Tessa Thompson Comes Out Bisexual; Talks Relationship With Janelle Monáe
- By
- On Top Magazine Staff
- | June 30, 2018
In an interview with Net-A-Porter, actress Tessa Thompson says she's attracted to both men and women.
The 34-year-old Thompson is best known for playing Charlotte Hale in HBO's Westworld, Samantha White in the 2014 dramedy Dear White People and civil rights activist Diane Nash in the drama Selma. She also played Valkyrie in last year's superhero film Thor: Ragnarok. Thompson has said that the character was bisexual.
“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,” Thompson said. “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 one, 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?”
Thompson also talked about her relationship with singer Janelle Monáe, who came out queer earlier this year. Thompson played Monáe's love interest in the video for the song “Make Me Feel,” leading to speculation that the women were an item.
Thompson said that she and Monáe “vibrate” on the same frequency and that she wasn't bothered by rumors that they were together.
“Janelle and I love each other deeply. We're so close. We vibrate on the same frequency. If people want to speculate about what we are, it doesn't bother me,” Thompson said.
“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 added.