Dan Howell and Phil Lester; Azzi Fudd and Paige Bueckers; and Jade Whipkey and Anna Camp.FilmMagic/FilmMagic for YouTube; Steph Chambers/Getty Images; Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty ImagesLove is in the air!
Queer people might be under attack from conservatives right now, but that hasn’t stopped LGBTQ+ celebrities from showing the world what queer love looks like and why it should be celebrated.
While the current political climate might lead you to believe that living covertly and quietly is the safer choice, there are plenty of LGBTQ+ celebrities who are bravely living out loud and proud and showing us every day why queer love is worth fighting for.
From WNBA stars finding love on the court to YouTubers confirming longstanding dating rumors to bandmembers falling for each other, these queer celebs all revealed new relationships this year, helping us believe in love again, one hard launch at a time!
Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd
After months of fan speculation, WNBA Rookie of the Year Paige Bueckers and UConn star Azzi Fudd finally came out and announced they are dating. Fudd broke the news with a cheeky Instagram Story that included a “Paige Buecker’s girlfriend” cellphone case, while Bueckers hard launched their relationship on the orange carpet at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend. The news came as no surprise but thrilled fans who were dying to see the two basketball stars together.
Dan Howell and Phil Lester
Both YouTubers Dan Howell and Phil Lester came out as gay in 2019, but it wasn’t until 2025 that the two men confirmed the longstanding rumor that they’re in a relationship. In October, the pair released a video admitting that Phan (the ship name fans gave them) is canon after all, and while they looked outwardly like two best friends and roommates making videos together, they’ve actually been boyfriends this whole time.
Sawyer Hemsley and Antonio Bruno
Crumbl Cookie founder Sawyer Hemsley came out back in August after social media posts about his sexuality went viral. After reclaiming his coming-out story, Hemsley embraced living out loud and proud by announcing his relationship with a man named Antonio Bruno on social media in September.
Elliot Page and Julia Shiplett
During this year’s Pride Month, Umbrella Academy star Elliot Page hard launched his new relationship with Overcompensating actress and comic Julia Shiplett by posting a photo of the happy couple on Instagram with the caption, “Happy prideee 💦😮💨.” This marks Page’s first public romance since transitioning in 2020.
Jade Carey and Aimee Sinacola
Olympic gold medalist Jade Carey took to Instagram back in March to announce she had started dating Aimee Sinacola, director of creative content for the University of Oregon Ducks. This was first time that Carey, who was on the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team alongside Simon Biles, Suni Lee, and Jordan Chiles, had ever spoken publicly about her sexuality.
Anna Camp and Jade Whipkey
Pitch Perfect star Anna Camp came out as queer and surprised everyone by hard launching an age-gap relationship in a TikTok video where she and girlfriend, Jade Whipkey, were interviewed about dating. Then during Pride Month, the pair made their red carpet debut at the premiere of Camp’s film Bride Hard.
Yared Nuguse and Julian
Olympic runner Yared Nuguse killed two birds with one stone when he came out and hard launched his relationship at the same time by posting a cute carousel of photos with his boyfriend. "Introducing my boyfriend, Julian," Nuguse wrote on Instagram in March. "Can’t believe we’re already one year in my love."
Dr. Ranj Singh and James Colebrook
Television star and doctor, Dr. Ranj Singh, started off the year right by going Instagram official with his boyfriend on New Year’s Day. "Starting 2025 the way it was meant to be. Happy new year love,” Singh captioned an Instagram post of a photo showing him kissing British actor and influencer James Colebrook.
Jonathan Intriago and Marcos
Couple to Throuple star Jonathan Intriago may not have had any success making a throuple work on the spicy reality TV show, but in August he hard launched his relationship with influencer Marcos (@marcosfromthe305 on TikTok). After a series of cryptic TikTok videos where he talked about his boyfriend but never showed his face, Intriago finally revealed his new beau in a Happy Anniversary post.
Lauren Sanderson and Brooke Baldwin
This year’s Pride Month celebrations were full of queer celebs hard launching new relationships. Singer Lauren Sanderson and influencer Brooke Baldwin announced that they had started dating by posting a series of TikTok videos that were slightly cryptic, but ultimately made things crystal clear for their fans.
Maddy Westbeld and Olivia Miles
WNBA star Maddy Westbeld hard launched her relationship with TCU Horned Frogs point guard Olivia Miles when Miles posted a series of photos to Instagram in June, showing the happy couple cozied up together. This might have been the first time the pair had made things official, but fans had been speculating that the two were dating for a while.
Jewell Loyd and Natalija Marshall
WNBA’s Jewell Loyd sent fans into a frenzy in July when she subtly announced her new relationship in an adorable Instagram post featuring her holding hands with former Miami Hurricanes player Natalija Marshall, who was sitting with her legs in Loyd’s lap. Other photos in the carousel showed what looked like a romantic date, Marshall visiting Loyd courtside for an Aces game, and Marshall standing behind Loyd while kissing her neck.
Jenna Jameson and Milagros R. Ocampo
Former adult star Jenna Jameson divorced her wife, and then jumped feet first into a new relationship this past March. Jameson teased her new love for a few weeks before ultimatley revealing her new girlfriend, Milagros R. Ocampo, in a sweet Instagram post that showed a cute photo strip of the two lovebirds.
Sasha Colby and Le Carr
Sasha Colby hard launched a new relationship this year, but it’s not her only one! Recently, the Drag Race superstar posted a collage of photos to her Instagram stories featuring her with Seattle gym owner Le Carr, which had fans questioning things because she’s also dating Ben Koenigsberg. But once you remember that Colby told PRIDE that she’s poly and has "two partners and someone else I'm dating,” it all makes perfect sense.
Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker
Boygenius bandmates Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker made sapphic dreams come true earlier this year when they announced to the world that they were dating. Fans had been hoping for years that the two would eventually get together, but those longstanding rumors finally came true in March with Dacus confirmed their romance in an interview with the New Yorker where she said she wanted to “protect what is precious in my life.”
