Entertainment

8 Celebs Who Changed Their Stance On Gay Rights In A Positive Way

Now is an exciting time for the LGBTQ community. The Supreme Court just made their same-sex marriage ruling and decided that state bans on gay marriage are unconstitutional. Naturally, gay Americans are looking forward to being able to take their walk down the aisle, if they choose to do so, and allies are ready to cheer them on along the way. Of course, not all Americans are happy about this ruling, but it cannot be denied that over the years there has been a shift in how America thinks about gay rights. Between 2003 to 2013, support for gay marriage rose amongst Americans from 32 percent to 53 percent, according to The Atlantic. In other words, many people have changed their minds. And Average Joes and Jodines are not the only ones who have done so. Here is a roundup of American celebrities who have done just that.

by Jaclyn Anglis

A$AP Rocky

The rapper said his change of heart came after he was called “gay” for liking fashion. “I used to be homophobic, but as I got older, I realized that wasn’t the way to do things,” the “1 Train” performer said. “I don’t discriminate against anybody for their sexual preference, for their skin color … that’s immature.”

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Eminem

The rapper once had a plethora of homophobic and even violent lyrics in his songs. Then, in 2001 Eminem collaborated with who else but Elton John, perhaps the most famous gay singer in the world. By 2010 he was openly declaring his support for gay marriage, saying that everyone should be “miserable” if they want.

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50 Cent

The rapper used to publicly disagree with people being gay, specifically gay men, saying, “I don’t like gay people around me, because I’m not comfortable with what their thoughts are. I’m not prejudiced. I just don’t go with gay people and kick it — we don’t have that much in common. I’d rather hang out with a straight dude.” This was in 2004. But then he spoke out in support of fellow artist Frank Ocean in 2012, after Ocean admitted to loving men. Fiddy cited the president as a big influence of his change of heart. “Obama is for same-sex marriage,” he said. “If the president is saying that, then who am I to go the other way?”

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Iggy Azalea

Resurfaced tweets from the Aussie rapper a few years back indicate some homophobic sentiments, such as “When guys whisper in each other’s ears I always think it’s kinda homo” and a reference to “dyke bitches.” But the “Fancy” performer has addressed the past tweets as something she would never do now, saying she supports equality.

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Jay Z

In Hov’s earlier records, it’s not hard to find homophobic slurs sprinkled throughout his lyrics. Now, you’d be hard pressed to find anything of the sort, especially after he came out in support of gay marriage after Obama said he supported it.

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Tim Hardaway

The NBA superstar athlete literally said in a radio interivew, ”I hate gay people, so let it be known. “I don’t like gay people and I don’t like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. It should not be in the world or in the United States.” This was back in 2007. But by 2014, he was one of the high profile names on the list of a petition for marriage equality in Florida. He cited counseling as a major turning point for him.

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Isaiah Washington

Remember when the former Grey’s Anatomy star was fired from the show in 2007 for using homophobic language? Well, in 2014, he posed with a bevy of other celebs for the NOH8 campaign against the anti-gay marriage bill in California. Plus, he tweets things like “Love is Love” now.

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Barack Obama

Yep! Our POTUS was not always entirely supportive of gay marriage for all. This all changed in 2012, when he publicly declared same-sex couples should be able to marry, and he cited his daughters for helping him change his mind.

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