelphia (1993) and Angels in America (2003) began to change the narrative, humanizing the epidemic’s victims.
By the 2000s, actors like Ellen DeGeneres and Neil Patrick Harris were thriving after coming out—something unimaginable in Hollywood’s earlier years.
While she was not an actress, her presence in Hollywood’s social circles paved the way for conversations about gender identity.
Another example is actor and director Billy Tipton, a jazz musician who lived as a man for decades, only having his transgender identity revealed after his passing in 1989.
When Cukor was initially hired to direct Gone with the Wind, Gable allegedly pushed for his dismissal, using his influence to get the studio to replace him with pro-Nazi director, Victor Fleming. She has been out as bisexual since 2010, and is a vocal advocate for bisexual visibility. His story ties into next week’s discussion of The Barbarian (1933), a film that showcased him as the ultimate Latin lover—an image Hollywood crafted for him while erasing his real identity.
Another powerful player in early Hollywood was director George Cukor, a well-respected filmmaker whose queerness was an open secret in the industry.
Novarro’s life ended in tragedy in 1968 when he was murdered in what was sensationalized as a “scandalous” crime, reinforcing the dangers queer stars faced in a society that refused to accept them. Yeah, because I kind of was like, ‘Oh, that’s what this has been.’ It’s been like a little secret, I guess, I’ve been keeping from myself even.’
Reneé Rapp
Actor and singer Reneé Rapp spoke about her lesbian identity in 2024, after having previously identified as bisexual.
He most recently appeared in ‘Napoleon’ and the queer romance drama ‘My Policeman.’
David Dawson
British actor David Dawson attracted notice in 2022 when he starred alongside Harry Styles in gay romance drama ‘My Policeman.’ He has been married to author Josh Silver since 2023.
Kit Connor
Kit Connor got his start as a child actor in films like ‘Get Santa’ and ‘Rocketman’ before breaking out at 18 with his role as a bisexual teenager in Netflix rom-com series ‘Heartstopper.’ Connor himself came out as bi in 2022 following harassment from fans accusing him of queerbaiting and intrusive speculation over his sexuality, and was supported by his ‘Heartstopper’ castmates.
However, the studios ensured these rumors were buried under layers of plausible deniability.
Barbara Stanwyck, another Golden Age powerhouse, was long rumored to be a lesbian, though she entered into a high-profile marriage with Robert Taylor. —JD
Andrew Rannells
This Broadway baby broke onto the scene with “The Book of Mormon,” catapulting to TV stardom in HBO’s “Girls.” Of his character, Elijah, he told New York Magazine in 2012: “As a gay man, I think there’s a responsibility to show a fully realized person, so even though Elijah might not be the the best person in the world, I want to make him as fully fleshed out and human as possible.”
Anna Paquin
The second-youngest Oscar winner in history for “The Piano,” Paquin left movies behind to star in HBO’s highly successful (and very queer) “True Blood.” She returned to film when she co-starred in Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” in which she plays the daughter of Robert De Niro’s title character.
And I’m standing here today, with all of you, on the other side of all that pain.” – Elliott Page
The Rise of Trans Representation:
A Victory in Visibility
One of the most significant advancements in recent years has been the rise of transgender representation, but trans people have always existed in Hollywood—even if history tried to erase them.
During the Golden Age, gender-nonconforming figures, such as Christine Jorgensen, an ex-GI who underwent one of the first widely publicized gender-affirming surgeries in the early 1950s, gained media attention.
Hey, I’m into them too. Until then, the fight continues—but one thing is certain: queer voices will never be silenced again.
“Being gay should not be a barrier to success.
But even as existential questions about the business of making entertainment persist, audiences and artists are grappling with equally critical questions of representation on screen. I don’t know how to get women to like me.’
‘It’s scary to just say you’re bisexual, cause then someone’s always like, ‘Fuckin’ prove it,” she added.
Queer stories are now being told with authenticity, and more importantly, LGBTQIA+ actors are taking the lead in telling them. It could never and will never be complete, but we hope it reflects the changing face of Hollywood as we bid hello to Pride 2024.
With LGBTQ stories in filmand on TV more popular than ever before, it’s important to celebrate out-and-proud acting talents — particularly those without the non-binary awards’ categories they deserve.
In 2024, the state of Hollywood is unsure to say the least.
Even films like Rebel Without a Cause (1955) carried subtextual queer themes, particularly in the relationship between James Dean’s character and Sal Mineo’s Plato.
Hollywood whispered about queerness, but it wasn’t until the late ’60s, when the Hays Code was lifted, that true change began to take shape.