American Comedy Star Lea DeLaria Reveals She Was Literally Arrested For Being Gay In Public: Here’s Her Story

Most people today take for granted that being openly gay in public won’t result in arrest, but that freedom is relatively recent.

Not long ago, simply existing as a queer person could bring legal consequences, with laws on the books that criminalized everything from holding hands to more intimate expressions of affection.

Those statutes have been struck down, but the people who lived under them carry those experiences with them.

Lea DeLaria, best known for playing Big Boo on Orange Is the New Black, recently shared her own story of being arrested under these archaic laws.

During an appearance on the So True podcast with Caleb Hearon last May, the 67-year-old comedian and actress opened up about getting thrown in jail for what authorities charged as “open and notorious homosexuality.”

The clip has resurfaced online, sparking conversations about how recently these discriminatory laws were still being enforced.

Her account is equal parts shocking and darkly funny, told with the kind of irreverent humor you’d expect from someone who’s spent decades refusing to hide who she is.

DeLaria didn’t just get arrested once; she got busted in two different states, Illinois and Missouri, for the crime of being visibly, unapologetically gay.

The circumstances varied, but the message was the same: your existence is illegal here.

Lea DeLaria has finally come out to tell her story

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Host Caleb Heron kicked off the conversation by asking directly: "You got arrested for open and notorious homosexuality in my home state, Missouri?" DeLaria didn't hesitate. "And in Illinois," she confirmed.

Heron, like most listeners, was immediately confused. "What the hell does that mean? So what happened, you were just a lesbian in public?"

It's a fair question, because to anyone unfamiliar with how anti-LGBTQ+ laws worked back then, the charge sounds absurd. And it was, but it was also very real.

DeLaria explained that in Illinois, she was arrested simply for holding hands with another woman. In Missouri, however, things went further. "I was doing a whole lot more than holding her hand. We were by a lake, that's all I'm gonna say," she admitted, which immediately sent both her and Heron into laughter.

The incident happened in Columbia, where her best friend attended Stephen's College. DeLaria wasn't a student herself, having left college after a brief stint because she found it boring. Instead, she spent nearly every weekend visiting her friend, though not exactly to hang out.

"So my best friend went to Stephen's College, right, I did not go to college. I went for five minutes and left. It was boring. So what I would do is I would go visit her basically every weekend," she explained. \

Then came the punchline: "So I basically was a student at Stephen's College. I mean, if you are what you eat." Heron responded with a laugh: "Yeah, I bet you were really popular at Stephen's College."

DeLaria didn't hold back. "I gobbled those girls down, man, it was so much fun," she continued, "which is why I was there every weekend. Every weekend to visit my best friend and she never saw me."

DeLaria played the role of "Big Boo" in the hit Netflix series, "Orange Is the New Black."

Kristina Bumphrey/Getty Images

She joked that she'd arrive, drop off her suitcase, say goodbye to her friend, and then essentially disappear for the rest of the visit.

The arrest happened during one of those weekends when she and another woman were by a lake. Heron asked if she was actually taken to jail, and DeLaria confirmed she was. "Yeah, I was bailed out the next morning. It was not a crime that you got like a major fine for. I didn't have to go in front of a judge or anything like that," she said.

Attempts to find official records of the arrests have been unsuccessful. The Illinois courthouse where her case would have been documented burned down, erasing any trace of the incident.

She also revealed that she and the woman she was with were arrested together but placed in separate cells. The reason? Authorities were worried they'd continue what got them arrested in the first place, even behind bars.

Speaking about it on another occasion, DeLaria added, "We were so busted. I spent the night in jail, and they separated us too because they were afraid we were gonna f**k in the jail, I guess."

Final Thoughts

What the 67-year-old comedy star experienced wasn't ancient history; it was within her lifetime, and laws like the ones she was arrested under existed in multiple states across the country.

Her willingness to share these experiences with humor and honesty keeps those memories alive and underscores how much progress has been made, while also reminding us how fragile those gains can be.

Have you heard stories like this from older LGBTQ+ people in your life? Share with us in the comments.