Anna Paquin on being bisexual: ‘there’s a lot of prejudice against us’

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Anna Paquin has a new photo spread and interview with V Magazine to promote the new season of True Blood, which premiered last night. The Daily Mail has the photos and details of her interview, in which she talks about coming out as bisexual and how there’s still a lot of prejudice that goes with that term. Anna first revealed her bisexuality as part of a public service campaign in the spring of 2010. As opposed to the way some other starlets have chosen to impart similar pieces of information about their past, Anna’s admission seemed genuine and not like a bid for publicity or to be different. She kind of expanded on that in this interview.

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‘Frankly no one had ever asked me [about being bisexual] before,’ Paquin told the glossy magazine, which hits new stands on July 7.

‘There is a lot of prejudice against us but the more people talk about it, the less of a deal it will be.

‘Who people choose to sleep with or spend their lives with shouldn’t matter, not that anyone particularly cares who I’m attracted to,’ she added….

‘Maybe it should be weird, simulating sex with your husband in front of people. But it’s really not,’ explained Paquin.

‘When it’s a love scene with someone you actually love it’s not, “Can I touch him here, can I touch him there?” You know what your boundaries are, or aren’t I suppose.’

While the cameras don’t phase her, neither do Moyer’s dedicated fans who would probably happily suck Paquin’s blood to get her away from their beloved Bill Compton.

‘There is probably something wrong with me, but I find it amusing to watch these men and women fawn all over him,’ said the lucky wife.

‘It’s not like anyone is really trying to do anything inappropriate. They just him to hug them… or bite them.’

[From The Daily Mail]

Paquin bugs me in red carpet photos. She poses hard and looks like she’d rather be anywhere else. She’s very logical and likable in interviews, though. I like how she explains things in a matter-of-fact way and doesn’t seem bothered by the adoration that her husband gets from fans. I also appreciate how she’s trying to bring awareness to bisexuality and take the stigma out of that term. There are a lot of misconceptions about bisexual people, such as that they’re indiscriminate, are experimenting or are somehow flighty. People like Megan Fox contribute to that stereotype, while someone like Anna Paquin explains it clearly and well. I don’t think it’s a “choice” though, I think we fall somewhere on the Kinsey scale and that’s where we are. It may seem like a bisexual person is choosing to be with a man or a woman, and that may be the case for who they choose to be with, but I don’t think you choose your sexual orientation whether it’s heterosexual, homosexual or in between. I don’t really think that’s what she meant though.

In terms of these photos they’re not particularly groundbreaking. I like the ones with her in the green sequin dress. She looks so pretty with dark hair. She’s washed out with that white blonde hair and the Marilyn look has been done to death. It’s rare to see a photo spread that is at all interesting or fresh. At least they went with retro and didn’t do an S&M theme.

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44 Responses to “Anna Paquin on being bisexual: ‘there’s a lot of prejudice against us’”

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  1. Sylvie says:

    Can we turn this into a True Blood discussion post? HOW PERFECT IS ERIC NORTHMAN?

  2. Celebitchy says:

    Sylvie – no! I have a whole True Blood recap post coming up in just a moment. Just wait for it, lots of good pictures of Skars!

  3. tapioca says:

    Truly bisexual people will never be taken seriously until those – mostly C-list actresses and reality celebutards – who are using bisexuality to get attention in GQ & Maxim interviews quit it. Girls like Angelina Jolie, Megan Fox and every female who’s ever been on UK Big Brother are “bisexual” purely to get MALE attention and sell calendars, which is skewing public perception and acceptance.

    And Anna Paquin ruined X-Men!!

  4. Luna says:

    She seems really sensible. Being bisexual myself, I know how annoying it can get sometimes, so kudos for her on that part.

  5. werty says:

    Shes right, even in the gay community bisexuals are discriminated against and it sucks. I usually point this out if a gay man/woman starts talking about how afro americans can be against samesex marriage (its about civilrights). And then thay shut up and actually think. Even miorities discriminate and that should be highlighted more.
    And i love True blood and cant wait til the new season starts in sweden

  6. constance says:

    @tap She did ruin Xmen didn’t she. LOL

    I don’t find her attractive personally. I find her husband less attractive with her at the end of his dong. Skars could be face first in another naked man, and he’d still be beautiful. Oh his blonde calls me!

