It was a “coming out” speech, although described as “sort of,” that still made headlines around the world.
While Jodie Foster had previously thanked “beautiful Cydney (Bernard)” at a Power 100 Women in Entertainment 2007 event, her remarks as part of her acceptance speech as the Cecil B. deMille Award honoree at the 70th Golden Globes in 2013 were considered significant.
A few minutes into that speech, with her family in the audience, the actress-filmmaker said, “Seriously, I hope you’re not disappointed that there won’t be a big coming out speech tonight, because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the Stone Age, in those very quaint days when a fragile young girl would open up to trusted friends and family and co-workers and then gradually, proudly, to everyone who knew her, to everyone she actually met.

“But now I’m told, apparently, that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference, a fragrance, and a prime-time reality show. You know, you guys might be surprised, but I am not Honey Boo Boo Child. No, I’m sorry, that’s just not me. It never was and it never will be.
“There is no way I could ever stand here without acknowledging one of the deepest loves of my life, my heroic co-parent, my ex-partner in love but righteous soul sister in life, my confessor, ski buddy, consigliere, most beloved BFF of 20 years, Cydney Bernard. Thank you, Cyd.
“I am so proud of our modern family. Our amazing sons, Charlie and Kit (Christopher), who are my reason to breathe and to evolve, my blood and soul. And boys, in case you didn’t know it, this song, all of this, this song is for you.”

Although Foster talked about other subjects, including her mother, Evelyn Almond, whom she movingly praised, the three-time Golden Globe acting awardee speaking obliquely about her former relationship with Bernard made the most news.

ABC News quoted then GLAAD President Herndon Graddick in a report: “When one of the most critically-praised actresses speaks about her identity and relationships on one of the largest stages in the world, it shows just how much the tide has turned.
“Given Jodie Foster’s lifetime of achievements, this is a significant moment for LGBT visibility. As more and more high-profile LGBT people like Jodie speak openly, those who do not accept LGBT people will continue to fall behind the times.”

In May 2018, when asked in a Hollywood Foreign Press Association press conference about that night in 2013, Foster answered, “When you say something is a Lifetime Achievement Award, it’s not about your last movie but it’s about what you achieved in your lifetime… I couldn’t do that without celebrating and honoring that it was a transition in my life, and that I knew that I was moving and changing what was past and what was future.
“So, in terms of my speech, I think it speaks for itself, and I don’t have anything to say about it. I said lots of things that I needed to say, and the peanut gallery had lots to say about it.”
Eight years after “coming out” on stage during the 70th Golden Globes, Foster openly kissed her wife, Alexandra Hedison, when she won Best Supporting Actress for The Mauritanian at the 2021 Globes.