Well, I can see why Jillian Michaels says she feels uncomfortable talking about being “out.” She doesn’t do it very well. But, maybe we should get off her back, unless you’re there adding weight for her push ups.

Apparently, in an interview for Health magazine she said, “…The gay thing has always been hard for me. When Heidi (her partner) and I are out, and somebody older asks, ‘are we sisters?’ I say, ‘we’re friends.’ I guess it comes from thinking that they will be shocked or disturbed. Look I wish I had some strapping football player husband. It would be such a dream to be normal like that, but I’m just not.”

Before you jump on MY back for defending her (I have a hard enough time doing push ups), let me point something out, clearly, she does have a hard time about “the gay thing.” And, I don’t think it’s just talking about it that’s difficult for her.

Look at what she’s conveying in just one short paragraph: She’s concerned what some random older person might think about her sexuality and that maybe it would be better somehow to be straight. But she’s still out! Clearly, it was a bad choice of words. Had she said “average” we might not have cared. Because we ARE normal. But, if we’re only 10 percent of the population (or 20 or whatever) we’re not average. Calm down, we’re above average! Relax and read on.

I think she was just trying to say it’s difficult but it’s not a choice. She is who she is. And, at least, SHE’S OUT. If she’s got internalized homophobia that’s still bugging her but she’s still out, more kudos to her.

My own homophobia kept me in the closet forever. And, when I finally did come out, I was out to everyone and didn’t care what people thought. But, it took me a LONG time. Part of the reason it took me so long was I didn’t see others like me. And, while my washboard abs have way more laundry on them than do hers, I would have loved to have had an example like that. A strong, sexy woman who’s gay and out. Saying that she is who she is and it’s not a choice.

There are a lot of celebrities who are afraid to be out. They don’t say we’re not normal because they don’t say anything at all. And, isn’t that worse? Admitting that it can be difficult sometimes because we are not like “everybody” else but we are who we are seems OK to me. We’re here. We’re queer. And, sometimes we say stupid shit.

I don’t know Jillian Michaels. I’ve never watched her show and I probably wouldn’t even recognize her if I saw her in the street (unless she was doing push ups with you on her back). So I’m not jumping to the defense of a friend or favorite. But, I think someone in a business that literally rates what the public thinks of you and who worries what some old fart might think of her about being gay and still comes out deserves a few points for that.

She should not, however, apply for our official gay spokesperson job.

And, I would also like to point out that I am a strapping football player, hint hint. OK, I’m totally kidding, I’m not strapping and she’s not my type, but if Julie Bowen ever talks about wanting a moderately muscled football player with bad knees, let me know.

Jennie McNulty was named one of Curve magazine’s Top 10 lesbian comedians. She can be heard weekly as co-host of LA Talk Radio‘s “Cathy Is In: The Cathy DeBuono Show.”

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There’s been a lot of anger towards out fitness expert Jillian Michaels over her recent comments in a Health magazine interview. If you haven’t read them, here is what she said when asked if she has always been comfortable talking openly about being gay:

“I don’t know that I am now, to be honest with you. The gay thing has always been hard for me. When Heidi and I are out and somebody older asks, ‘Are you sisters?’ I say, ‘We’re friends.’ I guess it comes from thinking that they will be shocked or disturbed. Look, I wish I had some strapping football player husband. It would be such a dream to be ‘normal’ like that, but I’m just not.”

Jillian has since apologized for her comments, through a statement issued to People. But I don’t think she should have apologized and I don’t think any of us should be angry. When I read that statement, the message I take away is “being straight is easier than being gay.” Which it is. But just because something is easier, doesn’t mean that it’s better.

I’ll come straight out and say it, I love Jillian Michaels. When “The Biggest Loser” debuted on NBC in 2004, I was watching. I laughed, I cried, I developed a huge crush on the loud, passionate, butch trainer (I don’t care how long her hair is, she’s butch).

In 2006, I joined Facebook and it helped feed my “Biggest Loser” addiction. I joined a “group” where fans could meet and discuss their deepest feelings about a show where the participants laid both their souls and their bodies bare to their trainers and to the audience. We all felt that we knew them. Once, a fan posted, “Wouldn’t it be great if Bob [Harper, the original male trainer on the show] and Jillian fell in love?”

