+
More

Coming out can be liberating, painful, and exhausting. These 11 celeb quotes say it all.

To any LGBTQ person yearning to be themselves, the time may have come to burst through those closet doors.

Oct. 11, 2016, is National Coming Out Day.

Coming out to the world as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer can bring on a ton of overwhelming feelings: liberation, pain, exhaustion, downright terror, etc. — unfortunately, there really is no character limit to the emotional toll of that moment.


When I came out to my sister over spinach and artichoke dip — confessing my Hollywood crush was, in fact, on Colin Farrell, not Hilary Duff — I'm pretty sure I was feeling all of those things times 10 .

That's why National Coming Out Day is such an important idea: It unites our community in solidarity so we can all have each others' backs on what could be one of the most pivotal days in many of our lives.

In honor of the big day, I've collected 11 of my favorite, most telling quotes about coming out from various LGBTQ celebrities, each served with a small sliver of advice for anyone preparing for their moment to shine.

1. Coming out is about you , first and foremost. But an added benefit is that the more out people there are, the better it is for our world.

Anderson Cooper, journalist.

2. Your identity isn't worth compromising. And once you understand that, it will probably feel like a two-ton weight has been lifted off you.

Laverne Cox, actress.

3. It's OK to acknowledge the pain you've gone through — coming out won't make all that past suffering magically disappear.

Ellen Page, actress.

4. You are the only one — the only one — in charge of your life and your story. Don't be afraid to take the steering wheel.

Michael Sam, athlete.

5. You don't need to worry about feeling anxious, scared, and hesitant. Those of us who've been there get it: The struggle is real.

Chaz Bono, TV personality.

6. You'll probably realize that coming out will positively benefit* many of the relationships in your life.

Ricky Martin, musician.

*And if coming out harms a relationship, you may want to re-examine that relationship; if someone is homophobic or transphobic, it's on them to grow and accept you.

7. It's not just a cliché — things really do get better. But that doesn't mean you won't struggle with your identity or sexuality ever again.

Sara Gilbert, actress.

8. Don't be surprised if the sky seems a shade bluer after coming out — living your truth can change the way you see the whole world.

Frank Ocean, musician.

9. Others may suggest you have ulterior motives for coming out. Don't let their words get in your head — they're wrong.

Caitlyn Jenner, Olympian and TV personality.

10. If you don't have too many LGBTQ role models to turn to, don't fret. You can be the person you once needed down the road.

Orlando Cruz, athlete.

11. Coming out can be tough ... but it doesn't mean there's no room for laughs along the way.

Ellen DeGeneres, comedian.

If you're thinking about coming out, remember: There are plenty of resources and supporters out there, should you want a helping hand.

The single best piece of advice I can give you (disclaimer: I'm not a celebrity) is to always keep in mind there's no one-size-fits-all guide to coming out, nor should there be. Lots of variables go into when and how you should burst through that door, so it's OK to play by your own rules and pave your own path.

Stay safe, stay strong, and remember: You got this.

True

Making new friends as an adult is challenging. While people crave meaningful IRL connections, it can be hard to know where to find them. But thanks to one Facebook Group, meeting your new best friends is easier than ever.

Founded in 2018, NYC Brunch Squad brings together hundreds of people who come as strangers and leave as friends through its in-person events.

“Witnessing the transformative impact our community has on the lives of our members is truly remarkable. We provide the essential support and connections needed to thrive amid the city's chaos,” shares Liza Rubin, the group’s founder.

Despite its name, the group doesn’t just do brunch. They also have book clubs, seasonal parties, and picnics, among other activities.

NYC Brunch Squad curates up to 10 monthly events tailored to the specific interests of its members. Liza handles all the details, taking into account different budgets and event sizes – all people have to do is show up.

“We have members who met at our events and became friends and went on to embark on international journeys to celebrate birthdays together. We have had members get married with bridesmaids by their sides who were women they first connected with at our events. We’ve had members decide to live together and become roommates,” Liza says.

Members also bond over their passion for giving back to their community. The group has hosted many impact-driven events, including a “Picnic with Purpose” to create self-care packages for homeless shelters and recently participated in the #SquadSpreadsJoy challenge. Each day, the 100 members participating receive random acts of kindness to complete. They can also share their stories on the group page to earn extra points. The member with the most points at the end wins a free seat at the group's Friendsgiving event.

