Entertainment Weekly’s cover story this week is special report on “The New Art of Coming Out”

It’s been quite a year for celebrities coming out publicly – among them Matt Bomer and Jim Parsons.

Both are huge stars but there was no Time magazine cover like Ellen DeGeneres 15 years ago, no People magazine cover like Lance Bass or Clay Aiken, and not even an Advocate cover.

That brings us to this week’s Entertainment Weekly cover story entitled “The New Art of Coming Out” with out stars Parsons, Chris Colfer, Zachary Quinto, Jane Lynch, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Wanda Sykes, Neil Patrick Harris and Andy Cohen on the cover.

EW writer Mark Harris examines the new, casual method gay celebrities are using to reveal their sexuality publicly for the first time.

Parsons sexuality, for example, was mentioned toward the end of a New York Times profile in a single line and as a statement of fact. It was reported with such matter-of-fact understatement that many people’s first reaction was a quick Google search to see if maybe he was out already and we’d all just failed to notice.

Have all of these top celebrities being out pretty much put to rest any questions about the viability of being out in showbiz?

EW reports: The current vibe for discussing one’s sexuality is almost defiantly mellow: This is part of who I am, I don’t consider it a big deal or a crisis, and if you do, that’s not my problem. It may sound like a shrug, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for indifference. By daring anyone to overreact, the newest generation of gay public figures is making a clear statement that there is a “new normal” — and it consists of being plainspoken, clear, and truthful about who you are.