Amber Heard has endured anti-LGBTQ+ discrimination throughout her life. The actor told Wonderland magazine that she was subjected to homophobia at school, as she wasn’t allowed to have a same-sex partner at prom. The discrimination continued into her adult life.
In 2010, Heard publicly came out of the closet, proudly announcing that she loved women as much as men. At the time, she was smitten with her lady love, Tasya van Ree. But coming out to her parents was an ordeal. “Naturally, being an outspoken, militant feminist, lesbian, atheist, vegetarian … I remember when I told them about my relationship, that I was in love with this woman. … I remember at the beginning of that it was just tears. It was tears,” she said at South by Southwest (via Elle). Ultimately, however, she said her parents accepted her sexuality, though it took many years.
Speaking with Allure, Heard explained that, in addition to facing her family’s prejudice, she was confronted with the bigotry of Hollywood. As an out actor who openly loved women, Heard was told that she would never work again. “Everyone said, ‘You’re throwing it all away. You can’t do this to your career.’ And I said, ‘I cannot do this any other way. Watch me,’?” she recalled. “They pointed to no other working romantic lead, no other actress, that was out.” However, Heard was defiant, refusing to hide her sexual orientation and vowing to enjoy a glittering career as an out and proud actor.