  7. Blue says:

    People don’t take bisexuality serious because, stupid girls make it seem like a joke. In high school all these girls were claiming to be bi but conveniently only when they were ” drunk” at a party and guys were around. So now when someone says they’re bi, people just think they are attention seekers, which is sad. Just because you kissed a girl once doesn’t mean anything.

  8. mln76 says:

    Props for mentioning the Kinsey scale CB. There definitely is ignorance and prejudice out there (I think more against male bisexuality than female). And as the Ween song says ‘there’s many colors on the homo-rainbow’.

    As for other actresses who are open about their sexuality I guess it always has to turn into a debate on Angelina right tapioca? I honestly think she was just being honest about and back in the early 90’s when she ‘came out’ as bisexual it wasn’t cool to be bi people were genuinely shocked. Megan Fox and others tried to be Angelina ‘lite’ copying everything she did through tattoos, ‘shocking’ behavior but it read as fake because everyone could tell they were full of it. I still don’t think it hurts to talk about sexuality. If the worst thing that happens is that someone goes through a phase and kisses someone of their own gender who they aren’t attracted to is that really so bad?

  9. SarahS says:

    Wow, that last pic looks like Jennifer Jason Leigh. Good for her for trying to get the word out that not all bisexuals are flakes or drunk co-eds “going wild” for their frat boy fans.

    EDIT – Exactly, Blue.

  10. werty says:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgAkASzfQag&feature=related
    After seeing Cameron Diaz answering the quaestion “who would you turn gay for” i turned into a fan. (the queastion is at 5 24 if youre interested)

  11. Theuth says:

    Well, I like her explanation: you feel attracted to someone not because of his gender but despite it, that’s probably what she mean. The stigma is strong because people think you are just unsure about your sexuality, or it’s because of ‘experiments’, or you are afraid of being considered gay…
    I’m of the opinion that everyone is a little bisexual, meaning that you have feelings towards both sexs (like ammiration), but in the end it’s a personal choice about what people prefer expressing themselves sexually: some prefer other sex, some the same, some both, and some none. So, I think you are right with using the Kinsey scale!

  12. danielle says:

    I liked her in X men!

  13. Micki says:

    For me Halle Berry ruined X-men.

  14. Emily says:

    I used to identify as bi, and I used to get told (not asked, TOLD) that I was doing it for attention. Other fun things people said was that I would realise I’m gay one day, or that bi people just straight up don’t exist. That last one was said to me in the queer lounge at uni.

  15. tapioca says:

    @mln76: “I guess it always has to turn into a debate on Angelina right tapioca? I honestly think she was just being honest about and back in the early 90’s when she ‘came out’ as bisexual it wasn’t cool to be bi people were genuinely shocked.”

    Not until you decided to make it one! AJ didn’t even meet the bald asian model chick who’s name I can’t be bothered to Google until Foxfire in ’96 and Madonna had already done “lipstick lesbian” to death a full 5-6 years earlier, when it was actually incredibly cool to be “bi”.

  16. Patricia says:

    She seems like a nice young lady – it’s a shame she faces this prejudice. People really need to get over caring about other people’s sexual preferences. As long as it is between consenting adults, who the hell cares. Love and happiness is hard enough to find without limiting people on where and how they can find it. And loved, happy people make the world a better place for everyone – period.

  17. Iggles says:

    I liked her in X-Men too!

    No real opinion on her interview, other to say that there is a lot of biphobia from both gay and straight people. The idea is “pick a team!” but for some people it’s not that simple!

    It’s totally possible to be somewhere in the middle, but what skews it is the number of people who claim to be bi for various reasons, but come out as either gay or straight later on.

  18. mln76 says:

    @tapioca Madonna may have been a ‘lipstick lesbian’ but she never confirmed any of her relationships with woman as being more than friendships. And Megan Fox has never had an open relationship with a woman. Angelina Jolie was amoung the first actresses to say I am in love with a woman it shocked people. I think it was brave. And I believe she was being honest. I don’t think this has to descend into a loon/jen-hen battle on Angelina Jolie because that’s besides the point. The real story is that people should have the right to be with whomever they love without judgement.
    BTW I am so proud of NY for legalizing same-sex marraige. I love my home state.

