Cynthia Erivo Shares That She's Bisexual, Says LGBTQ+ People Should Be 'Commended for Being Brave'
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Cynthia Erivo is speaking up for LGBTQ+ rights.
The Oscar-nominated actress, 35, opened up about her sexuality and the pressures of being in the community during her interview for British Vogue's August 2022 Pride issue, which features Erivo and 11 LGBTQ+ creatives as its cover stars.
In the issue, Erivo admits it took a long time for her to share that she is bisexual. "[LGBTQ+ people] still feel the need to be constantly justifying why we deserve to be treated as equal beings, when really the only difference is that we love differently and we express ourselves differently," she said.
The star of the upcoming Wicked movie continued, "Rather than being chastised for that, we should be commended for being brave. That's the most important thing: giving people the space to show up fully as who they are."
The Harriet star also gave advice to those wanting to help the community, but not knowing how to: "Find their queer family and sit and chat with them."
RELATED: Cynthia Erivo Says They're Deciding 'How Green We're Gonna Go' as Elphaba for Wicked Movie
Mert Alas & Marcus Piggott
Erivo took to Instagram on Saturday to celebrate the cover. "Nerves and fear have gotten in the way of sharing all of who I am, and today with #pride and with wonderful people beside me I'm sharing a little more," she wrote in the caption.
"Thank you @edward_enninful for giving me the space and loving on me," she said, thanking the British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful. "Thank you @giselle_makeup and @earlsimms2 and @caprihakeem for making me feel beautiful."
The Grammy-winner finished by saying it was, "a dream come true to grace the cover of @britishvogue with incredible people."
RELATED: Cynthia Erivo Exercises Every Day for Her Mental Health and Doesn't Set Goals: 'I Like My Body'
Before speaking with the fashion magazine about being bisexual, Erivo previously talked about being queer in an interview with the Evening Standard in 2021.
"It's not necessarily autobiographical," she said, referring to her music video for "The Good," which portrays a same-sex relationship. "But I am queer".
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
"I have never felt like I necessarily needed to come out," Erivo explained, "just because no one ever really asked."
She continued, "People make assumptions. No one's ever really assumed that I'm straight! I don't think anyone thinks of me as a person that has relationships that aren't platonic! So I've never needed to even really discuss anything about my sexuality at all."
The August issue of British Vogue is available on newsstands and via digital download from Tuesday 19th July.