Pretty Little Liars actress Shay Mitchell on why she won't label her sexuality
The actress discusses a more fluid approach to sexuality
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Shay Mitchell has spoken candidly about not labelling her sexuality.
The actress stars in the hit series Pretty Little Liars alongside Ashley Benson and Troian Bellisario. In the show, Mitchell’s character Emily is gay. In her personal life, Mitchell is currently in a relationship with a man but doesn’t apply labels to her sexuality, instead advocating a fluid approach.
“When I started, people were like, 'What are you?' I'm like, right now I'm dating a guy. I don't know what it's going to be in three years. You love who you love. Black, white, polka dot, that's what my dad always said,” she told Cosmopolitan. “I'm never going to label myself. I could be 50 and dating a woman and then what? I said I was straight and now I'm not?'”
The actress joins a number of high-profile individuals who have rejected categorising their sexuality such as Miley Cyrus, Kristen Stewart and St Vincent.
Last year, former Union J band member George Shelley publicly addressed his sexuality for the first time in a video message to fans in which he described labels as "old fashioned:.
“I’ve been reading a lot of speculation online as to whether I’m straight, or gay, or bi, and all these labels are a little bit old-fashioned, which is why I’m not going to label it myself,” he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments