Hunger Games Actress Amanda Stenberg Comes Out
Hunger Games actress Amandla Stenberg has come out as bisexual, speaking of the importance of representation and the need for women in minority communities to have their voices heard.
The 17-year-old actress took part in a Teen Vogue SnapChat takeover and came out in her video which has now gone viral.
“I cannot stress enough how important representation is, so the concept that I can provide for other black girls is mind-blowing,” she said.
“It’s a really really hard thing to be silenced, and it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and just 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. But then I realized, because of Solange [Knowles, who interviewed Stenberg for the magazine's February cover] and Ava Duvernay and Willow [Smith] and all the black girls watching this right now, there’s absolutely nothing but change.”
“We cannot be suppressed. We are meant to express our joy and our love and our tears, to be big and bold and definitely not easy to swallow. I definitely believe in the concept of rebellion through selfhood, and rebellion through embracing your true identity, no matter what you’re being told. Here I am, being myself, and it’s hard and vulnerable, and it’s definitely a process, but I’m learning and growing. Thank you for supporting me and doing this, and thank you to Teen Vogue. This is just the beginning, though; we have a lot of work to do for all women of colour. We need more representation in film and television. We need our voices to be louder in the media. And not just women of colour—bisexual women, gay women, transgender women, mentally ill women. I’m sick of all the misogyny and homophobia and transphobia that I see around me, and I know you are too. Thank you for listening and goodnight.”
Photo: Gregory Harris
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“I cannot stress enough how important representation is, so the concept that I can provide for other black girls is mind-blowing,” she said.
“It’s a really really hard thing to be silenced, and it’s deeply bruising to fight against your identity and just 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. But then I realized, because of Solange [Knowles, who interviewed Stenberg for the magazine's February cover] and Ava Duvernay and Willow [Smith] and all the black girls watching this right now, there’s absolutely nothing but change.”
“We cannot be suppressed. We are meant to express our joy and our love and our tears, to be big and bold and definitely not easy to swallow. I definitely believe in the concept of rebellion through selfhood, and rebellion through embracing your true identity, no matter what you’re being told. Here I am, being myself, and it’s hard and vulnerable, and it’s definitely a process, but I’m learning and growing. Thank you for supporting me and doing this, and thank you to Teen Vogue. This is just the beginning, though; we have a lot of work to do for all women of colour. We need more representation in film and television. We need our voices to be louder in the media. And not just women of colour—bisexual women, gay women, transgender women, mentally ill women. I’m sick of all the misogyny and homophobia and transphobia that I see around me, and I know you are too. Thank you for listening and goodnight.”
GayNZ.com
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