This article originally appeared on Teen Vogue.
Coming out can be a powerful thing, and that’s what it seems Demi Lovato experienced when she told her parents she’s sexually fluid.
In a new interview with Andy Cohen, on his “Radio Andy” SiriusXM show, Demi said she came out to her parents in 2017. She said she was nervous to tell them that she could spend her life with a woman, but the moment ended up being “beautiful.”
“It was actually, like, emotional but really beautiful,” Demi said, according to CNN. “After everything was done, I was, like, shaking and crying, and I just felt overwhelmed.”
Despite her nerves, Demi said her parents were totally supportive of her, and just want her to be happy. Demi’s dad didn’t seem surprised by the news, but Demi said she was most nervous about telling her mom.
“My dad was like, ‘Yeah, obviously,'” she said. “And I was like, ‘Oh, okay, Dad.’ My mom was the one that I was, like, super nervous about, but she was just like, ‘I just want you to be happy.'”
Demi had spoken publicly about not labeling her sexuality in 2017, and in 2018 she got more specific and said she’s open to dating people of any gender.
“I’m very fluid, and I think love is love. You can find it in any gender,” she told InStyle at the time. “I like the freedom of being able to flirt with whoever I want.”
While she certainly doesn’t owe anyone an explanation of her sexuality, it seems Demi is happy being open about her fluidity. Coming out can be freeing, and can help people feel they’re being seen and accepted for all of who they are, which is so important and affirming. And, as Demi has shown, coming out doesn’t mean you need to attach a specific label to yourself. Some people worry they shouldn’t come out until they’ve found exactly what fits, or don’t know that one label quite describes them, but sexuality exists on a spectrum. It’s inspiring to see Demi being so open and honest about all these parts of her life, and to see so many people accepting her for her authentic self.
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