Actress Sophia Bush opens up about pivotal moment in her queer journey
July 1, 2024Sophia Bush has shared the pivotal moment that marked the beginning of her coming-out journey.
In recent months, the ‘One Tree Hill’ star has frequently made headlines regarding her sexuality.
In October 2023, PEOPLE reported that Bush was dating former pro football player Ashlyn Harris.
This news emerged two months after Bush split from her ex-husband, Grant Hughes, and just weeks after Harris filed for divorce from her wife, Ali Krieger.
Six months later, as ‘Gay Times’ write, Bush openly discussed her identity and relationship with Harris in an emotional coming-out essay for Glamour.
“I’ve experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community, as an ally all of my life, that, as I came into myself, I already felt it was my home. I think I’ve always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum,” she shared.
“Right now, I think the word that best defines it is queer. I can’t say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great. I finally feel like I can breathe.”
Since coming out, the ‘Good Sam’ star has been transparent about her journey, including when she began to embrace her queer identity.
Image Credit: Canva
In a recent episode of her podcast Work in Progress, Bush told guests Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne that heteronormativity significantly impeded her coming-out process.
“I don’t think we realize how deep [it] runs. I think so many women are like, ‘Well, I’m settling a little bit.’ Everyone says everything’s hard, all my friends hate their husbands. And you sort of go, ‘Oh.’ And then maybe that’s not it,” she explained.
Bush also recounted a revealing conversation with one of her friends after her divorce from Hughes, which helped her better understand her queer identity.
“One of my best friends looked at me and was like, ‘I gotta say, that was just painful to watch, and I’m so glad you’re getting out of it,'” she revealed. “‘But, like, I don’t just think he was not the right person for you, but also, I don’t actually think you like men.’”
The Incredibles 2 star described the heartfelt exchange as an “aha moment” that prompted her to re-evaluate some of her past queer experiences – including falling in love with a French exchange student at 16.
“I was like, ‘Oh, maybe the drama when I fell in love with this beautiful French exchange student when I was 16 wasn’t about her being a girl, it was that she lived in France, and my parents were like, ‘This feels irrational and a setup for heartbreak for you. You’re 16,” she said.
She also reflected on her friends’ comments that she couldn’t be bisexual because most of her romantic partners were men.
This pushback made her feel she needed to “get out of the way” of other queer people who have been in “the fight for liberation for so long.”
“And then, it was like, ‘Well, maybe I don’t have to get out of the way. Maybe I just get to like who I like. What a revolutionary f***ing idea,” she added.
Although her journey has been challenging, Bush’s life since coming out has been filled with queer joy.
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Sophia Bush comes out as queer, confirms relationship with Ashlyn Harris
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