Actress Taryn Manning, who is best
known for playing inmate Tiffany “Pennsatucky” Doggett in
Netflix's dramedy Orange is the New Black, has set the record
straight on her sexuality.
In an interview with PEOPLE,
Manning said that while she has experimented with women in the past,
she identifies as straight.
“I'm not gay,” she said, “meaning
I love men.”
“I love gay people. I've
experimented. It's good. I just prefer men,” she added.
Manning's Pennsatucky has evolved on
the Netflix hit, going from a hostile anti-gay fundamentalist in
season one to befriending butch lesbian Big Boo (played by Lea
DeLaria) in later seasons.
Orange is the New Black has been
praised for its LGBT-inclusive characters.
The 38-year-old Manning, who is
currently promoting her new film, The Vault, also talked about
her strained relationships with her mother and brother.
“I lost my mother, not from death,”
Manning told PEOPLE. “The hardest part is that my mom is still
alive but we're estranged. It's really sad to watch a beautiful
relationship crumble over b.s.”
She added that she's optimistic about
patching her relationship with her brother.
Manning and her brother, Kellin, make
up the electronic and pop duo Boomkat.