Ellen DeGeneres among stars marking National Coming Out Day

Ellen DeGeneres and Wanda Sykes are among the stars who have celebrated National Coming Out Day.

Talk show host DeGeneres shared a photo of herself being embraced by wife Portia de Rossi.

The couple have been married since 2008, after the overturning of the same-sex marriage ban in California.

DeGeneres came out as a lesbian in 1997, appearing on the cover of Time magazine with the headline “Yep, I’m Gay.”

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Two weeks later, the episode of her sitcom Ellen aired in which her character Ellen Morgan also came out.

DeGeneres later told People magazine: “It was called ‘The Puppy Episode’ because we wanted to keep it a secret until it aired and because ‘Ellen Throws Her Career Away’ seemed too on the nose.”

She wrote on Twitter: “Happy #NationalComingOutDay! Here’s to celebrating coming out while we’re all staying in.”

Comedian Wanda Sykes shared a photograph of herself standing back to back with wife Alex, who she married in 2008.

She wrote: “Love is LOVE,” adding a rainbow and a heart emoji.

WWE star Sonya Deville, real name Daria Berenato, also marked the day by sharing a boomerang video of her kissing girlfriend Arianna Johnson.

She wrote: “Happy #NationalComingOutDay. No matter where you are on your journey in or out. I am so proud of you all.

“I love you all, and priority number one is loving ourselves. ‘Be you because everyone else is already taken’.”

Patricia Arquette shared a photo of her trans sister Alexis, who died in 2016, and wrote: “Sending love out to all on #NationalComingOutDay.

“This is not long after #Alexis came out! #LoveYouThankYou.”

Reality star Frankie Grande, the brother of Ariana Grande, shared a photo of him holding hands with boyfriend Hale Leon and wrote: “Happy #nationalcomingoutday.

“Today’s a very special day because it’s a day when we not only encourage those in our community who are having difficulty coming out of the closet to come join us in our big #LGBTQ + rainbow parade…

“But it’s also a day when we remind our out and proud friends and allies to show up for those in our community and in other communities who need help.

“Make sure everyone around you knows that you are an ally and that you can help if anyone needs it due to discrimination against their sexual orientation, gender identity, skin color or ‘otherness’ as these are often the things that keep people in the closet and keep them having to live a lie.

“From my own personal experience coming out was one of the greatest things to ever happen to me and I hope that for those of you who choose to come out today you have the exact same experience… I am very confident that you will.

“Remember change doesn’t happen overnight; it can take time, but when it comes to expressing your truth and being yourself any battle is worth the W. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. I love you all so much. Also, Make sure you vote.”