4 Must-Read Memoirs By LGBTQ+ Celebs That Highlight The Complexities Of Coming Out

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It's never easy coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, even if you have the utmost support around you. However, coming out as a celebrity can be even more complex due to the amount of potential public scrutiny. Yet, many have done so bravely and even documented their journey in their memoirs. Celebrity memoirs not only make great book club picks, but they also give queer and straight folks an insight into their backgrounds before they led glamorous lives. And, while coming out is a weighty subject, it opens people's eyes to stars navigating their careers as part of the LGBTQ+ community.

Celebs opening up about being queer is, in and of itself, cathartic. Writing is a form of therapy, after all, but their memoirs can also help those who are struggling to come out. Sometimes it's easier to relate to someone you don't know, or perhaps you've been a longtime fan of certain famous faces. No matter where you land on the sexuality spectrum, these celebrity memoirs are ones we can't wait to read in 2025.

Elliot Page has been open about his identity since coming out as gay in 2014 and then as transgender in 2020. The "Juno" star shares his story of growing up as a girl and never feeling comfortable in his own skin in his 2023 memoir, "Pageboy." Written in a non-linear timeline, the scenes jump back and forth throughout the years, detailing Page's experiences with family members who were worried he was a lesbian and living with gender dysphoria. He also delves into the pressures of Hollywood, revealing that he was told to hide his sexuality to keep his acting career intact.

In an interview with Esquire, the "Juno" star shared that transitioning was one of the best decisions of his life. "I can't overstate the biggest joy, which is really seeing yourself. I know I look different to others, but to me, I'm just starting to look like myself. It's indescribable, because I'm just like, there I am," he said. However, telling the world he was trans also had some negative effects, with Page recalling, "In terms of the actual quality of the response, it was what I expected: love and support from many people and hatred and cruelty and vitriol from so many others ... Transphobia is just so, so, so extreme." Hopefully, "Pageboy" inspires others to show more kindness and empathy to the trans community, as it truly is an eye-opening recount of the struggles one might face.

Kristen Kish is known for being the Season 10 winner of "Top Chef" and the current host of the competition cooking show, but she's more than just food, which she shares in her memoir, "Accidentally on Purpose." Although she publicly came out in 2014 with a now-deleted Instagram post of her then-girlfriend, Kish reveals in her memoir that she hid her sexuality for most of her life. Eventually coming to terms with being gay, she found love with her now-wife, Bianca Dusic.

"Top Chef" fans will love getting a glimpse into Kish's life, as she describes her upbringing as a LGBTQ+ Korean adoptee living in the Midwest, discovering her passion for the culinary arts. One reviewer shared on Amazon, "I am a big fan of Kristen and enjoyed every minute of this book. Her story and evolution are interesting and inspiring. Bonus points to her being the narrator on the audio version because you can literally hear the sincerity and emotion of her words and feelings! Loved it!" Another wrote, "A nice balance of 'Top Chef' inside stuff, a fascinating personal history, the challenges of being female, gay, and Asian in an industry which is not, and an overall sense of optimism and growth. Style is effortless and super easy to fall into ... a quick and absorbing read."

If you haven't yet heard of Brandi Carlile, please listen to her songs, "The Story" and "The Joke," which contain some of the most heartwrenching lyrics. The 11-time Grammy winner (at the time of writing) is big on social justice and LGBTQ+ rights, having been shunned by her own church for being gay. In her memoir, "Broken Horses," Carlile, who grew up super religious, recalls wanting to get baptized when she was a teen, but was stopped from doing so by the preacher right before the ceremony. By then, the singer had already come out and openly had a girlfriend, so the moment was humiliating enough for teenage Carlile to run out of the church.

Thankfully, Carlile's family was more accepting of her sexuality. Speaking to USA Today after the release of "Broken Horses," she shared that her great-grandmother had no qualms about bringing her then-girlfriend over for a visit. "My grandparents were like that — there was just a different level of wisdom in their acceptance of me. It was less loaded, it wasn't so radioactive," Carlile mused.

Fans of Elton John know that he's queer, and in fact, he came out as bisexual to Rolling Stone decades ago in 1976. In his autobiography, simply titled "Me," John reveals that he chose to publicly announce his sexuality because a reporter was trying to get him to spill details about his personal life. So, in order to get ahead of the exposé, the "Rocket Man" singer just stated that he was bi. John's memoir is sprinkled with wry and often humorous anecdotes about his love life, including the time he was married to Renate Blauel. One somber story touches upon how a tabloid obtained NSFW pictures of John with a man and published them as a means to embarrass him, which he admitted did so at the time.

"Me" was released in 2019, but John updated the book in 2020 with another chapter, which we're sure has even more juicy details about his life. The book is not just about the EGOT winner's sexuality, but also recalls his career, hilarious interactions with other celebrities, and his sobriety journey. John's book is sure to make you laugh, cry, and learn during Pride Month, and any other time of the year.