Coming out in Hollywood in 2012 became a casual affair. Gone were the days of the "I'm Gay" cover photo.
1. Matt Bomer thanked his partner, Simon Hall, and kids in an acceptance speech.
2. Jim Parsons' sexuality was a matter-of-fact statement buried in a "New York Times" profile.
3. Andrew Rannells told "Vulture" that unlike his character on "Girls," he was never closeted.
4. Anderson flew the coop in an email to Andrew Sullivan: "I'm gay ... and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud."
5. Mika explained that his new songs were about a "relationship with a man."
And no one batted an eye.
6. When Frank Ocean came out via Tumblr, the hip hop community embraced him.
7. Russell Simmons (pictured) and Tyler, The Creator immediately vocalized support for the singer.
And it became clear that hip hop was ready, more than ever, to publicly demonstrate support for the gay community.
8. Jay-Z led the pack as one of the first major hip hop artists to back same-sex marriage.
9. The hip hop duo, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, released a song in support of marriage equality.
10. A$AP Rocky spoke out against homophobia and discrimination.
11. Murs' music video for "Animal Style" denounced intolerance and even addressed teen suicide.
12. Fans found a new icon in Azealia Banks: An artist who wasn't afraid to embrace the LGBT community.
In the sports world, where we are still without an out LGBT athlete currently playing in any of the major leagues, there were still significant advances.
In fact, the first gay major leaguer already has a lot of friends.