Editor’s note: This story was originally published on Playboy.com in June 2020. Hobbs appeared in a Playmate pictoral in the December 2010 issue of Playboy.
“Sometimes I wonder how many Playmates are closeted,” Ashley Hobbs says when I call her to chat about how her life has changed since she became a Playmate in 2010.
Hobbs, a cannabis career woman and Hawaii resident, wasn’t out when she posed for PLAYBOY. “I remember doing my test shoot and having a crush on this woman on set, but back then I still thought I was straight,” she says. It wasn’t until Hobbs met her current girlfriend three years ago that things finally clicked, and she hasn’t looked back since.
Playboy: What’s your coming out story?
About three years ago when I was living in San Diego I started talking to my current girlfriend. I ended up really liking her and decided to call my mom to tell her. She instantly knew what I was going to say and blurted out, “What? You’re gay?” With my dad, he didn’t really understand, and he thought it was more of a friendship at first. But now we go over there and they show her so much love and it’s like they have a fourth daughter.
Playboy: What advice would you give a fan struggling with their sexual identity or gender identity?
I’d give them a hug. My overall advice would be, be who you are and know that those who are meant to be in your life will stick around.
Playboy: What is one of the most annoying misconceptions you face as an LGBTQ person?
Men, and sometimes women, assume I’m straight because I’m feminine and look a certain way. There is no one way to look gay though. I wish people understood that.
Playboy: What is your favorite thing about being a part of the LGBTQ community?
We have this silent alliance—we have each other’s backs and can pretty much say anything to each other without judgment. I feel accepted for who I am, regardless of my identity or how I look or what I do for a living.
Playboy: Who is your favorite LGBTQ icon?
My girlfriend and I are really into RuPaul, who is like a drag priest. I like how she treats everyone with kindness, no matter what. I’ve just been watching RuPaul’s Drag Race for the last year and a half, and I’m like, “I need to go binge-watch the rest of Ru’s stuff!”
Playboy: What is the biggest roadblock for the LGBTQ community in 2020?
A lot of people still don’t understand our community, and I think we have to try to be patient and explain some of the terminology in order to be better understood. Overall people in our community need to feel safe and supported, and there is still a lot of animosity coming from people who don’t understand. Education is the first step.
Playboy: If someone wants to be an ally to the LGBTQ community, how can they do that?
The number one thing you can do as an ally is be kind. I’ve lived my life thinking everybody is looking at me, everybody is judging me, and if I don’t do the right thing, I’m going to be the outcast. Now that I’ve been in that safety net and have the support system that I have, I’m like: This is who I am, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to look. If I didn’t have my support system, I don’t think I would have come out.
Ashley Hobbs is on the The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
