Jim Parsons, Billy Eichner, MJ Rodriguez & More Open Up About Coming Out

Jim Parsons, Hannah Gadsby, Billy Eichner, Don Lemon, Asia Kate Dillon and MJ Rodriguez are on the cover of Variety‘s inaugural ‘Power of Pride’ issue, out on Wednesday (June 19).

Here’s what the stars had to say…

Jim Parsons, on coming out: “Once it was out in the public, I was like, ‘Well, f–k you! If you still have a problem with gay people, you directly have a problem with me. Being a full-fledged member of it and claiming it, there was just an elation there, and there still is! I still feel it. It’s a huge relief, and it’s also really nice to sometimes be able to feel righteous anger.”

Billy Eichner, on growing up gay and 2020 Presidential candidate Mayor Pete Buttigieg: “I was a child in New York at the height of the AIDS epidemic. I was a gay kid way before Ellen and Will & Grace. Pete is doing for the political world what people like Ryan Murphy have done in my industry for LGBT people, which is to create a space where a space did not exist.”

MJ Rodriguez, on coming out as trans to her agent and the fear of being dropped: “I remember calling my agency and saying, ‘Listen, you guys, I don’t know if you’re going to drop me or whatever the case may be, but I just need to let you guys know that I’m a female. That’s how I feel, and that’s how I’ve always been feeling ever since I was a child. They just welcomed me with open arms and said, ‘We don’t care. We love you, and we already pretty much knew.’ And I was like, ‘OK, good.’”

For more from the stars, head to Variety.com.