When Robin Roberts came out recently, she joined a small but expanding group of nationally known broadcast journalists who are openly gay or lesbian. Get to know the other members of the club.
Don Lemon
The outspoken CNN anchor officially came out in 2011. In an interview with Windy City Times ( www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Don-Lemon-CNN-anchor-on-race-coming-out/34082.html ), Lemon talked about everything from the "black box" ( how African-Americans are boxed in by stereotypes ) to not seeing himself as an activist ( "I see myself just as a normal person who is an 'accidental role model.'" )
Rachel Maddow
Maddow—who came out in an interview with the campus newspaper as a freshman at Stanford University—is the host of The Rachel Maddow Show, one of MSNBC's highest-rated shows. She is also the author of Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, published by Crown in 2012.
Jenna Wolfe
In a special segment for Today that was followed by a blog post on their website, Wolfe revealed last year that she was pregnant and partnered with a longtime girlfriend who is also a journalist with NBC, foreign news correspondent Stephanie Gosk. On Aug. 21, Wolfe gave birth to a baby girl, Harper Estelle Wolfeld Gosk.
Anderson Cooper
Cooper—the son of Gloria Vanderbilt and the host of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360—came out in an email that openly gay journalist Andrew Sullivan unveiled on a July 2 posting of his blog on The Daily Beast.
Sam Champion
The openly gay meterologist is best known for his stint on Good Morning America, but is now on The Weather Channel. He married Rubem Robierb last year.
Stephanie Miller
On her official website, Miller describes herself as "coming to the left, from the right." She's the daughter of William Miller, running mate to 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Miller, who came out as lesbian in 2010, hosts the progressive radio program The Stephanie Miller Show.
Thomas Roberts
Roberts has been a ubiquitous presence on MSNBC and NBC, and he recently took over the MSNBC show Way Too Early, eight months after the channel named Brian Shactman as the show's anchor. Last year, Roberts co-hosted the Miss Universe pageant in Moscow—and spoke out against Russia's anti-gay propaganda law.
LZ Granderson
The ESPN writer has won a GLAAD media award for online journalism, but LZ Granderson is probably best known for his opinions on everything from the Trayvon Martin case to President Obama's re-election as a regular contributor on CNN.
Jane Velez-Mitchell
The openly lesbian Velez-Mitchell hosts CNN's Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, a talk show on CNN sister network HLN. Velez-Mitchell, who has chronicled her battle with alcoholism, has authored several books on her journey to sobriety and happiness, including Addict Nation: An Intervention for America.
Read more on Robin Roberts' coming-out story at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/The-Coming-Out-of-Robin-Roberts-Why-It-Matters/45700.html .
Photo gallery at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/gay/lesbian/news/photospreadthumbs.php .
