Lili Reinhart is getting candid about her decision to come out as a bisexual woman. The Riverdale star explains in a new interview with Flaunt magazine that she’s always known she was attracted to women, and those closest to her also knew.
“I knew full well that I was attracted to women from a young age,” Reinhart admits. “I felt that since I’ve exclusively been in hetero-normative relationships, it would be too easy for any outsider, especially the media, to vilify me and accuse me of faking it to get attention.”
“That’s not something I wanted to deal with. But to my close friends, and those in my life, my bisexuality has been no secret,” she adds.
The 23-year-old actress came out as a bisexual woman in June, after posting an Instagram Story promoting a LGBTQ+ for Black Lives Matter protest in West Hollywood, California.
“Although I’ve never announced it publicly before, I am a proud bisexual woman,” Reinhart wrote. “And I will be joining this protest today. Come join.”
While some fans praised Reinhart for coming out as bisexual, she also received criticism for coming out at a time when the focus is currently on the Black Lives Matter movement.
“It was incredible to be surrounded by so many people who are actively fighting against the injustices that are happening right now,” the actress recalls of protesting with her fellow LGBTQ members. “Enough is enough and hopefully we’ll see real change from the actions that are now being taken,” she notes.
She also mentions that she felt like she wasn’t “doing enough” and wanted to do more than repost what everyone else was sharing.
“So I asked myself: ‘Okay, what do I have to offer?’ I definitely learned a lot from the conversations I’ve been having,” she shares. “While it’s important to be an ally in this movement, Black voices cannot be muffled by other voices. This is their time to be heard. White people have to acknowledge their f**king privilege, which exists, and is very real. It’s important that we don’t just sit on our asses and let someone else fight this fight for us because it involves absolutely everyone.”