I immediately responded, “They are both gay” without even really thinking about it. To me, a queer person, it was just so obvious that they were. Harper even starred in a series of workout videos called “Queer Abs.” Can you guess what happened next? Of course, you can. The Facebook group exploded. I had called beloved public figures gay, which, of course, couldn’t be anything but a huge insult. The
vitriol got to intense that I had to leave the Facebook group.

“The Biggest Loser” caters to audiences in the Bible Belt and in the Midwest. My partner at the time and I had long impassioned discussions about Michaels and whether or not she would ever come out while she was on the show. There was discussion in the queer media, which at the time was mostly AfterEllen, on whether or not NBC had forbade Harper and Michaels from coming out.

It’s 2014 and the world has changed a lot, but it’s not perfect. There have been great strides made in marriage equality and visibility but there are still hate crimes. There were two this month in Brooklyn alone, which goes against the popular stereotype that only the clueless religious zealots or unfashionable old people hate gay people. All types of people will hate you when you are gay. This is our reality. We all live it everyday.

What straight people don’t know is that you don’t just come out once; you come out every day of your life. From your manicurist to your mailman to your coworkers, chances are someone is going to ask about your relationship status. My girlfriend and I are in London and when we went through customs the customs agent asked how we knew each other and we had to come out to her.

Every time you come out there’s an element of risk. Let’s face it, we often have no idea how the person we are talking to is going to react. I kissed my girlfriend’s hand in public yesterday and a man looked at us, stopped and reached into his jacket breast pocket. For a split second, I was petrified that he was going to pull out a weapon. It was just his phone — luckily he wasn’t using it to record us. And to reject Michael’s comments is to reject the idea of prejudice against queer people. The threat is real, the fear is valid and that is the truth.

Not everything Jillian Michaels says or does is perfect. But she is out. She has risked showing her beautiful family to the world and that’s more than we can say for a lot of celebrities. That’s more than we can say for many of us. Michael’s is a celebrity, but she has just as much to lose as any of us do. She could be the victim of a hate crime, her family could be threatened, she could lose her job. But she’s out anyway. She’s allowed to admit that being out is scary and that it’s not the ideal. She admitted that she wished she could be different. I have yet to meet a queer person who didn’t have any anxiety over their sexuality or wish it away. Even if it was just for a moment, even if it was when you were 14 and coming out and scared. Didn’t you wish you were different? Michael’s shouldn’t wish that she was straight, but whose fault is it that she feels that way? It’s the fault of anyone who has ever rejected a queer person because of who and they love. That is who we should be mad at.

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Each week we celebrate the best in lesbian social media. Here’s our social media round up for April 13-20, 2014.

Rosie’s looking good!

Suzanne Westenhoefer was living the dream at the GLAAD Media Awards.

Jillian Michaels contemplates a new approach to dieting.

One of our Facebook fans had us chuckling at this timely reference.

Hooray for business owners in Mississippi!

A gentle reminder from Lady Gaga.

Comedian Sandra Valls weighs in with a grammar lesson for us all.

Happy Easter. No H8, yo.

The post Rosie sheds 50, Westenhoefer living the dream first appeared on Lesbian.com.

Every lesbian deserves her own super sweet Valentine. So in case you don’t already have one of your own this year, we’ve gathered a collection of Imaginary Valentines from a handful of our favorite lesbians.

Just pick your favorite celesbian and enjoy her special love note written just for you. (We can pretend, right?)

Ellen DeGeneres

Billie Jean King

Brittney Griner

Melissa Etheridge

Abby Wambach

Jillian Michaels

Happy Valentine’s Day from Lesbian.com!

Looking for your real-life love story? OneGoodLove.com is the leading online dating site created specifically for the relationship-minded LGBT community by the LGBT community. We understand how challenging finding love can be so find LOVE now.