  19. Ari says:

    I actually didn’t even think of Marilyn Monroe with the blond hair looks. I thought more of a girl from those b & w silent movies who looked kind of gothy.

    I love these pics of her.

  20. Gwen says:

    @Emily: That sounds quite vexing.

    I like Anna, but I don’t think she’s that good an actress. She seems like a really nice person though.

  21. werty says:

    mln76:
    Sorta off topic but did you know that Ingrid Bergman was bi (it was well known in the biz but not in public), and that Selma Lagelof was a lesbian.

    ok im done, no more “intresting” facts

  22. mln76 says:

    @werty thanks for the info I always love old gossip. I didn’t know that about Ingrid Bergman and I hadn’t ever heard of Selma Lagelof 🙂

  23. Brittney says:

    She’s wearing Angelina’s Golden Globes dress!!!

    Anna’s the only celebrity I’ve been told I look like (and repeatedly), so I have this crazy soft spot for her. And because of certain blind items, I do believe that she’s legitimately bisexual, as am I. It’s true that female bisexuals are at a certain advantage, but it’s a discriminatory, objectifying one.

  24. C-DUB says:

    I heart Eric Northman!!

  25. Gwen says:

    @werty: Staying in Sweden, I’ve also heard rumours of Astrid Lindgren being bi.

  26. Zoe says:

    It’s great to see an actress talk about it openly. I am bisexual and the only thing about it I find difficult to deal with are the biphobia one experiences from the gay and straight community alike. The whole concept of the rainbow flag and united LGBT people is unfortunately not true, it’s an incredibly divided community. I think it’s silly that people are going to say that bisexuality is less valid because a few starlets ‘pretend’ they are bisexual. I have no reason to think that Angelina Jolie isn’t bisexual, just because it was in the 90s and she married a man later doesn’t mean anything. There have always been bisexual stars, even in the old Hollywood days, so this is nothing new. And just because a few girls out there get drunk or lie about who they are doesn’t mean an entire community should be ostrasized an judged. I hope people can move beyond the petty assumptions and accept one another. Maybe stars like Anna Paquin who can come forth and talk about it will help widen understanding, as Ellen did.

  27. werty says:

    Gwen: Never heard that but then again, i grew up on her stories and just saw her as an old sweet and awsome lady.

    I just got chills thinking about her, she was and still is changing the world for little girls everwhere. A groundbreaking woman that makes me proud to be Swede.

    mln76: Selma was a writer and a very good one. I for some reason thought you knew about her since shes pretty well known but maybe thats just in Europe (im assuming youre american)

  28. Gwen says:

    @werty: Love her too – grew up reading every single story of hers making me want to be a Swede 😉 Hun er elsket mange steder 🙂

  29. mln76 says:

    @werty I am always interested in different writers but yeah as an American I haven’t heard of her. I’ll have to check her out. Thanks for the info.

  30. Amanda G says:

    I’m sorry, but who fawns over her husband? He’s not attractive, sorry.

  31. June says:

    in that last pic of hers in the black polka-dot/green top, she looks like dita von teese

  32. Jenni says:

    @mln As I remember it it was indeed cool to be bi back in the 90s when Angelina claimed she was. At least my memory of it (I am Angelina’s age). Drew Barrymore said the same thing back in the day, I think before Angelina did. Men too would admit to being bi if it heightened their appeal instead of distracted from it. But it really only heightens your appeal IF you no. 1 Are female, and no. 2, Are in a heterosexual relationship. (Or single) I think more people are bi than not. But I have to say people don’t generally make practical issues of life hard for bisexual women married to men. You aren’t gonna have an issue getting a job, housing, promotion. Whereas the world does tend to make life significantly harder for you if you’re in a lesbian relationship, and especially if you are in exclusively lesbian relationships. I’m just saying there is a difference, and that’s part of why there can be prejudice against bi people even within the gay community. I think there’s a lack of honesty sometimes, from bi people, about the difference in hardship. I’m not saying Paquin is saying there’s no difference though. She’s just sharing her experience. People think you’re in a normal relationship if you’re with a man. They don’t care you’ve been with a woman or maybe could be again, except to be somewhat titillated by the knowledge. That’s been my experience.

