Beccy Cole, OAM is a gay woman — and proud to call herself one publicly — but that wasn't always the case.
Having been in the public eye since she won the Star Maker competition at the Tamworth Country Music festival in 1993, it wasn't until 1999 that she came to terms with her own sexuality.
"I didn't know that it was there for me to explore about myself," Cole said, having come to the realisation she was gay while watching two women making out on the TV series Playing the Field.
"It was the most gorgeous kiss," she said. "I'll never forget it. I still dream about having a kiss like that."
The singer-songwriter and host of Saturday Night Country on ABC Radio didn't come out publicly until 2012.
During that 13-year period, Cole was out to "enough people" within the country music industry, including members of the media.
"I didn't ever feel like people would speak about it before I did," Cole said.
"But it did nearly happen once, and it was a Sydney paper and I said, 'Could you please not?' and they didn't.
"But it nearly did."
Cole was fearful as a result because it was before she was ready to talk about her sexuality publicly.
"People say, 'Oh, you know, you don't have to come out these days'," Cole said.
"I think coming out will always be relevant.
Apologies all round, but what if she wasn't ready?
She applauds actor Rebel Wilson for "gazumping" The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age gossip columnist Andrew Hornery by revealing her relationship with LA designer Ramona Agruma on social media ahead of his story being published.
"I think good on her," Cole said.
"She did great … if you can't do it on your terms, then I think good on her for that.
"I think a journalist getting grumpy that they didn't have the jump on someone's actual private life, I think that is laughable and just wrong.
"But I think there is some regret there."
Hornery has since apologised for the tone of his article in Saturday's paper, and the article has been removed from the website.
He's also expressed regret over his handling of the matter.
"As a gay man I'm well aware of how deeply discrimination hurts," Hornery wrote afterwards.
"The last thing I would ever want to do is inflict that pain on someone else."
His editor, Bevan Shields, backed up the apology, writing that "the inclusion of a two-day deadline was an error as it appeared to be an ultimatum or attempt to pressure Wilson to make an announcement herself or through the Herald".
Cole said nobody's hand should ever be forced.
"But did she have that choice? It doesn't seem like it.
"We're not all ready to jump on the couch like Tom Cruise [did when announcing his then-new relationship with Katie Holmes]."
You're also outing someone's partner
Actor Magda Szubanski came out in 2012 on live television at a time when Australia was debating same-sex marriage.
She spoke to Patricia Karvelas on RN Breakfast this week.
"When you 'out' someone, you're also outing their partner," Szubanski said.
"So, there's a wider impact than just the idea of it being about Rebel.
"The idea that you have that sort of sense of entitlement about anyone's private life, be they straight or gay, is one issue."
She said that, while it's safe for some people to come out, for others, it's not.
"I know, for me, once I came out, it was like, 'OK, now I'm a publicly gay person, it's going to be a different experience for me going to some countries, potentially'."
The ABC approached Hornery for comment, however, he declined. Comment was also sought from Wilson but no reply had been received prior to publication.
