Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo comes out as bisexual on Vogue’s Pride cover
The actor revealed “nerves and fear” has previously prevented her from coming out.
Words: Emily Maskell; pictures: BBC
Acclaimed actor and singer Cynthia Erivo has stated she identifies as bisexual.
Appearing on the Pride issue of British Vogue‘s cover beside Ariana DeBose and Cara Delevingne, the 35-year-old Grammy and Tony Award winner opened up about belonging to the LGBTQ+ community and the pressures of being publicly out.
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“[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 added.
Erivo shared the cover on Instagram where she wrote: “Nerves and fear have gotten in the way of sharing all of who I am, and today with Pride and with wonderful people beside me I’m sharing a little more.”
Fans and friends alike shared their pride for Erivo in the comments with heart emojis and heartfelt messages.
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She also extended her thanks to British Vogue editor Edward Enninful for giving her the “space” and love to grace the cover and speak about her bisexuality.
Erivo will star in the upcoming film adaptation of Wicked after being part of the wildly successful Broadway revival of The Colour Purple.
Erivo told the Evening Standard in 2021 that she identified as “queer” and spoke about the inclusion of an LGBTQ+ storyline in her music video for ‘The Good’.
“It’s not necessarily autobiographical but I am queer,” Erivo said of the music video. “I have never felt like I necessarily needed to come out, just because no-one ever really asked.”
She added: “People make assumptions… No one’s ever really assumed that I’m straight!”
“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.”
The Attitude July/August issue is out now.