The Truth About Amber Heard's Sexuality
Say what you want about Amber Heard, but if there's one thing you can never take away from her, it's that she has always been a staunch advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.
"I was always out. I was an activist. I went to protests. I refused to not bring my partner at the time, but no one ever asked me about it," Heard said of the first time the media got wind of her sexuality, per People. At the Economist's second-annual Pride & Prejudice Summit in New York, she underscored how unfair it was that women are often ridiculed for deviating from the status quo compared to men. "I stand here now amongst many of my romantic leading lady peers who are out and fluid. I'm one of many now, and I'm working," Heard said, per Vulture. "If every gay man that I know personally in Hollywood came out tomorrow, then this would be a nonissue in a month."
But, having been married to Johnny Depp and being linked to other high-profile personalities like Elon Musk and James Franco, fans can't help but wonder what the real deal is when it comes to Heard's sexuality. According to the "Aquaman" star, she doesn't want to be defined by it at all.
Amber Heard refuses to be defined by her sexuality
When Amber Heard first publicly shared that she was bisexual, she didn't think about the repercussions until she saw everyone else's reactions. "I just answered honestly. I could tell by the look on this person's face it was a big deal. My poor publicist," the actor recalled the first time she talked about her ex-girlfriend Tasya van Ree, per Vulture. "Then I realized the gravity of what I had done and why so many people — studio execs, agents, advisors — did not want this coming before my name. I became attached to a label. I've never seen myself defined by the person I'm with."
While she previously came out as bisexual by admitting to liking both men and women, Heard later clarified that she doesn't want to put a label on her sexuality. "I don't identify as anything," she explained in her Allure cover story in 2017. "I like who I like." She also pointed out how assigning labels can be restricting. "It's limiting, that LGBTQ thing... It loses its efficacy because of the nuanced nature of humanity... It's so important to resist labels."
And while she's aware that being out could jeopardize her career, Heard remains unapologetic, saying that she will never change herself to be successful. "I don't want to have to deny my sexuality in order to be me," she told The Times. "But I don't want to have to be defined by it. I'm fundamentally opposed to trying to edit myself to be palatable or popular. I don't give a f***. I fight, but I shouldn't have to."
Amber Heard said coming out was tough
While Amber Heard is proud and confident about her queerness, she did admit that her family had a hard time coming to terms with it. During a South by Southwest panel in 2019, she explained how she was raised in a traditional and religious household, and everything she is goes against her family's values.
"I'm from Austin, Texas. My dad is 'out of central casting' Texan. Big barrel hat, handlebar mustache, loves his guns, good Southern man. And I was raised in a religious home," she explained, per USA Today. "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. They didn't know how to process it because we hadn't built the infrastructure for acceptance and tolerance. For them, it was being thrown into a binary system of processing it: negative or positive." Fortunately, they have learned to accept it, even if it took years.
In a separate interview with Elle, she also said that she doesn't regret ever being vocal about her sexuality. "I didn't want to look like I was hiding anything," she mused. "I'm not, and wasn't ever, ashamed."