Why would speaker mention the word "openly?" What does it mean?

Native speaker’s answer
Rebecca
"Openly" is means "publicly" or "without concealment." In this case, it "openly" is often used in combination with "gay," "lesbian," "bisexual," and so on to mean that they have made their sexual orientation public so it's no longer a secret. Ex: He is the first openly gay politician in the country. Ex: I want to openly tell people about my story.