By turns moving and absurd, these coming-out moments from TV shows and movies made us feel a little better about getting there ourselves.
Rickie Vasquez: My So-Called Life, 1994
Rickie is one of the few characters that adequately exhibits the fact that coming out is a lengthy and repetitive process, so he is outed multiple times during the show. Angela describes him as bi at first, although it becomes apparent that he is not interested in women later on. He then says the phrase “I’m gay” for the first time to a minor character, revealing that he’s never admitted it out loud to anyone. In this scene, he’s struggling with the fact that he wants to take a boy to a school dance.
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Ellen Degeneres: Ellen, 1997
Iconic in that she was coming out officially as an actress and as a character at the same time, broadcasting it over the airport intercom as she was broadcasting it on television. Even if you’ve never watched this show, this moment will make you feel a lot of feelings. We’re certainly glad you did it, Ellen.
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