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When Jillian Michaels left “The Biggest Loser,” NBC’s hit reality show about weight loss struggled to find its footing. A few trainers came in, including tennis pro Anna Kornikova, and didn’t go over well with the audience. But Jillian was intent on taking time off to start a family, making public her adoption process which finally culminated in the announcement of not only one but two new kids for Jillian and her partner Heidi Rhoades this past year. So now that she’s got the family she wanted, it seems Jillian Michaels can have it all, as she made a triumphant return to “The Biggest Loser” as it premiered its 14th season this week.

Read more at After Ellen.com

AfterEllen is the pop culture site that plays for your team.

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Reality television star and personal trainer Jillian Michaels fell victim to a burglary on Tuesday when a thief broke into her home and stole the keys to her luxury car.

Michaels, her child and a nurse were at her home watching television when her Hermes purse containing the keys to her 2011 Bentley GT and a pricey Audemars watch were stolen from the kitchen table Tuesday evening.

The former “The Biggest Loser” star reported the crime after realizing a number of personal items, including her Bentley, were missing from her Los Angeles property.

Police spotted the stolen vehicle hours later and a chase ensued, resulting in the assailant crashing the car into a light pole.

The suspect, Gerjuan Deshon Harmon, was charged Friday with one count each of first-degree burglary with a person present, grand theft of personal property, grand theft auto, unlawful driving or taking of a vehicle, evading an officer and hit-and-run driving and two counts of resisting an executive officer, stated a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.

“Hi guys—thanks so much for all your concern regarding the burglary,” Michaels tweeted Thursday. “We are all fine & that’s what counts. Stuff is just stuff after all.”

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Jillian Michaels and her partner Heidi Rhoades were spotted at a charity event over the weekend. The pair had their kids in tow as they attended Christina Applegate’s Right Action for Women charity event in Beverly Hills.

Right Action for Women was established by award-winning actress Christina Applegate in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation. In 2008, after receiving her breast cancer diagnosis, Applegate created the foundation to educate women about what it means to be at “high risk” for breast cancer and encourage them to talk to their doctors about appropriate screening. Right Action for Women provides aid to individuals who are at increased risk for breast cancer and do not have insurance or the financial flexibility to cover the high costs associated with breast screenings.

Michaels and Rhoades appeared comfortable in their new role as moms posing for photos as Michaels held two-year-old Lukensia while Rhoades toted one-month-old Phoenix in a portable car seat . Michaels traveled to Haiti to pick up her daughter in May shortly after Rhoades gave birth to Phoenix and the pair has been busy figuring out parenhood ever since. Michaels recently Tweeted, “My 2-year-old has tons of toys yet she insists on playing w/ only my stuff. My phone, glasses, keys, computer—someone please explain this.”

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Fitness icon and former “Biggest Loser” trainer Jillian Michaels announced that she and longtime girlfriend Heidi Rhoades are “swimming in babies” after Michaels finalized the adoption of her daughter just weeks after Rhoades gave birth to a son. Michaels’ lengthy adoption process of 2-year-old Lukensia from Haiti wasn’t necessarily planned to coincide with Phoenix’s birth on May 3, but the couple is enjoying the challenges of instantaneous double-duty parenthood. Meanwhile, webmasters across the country are busy updating their MILF rankings to make way for new mom Michaels.

Target takes aim at LGBT Pride
It looks like we may indeed “expect more, pay less” from Minneapolis-based retailer Target after they announced the online sale of 10 pride-themed t-shirts. The gay-friendly themed tees will sell for $12.99 with proceeds going to the Washington D.C.-based Family Equality Council. We can’t wait to see Target’s bull terrier Bullseye in a Gwen Stefani-designed “Love is love” tee.

Adam Lambert trespasses onto Billboard’s Top 200 No. 1 spot
Former “American Idol” runner-up and openly gay singer Adam Lambert made music history as his second album “Trespassing” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart. While some contend the strong showing is more about the poor state of the music industry than Lambert’s melodious gift (“Trespassing” achieved the No. 1 rank with just 80,000 copies sold), the achievement is a milestone nonetheless. In related news, Elton John laments his decision not to come out until later in his career.

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