Marines #2:"You’d be amazed how gay Marines are when they don’t believe there’s anyone gay around." Navy #1:"I’m always listening to Britney or Lady Gaga or Madonna—I don’t turn it down or hide it. That starts a lot of rumors and discussions, but that’s who I am."

It’s tempting to see gay servicemen’s entire military existence through the prism of this single issue—the campaigner, the oppressed, the stoic endurer—and as the totality of who they are. Real lives tend to be much more complicated. In June 1998, Richard Merritt (Marines, 1985–98) appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine, in uniform but with his face obscured, and inside the story described what life was actually like for someone gay serving in the military. But his true story, and how he actually accommodated his sexuality within a military that wanted to pretend it didn’t exist, was more complicated than he revealed at the time. Navy #1 (lieutenant, fourteen years): "There’s always been a fear that people would find out and then hold it over you for some kind of leverage. I have seen it happen: ’If you don’t do this, I’m going to report you.’ " Air Force #3:"For the most part we’re just normal people in normal relationships. We are not all crazy and promiscuous and stuff. I go home at the end of the night to my partner, just like straight people do, and make dinner." Air Force #2:"There’s nothing different except that I like guys. I respect straight people, you know. I’m not going to make you uncomfortable." This interior designer can come hang curtains in our house anytime he wants. Nate Berkus does more than spend time sprucing up spaces; he has a book club, too, called Nate Reads.

Michael J. Willett

Air Force #1:"All of the pilots in the squadron who talk about the episode of Glee last night—that would have been a giveaway before. I just assume everybody is gay now because you can’t tell anymore. Some of my married friends act gayer than any of my gay friends." We may know him from the OG 2003 Queer Eye, but Jai Rodriguez is also a seriously talented actor and performed in the Broadway musical Rent. I thought I should commit suicide," he remembers. "I was pretty depressed. You think of so many things." The next day the navy gave him a choice—he could either go through a court martial (it was suggested to him that he could get five years of military prison and hard labor for each offense) or accept an other-than-honorable discharge. So he agreed to the latter, even though he knew he would lose his pension. We came to know and love Gilman as the 11-year-old country singing phenom, but he’s officially grown into hottie status.

Not only did he audition for — and become runner-up on — The Voice, but he also embarked on a mini-tour throughout New York, New Jersey and the surrounding areas. Air Force #2:"Like Y2K. Everyone went to the stores and bought all this stuff—you couldn’t get toilet paper or water. It’s the exact same thing, everyone building up this giant crazy massive change, like homosexuals are going to bring down the entire military. And it’s just like any other change. Life goes on." Wikipedia lists Rainer Andreesen as your partner. I wondered if that's something that's public, that you've confirmed," blogger Greg Hernandez said in 2013 during a press tour. Garber responded, "I don't really talk about it, but everybody knows. He's going to be out here with me for the SAG Awards." It’s true. The Tony winner was in the cast of The Great Leap. According to Playbill, “ The Great Leap weaves a tale of history and personal identity. Set in San Francisco in 1989, the play follows Manford Lum, a basketball player who talks his way onto a college team just before they travel to Beijing for a ‘friendship’ game.”

Carl Nassib

Wentworth Miller is known for breaking out of prison in Prison Break. But the English actor moved on from that role and into the superhero TV hits Legends of Tomorrow and The Flash.

Much like his castmates, Queer Eye food expert Antoni Porowski is one attractive gay man. “For me personally, I’ve never really had a label for myself,” the chef, who recently got engaged to longtime partner Kevin Harrington, told the Gay Times. “Today I’m gay, I’m in a gay relationship, and that’s where I am. That’s good enough for me.” We don’t want to be defined by our sexuality,” Queer Eye design expert Bobby Berk told the Gay Times. “We are gay, but that’s not who we are, it’s just part of what we are. I like the fact that people don’t necessarily always focus on, ‘Oh, they’re gay guys.’ I’m a designer or a chef or a hairdresser. Yeah… we just happen to be married to men.” I was 10, sitting in church and horrified that I might be a homosexual. Whatever that word meant, I knew that I probably was one,” the singer told People at the time. “And I know there’s a lot of those kids still out there. Telling my story is an opportunity to help just one of them.”The Grammy-winning artist made waves when he posted a statement to his Tumblr in 2012, opening up about his sexuality. “I feel like a free man. If I listen closely… I can hear the sky falling too,” he wrote.

He also made his Broadway debut in the Tony-winning Kinky Boots, when he took over the role of Charlie Price. Following his appearance on ANTM, he started the Nyle DiMarco Fund, which aims to improve deaf people's lives. Navy #1:"There are a couple of people I work with, I really just want to tell them. I’m good friends with these people. As good as I can be. And I feel like I could be such better friends with them if I could just be honest with them."

T.R. Knight

Some of y’all already know, some of y’all don’t care…but before this month ends I want y’all to listen closely to c7osure,” he tweeted. We may never get to compete on The Biggest Loser, but Bob Harper is welcome to try to whip our butts into shape any day of the week.