Keep Reading Show less
via UNSW

Dr. Daniel Mansfield and his team at the University of New South Wales in Australia have just made an incredible discovery. While studying a 3,700-year-old tablet from the ancient civilization of Babylon, they found evidence that the Babylonians were doing something astounding: trigonometry!

Most historians have credited the Greeks with creating the study of triangles' sides and angles, but this tablet presents indisputable evidence that the Babylonians were using the technique 1,500 years before the Greeks ever were.

Keep Reading Show less
Image from Wikimedia Commons .

Van Gogh’s Starry Night.



Van Gough never got to enjoy his own historic success as an artist ( even though we've been able to imagine what that moment might have looked like). But it turns out that those of us who have appreciated his work have been missing out on some critical details for more than 100 years.

I'm not easily impressed, OK?

I know Van Gogh was a genius. If the point of this were "Van Gogh was a mad genius," I would not be sharing this with you.
Keep Reading Show less

Christine Kesteloo has one big problem living on a cruise ship.

A lot of folks would love to trade lives with Christine Kesteloo . Her husband is the Chief Engineer on a cruise ship, so she gets to live on the boat pretty much for free as the “wife on board.” For Christine, life is a lot like living on a permanent vacation.

“I live on a cruise ship for half the year with my husband, and it's often as glamorous as it sounds,” she told Insider. “After all, I don't cook, clean, make my bed, do laundry or pay for food.“

Living an all-inclusive lifestyle seems like paradise, but it has some drawbacks. Having access to all-you-can-eat food all day long can really have an effect on one’s waistline. Kesteloo admits that living on a cruise ship takes a lot of self-discipline because the temptation is always right under her nose.

Keep Reading Show less
Photo by Omar Lopez on Unsplash

Women do better when they have female friends.

Madeleine Albright once said , "There is a special place in hell for women who don't help other women." It turns out that might actually be a hell on Earth, because women just do better when they have other women to rely on, and there's research that backs it up.

A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that women who have a strong circle of friends are more likely to get executive positions with higher pay. "Women who were in the top quartile of centrality and had a female-dominated inner circle of 1-3 women landed leadership positions that were 2.5 times higher in authority and pay than those of their female peers lacking this combination," Brian Uzzi writes in the Harvard Business Review .

Part of the reason why women with strong women backing them up are more successful is because they can turn to their tribe for advice. Women have to face different challenges than men, such as unconscious bias, and being able to turn to other women who have had similar experiences can help you navigate a difficult situation. It's like having a road map for your goals.

Keep Reading Show less

Millennials are now old enough to seriously reflect on life.

It seems like only yesterday a millennial was a college kid that baby boomers chided for being entitled and Gen Xers thought were way too sincere and needed to learn how to take a joke. Today, the oldest millennials, those born around 1980, have hit their 40s and have lived long enough to have some serious regrets.

They also have enough experience to take some pride in decisions that, in hindsight, were the right moves.

The good news is that at 40 there is still plenty of time to learn from our successes and failures to set ourselves up for a great second half of life. These lessons are also valuable to the Gen Zers coming up who can avoid the pitfalls of the older generation.

A Reddit user who has since deleted their profile asked millennials nearing 40 “what were your biggest mistakes at this point in life?” and they received more than 2,200 responses. The biggest regrets these millennials have are being flippant about their health and not saving enough money when they were younger.

Keep Reading Show less

A woman giving a stern warning.

Over the past few years, women named Karen have taken a lot of heat in the media. The term "Karen" has been used to describe a specific type of entitled, privileged and often middle-aged white woman. Typically, "Karen” is depicted as demanding, self-important and constantly seeking to escalate minor inconveniences to authority figures, like demanding to "speak to the manager."

Identifying the folks who create unnecessary drama in our world is important. But calling them a “Karen” isn’t the best way to solve the problem. There are many reasons to have an issue with the “Karen” stereotype. First, it’s terrible for people named Karen, and it’s also a connotation that many feel is racist , sexist and ageist.

Further, according to a new study by Trustpilot , the stereotype isn’t accurate. A recent survey by the online media site found that the people who leave the most one-star reviews aren’t female, and the women who do it the most aren’t named Karen.

Keep Reading Show less