Jaimi King
Jaimi King made history this season as the first contestant to ever be out while appearing on “The Bachelor.” (Australia’s Megan Marx and Tiffany Scanlon, as you may recall, became an item after the show, but have since broken up.) King may not have been a winner, but her inclusion was a win for bisexuals. It was also—thankfully—no big deal. King’s private coming-out, however, was another story: “I was dating my second girlfriend,” she recalls, “and my family knew about her, but they didn’t know that we weren’t platonic friends. And so when somehow my mom found out, we ended up having a fight about it and I just remember telling my mom ‘I love her.’ I grew up in a very religious household, so coming out just seemed nearly impossible.” Now, culinary school grad King is currently a chef at New Orleans’ Ace Hotel. Her goal is to become a cake decorator on a full-time basis. “Me being out doesn’t really have any effect on my success,” she says. “I see myself [as] successful in many aspects of my life. As far as relationship success, I would say that I have more possibility of being successful in that area because I can allow myself to fall for anyone, no matter his or her sexual orientation or race. Love is love.” —GH
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