Ever since the early days of her career, pop icon Cher has become an unequivocal gay icon. Whether it’s her constant support of her transgender son Chaz Bono, her flamboyant and fabulous costumery, or even her Oscar-nominated starring role as a lesbian in the film Silkwood (which also starred her fellow Mamma Mia co-star Meryl Streep), the “Turn Back Time" singer has cemented her place in gay history.
But Cher wasn’t always as involved in the LGBTQ community as she is now. In a recent interview with GLAAD ahead of the release of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Cher revealed that she met gay people for the first time when she was 12 years old and living with her mother, Georgia Holt. “I came home from school and there were these two guys in our living room,” Cher recalled. “They were talking to my mom and her best friend, and they were so happy and excited about everything they were talking about, so animated.”