Mara Wilson shared why she decided to publicly come out as bisexual
Coming out isn’t easy for everybody. And Matilda star Mara Wilson is no exception. Recently, in an interview with Lambda Legal deputy digital director Ariel Goldberg, MaraWilson opened up about why she decided to come out.
Last year, following the Orlando Pulse nightclub shooting, Mara Wilson came out as bisexual.
She explained to Goldberg that at the time, she realized had a platform to publicly speak up as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“I think that if you’re in a place of security and privilege — which I can admit that I am — it’s important for you to [come out],” she said. “I don’t see myself as anybody’s savior, but I’d rather it were me — who can afford therapy and afford this platform — getting harassed for being who I am than a young LGBTQ kid.”
However, Wilson also didn’t think through the ramifications of coming out on the heels of such a sad event. And some people accused her of making the Orlando shooting about herself. Still, she insists she doesn’t regret coming out.
“I often wish that I hadn’t done it then because I got accused of taking advantage of a tragedy for personal attention,” Wilson said. “Now clearly I like attention, but I am not so callous as to make a tragedy about myself, my life and my story. That isn’t what I was going for.”
Wilson also talked about biphobia. And how it stopped her from coming out sooner.
“There’s definitely a stigma [about bisexuality],” she said. “One of the reasons I didn’t come out for a very long time was because I grew up hearing that bisexual girls were ‘crazy.’ I heard that all the time. I heard that bisexual girls were ‘crazy,’ they were greedy, they were selfish and they caused drama. They were the worst. They wanted attention.”
Thankfully, Mara Wilson is speaking out about biphobia now. Hopefully, her words will resonate in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights.
