Tessa Thompson Comes Out as Bisexual
In a new interview with Net-a-Porter, actress Tessa Thompson has officially come out as bisexual, confirming that she is attracted to both men and women:
“I can take things for granted because of my family – it’s so free and you can be anything that you want to be. I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion … That was something I was conscientious of in terms of this declaration around Janelle and myself," the actress explained.
"I want everyone else to have that freedom and support that I have from my loved ones. But so many people don’t. So, do I have a responsibility to talk about that? Do I have a responsibility to say in a public space that this is my person?”
Much of the speculation of Thompson's sexuality came from her increasingly public relationship with Janelle Monae, who came out as pansexual earlier this year. Thompson co-starred in several music videos from Monae's latest album, Dirty Computer, though Thompson assures that the two are very close: "We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency,” she said. “If people want to speculate about what we are, it doesn’t bother me.”
The Thor: Ragnarok actress also touched on the difficulties of maintaining privacy as a public figure, which is incredibly timely considering the increase of queer people of color in the public eye. "It’s tricky because Janelle and I are just really private people and we’re both trying to navigate how you reconcile wanting to have that privacy and space," she says. "and also wanting to use your platform and influence."
Thompson's next role is in Creed II, which is scheduled to hit theaters in November.