Cynthia Erivo, the Oscar-nominated actor, singer and songwriter, opened up about her sexuality in the August Pride-themed issue of British Vogue, which features her as one of the celebrities in its cover story.

In the interview, Erivo stated that it took a long time for her to share her bisexual identity due to the pressure confronted by LGBTQ+ community in the fashion industry. “[Many LGBTQ+ people] still feel the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings, when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently.”

“Rather than being chastised for that, we should be commended for being brave. That’s the most important thing: giving people the space to show up fully as who they are,” she continued.

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Erivo had previously identified herself as queer in an interview with the Evening Standard last August. 

When asked about her song, The Good, she replied to the paper, “It’s not necessarily autobiographical, but I am queer.”

“I have never felt like I necessarily needed to come out – just because no-one ever really asked. People make assumptions… No-one’s ever really assumed that I’m straight!” She continued, “I don’t think anyone thinks of me as a person that has relationships that aren’t platonic! So I’ve never needed to even really discuss anything about my sexuality at all.”

Cynthia Erivo is known for her performances in Harriet (2019), Bad Times at the El Royale (2018) and Widows (2018).