Outspoken actress Amandla Stenberg came out as bisexual Thursday night on Teen Vogue‘s Snapchat.
“I cannot stress enough how important representation is,” said 17-year-old Stenberg. “It’s a really, really hard thing to be silenced and it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and to mold yourself into shapes that you just shouldn’t be in. As someone who identifies as a Black, bisexual woman, I’ve been through it, and it hurts, and it’s awkward, and it’s uncomfortable.”
Stenberg, best known for her role in the hit film The Hunger Games, recently sat down with singer Solange Knowles for an interview in Teen Vogue‘s February issue, in which she expressed her thoughts on everything from race to hair and helping others become more comfortable with their identity.
“I kind of had a moment with myself, like, ‘OK. Is this what you want to do? Do you actually want to talk about issues? Is it worth it?’ There are still moments now where I’m like, ‘Whoa, this is a lot of pressure.’ But it’s worth it because when people come to me and say, ‘I’m more comfortable in my identity because of you,’ or ‘I feel like you’ve given me a voice,’ that’s the most powerful thing ever,” she told Knowles.
Stenberg also posted the Snapchat video on her Tumblr page here.
