"I’m attracted to men and also to women."
Tessa Thompson is opening up about her relationship status and sexuality.
The 34-year-old actress, who covers Net-a-Porter’s latest issue, is discussing her much speculated-about relationship with actress and singer, Janelle Monae.
“It’s tricky, because Janelle and I are just really private people and we’re both trying to navigate how you reconcile wanting to have that privacy and space, and also wanting to use your platform and influence,” Thompson tells the online mag of her relationship with 32-year-old Monae, who came out as pansexual in April.
While the Westworld star is beyond grateful to have the unconditional support of her family, she recognizes that not everyone is as lucky.
“I can take things for granted because of my family – it’s so free and you can be anything that you want to be,” she says. “I’m attracted to men and also to women. If I bring a woman home, [or] a man, we don’t even have to have the discussion.”
She continues: “That was something I was conscientious of in terms of this declaration around Janelle and myself. I want everyone else to have that freedom and support that I have from my loved ones. But so many people don’t. So, do I have a responsibility to talk about that? Do I have a responsibility to say in a public space that this is my person?”
As for the non-stop talk about their relationship — following Thompson’s appearances in some of Monae’s music videos — Thompson isn’t concerned with it.
“We love each other deeply,” she says. “We’re so close, we vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, that’s okay. It doesn’t bother me.”
ET spoke with Thompson in February about her relationship with Monae.
“Janelle and I have been really close. We've been really good friends at this point for about three and a half years. I'm so lucky to have her in my life,” she said at the time. "Janelle is somebody that is interested in empowering not just women, but people, to be who they are.”
Here’s more on the pair:
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