  33. SillyOne says:

    I find it offensive that anyone would ask anyone what their sexual preference is. For anyone to respond to such a question I find them to be idiots. Honestly it is no ones business if I like being with a man or woman.

  34. Annie_Grey says:

    Anna looks odd as a blonde.

  35. mary simon says:

    boring.

  36. Camille says:

    I miss seeing Anna in her natural brunette hair colour, she looks great in the photos.

    She has a very ‘down-to-earth’ Kiwi personality and she makes me feel very proud that she comes from here (New Zealand).

    And I’m with those that said Halle Berry was the worst thing about the X Men movies.

  37. Tara says:

    @werty Who says black people have to support the gay community just because they’re minorities? Are you nuts? Being black doesn’t mean you are held hostage to any particular viewpoint other than the one you personally, individually choose for yourself. people in the gay community want to be supported because its the right thing to do not because “oh, well, you’re black so you get it, right/” you disrespect blacks and gays with your assumption.

  38. harfang says:

    I’ve been out for 22 years and I cannot begin to say how right I think @Tara is. In the ’90s and ’00s we as white queers in the States did a lot of comparison bullshit. As a group, it was a “phase” you could say we went through and have mostly outgrown. ;P Most of us have figured out that we still have white privilege, and that unless we are so guilelessly genderqueer that people verbally assault us on the street nonstop for our appearance (I have a friend who lives with that every day), we should shut the hell up about understanding something of what it is like to be Black, or Latino or Native etc., in America. We don’t, when we are queer and white.

    The headline of this irritated me a bit at first but she acquits herself pretty well in context. When I was in a 6-year LTR with a guy, I had a right to feel invisible, disenfranchised, marginalized and belittled. I did not have a right to feel as oppressed as someone in a same-sex relationship, or someone who is single and has no interest in getting involved with a member (huhhuh) of the other sex at all. Paquin is very very safe right now, comparatively. So was I for a long time. It’s strange, being female and openly bi long-term (instead of for example on the way to simple gayness, which yes, does happen — though less than the stereotype implies). When you’re single and seeking women, or when you have a girlfriend, you feel exposed and appraised in a way that gay men almost never do and out lesbians nearly always do. When you have a man, you feel like June Cleaver, because the contrast of how you’re seen is so great.

  39. harfang says:

    @Jenni Angelina is bi. She was with Jenny Shimizu, they had an actual relationship, Jenny has always publicly treated Angi like the real thing.

  40. sweetsubversion says:

    When I first came out as bisexual, I was told to my face, “bisexual women are spreading AIDS throughout the lesbian community!!!!!”

    I am glad she brought it up. I think it would help our community a lot more if bisexual men came out. Unfortunately, bisexual men have a much harder time with it.

  41. Jenni says:

    @ harfang I wish I hadn’t phrased it the way I did “when Angelina claimed she was” because I do know she is bi and it sounds like I’m saying she was just saying that. I think most people are bi anyway, but additionally the way she and Shimizu have spoken of one another makes it clear their relationship was genuine. I was trying to say that in the 90s and today, to state you are bisexual, while in mainly heterosexual relationships is something that tends to add to a young, hot woman’s appeal, not detract from it . If you’re in a relationship with a man when you make that known, all the safer. However I do see value in anyone being open about their bisexuality, because it normalizes bisexuality and is great role modeling for others, especially young people. By the way this is the best photo shoot I’ve ever seen of Anna Paquin.

  42. werty says:

    Tara:
    June 27th, 2011 at 8:49 pm
    @werty Who says black people have to support the gay community just because they’re minorities? Are you nuts? Being black doesn’t mean you are held hostage to any particular viewpoint other than the one you personally, individually choose for yourself. people in the gay community want to be supported because its the right thing to do not because “oh, well, you’re black so you get it, right/” you disrespect blacks and gays with your assumption.
    ________________________-
    huh?
    i think you missundastood my comment.

    *Shes right, even in the gay community bisexuals are discriminated against and it sucks. I usually point this out if a gay man/woman starts talking about how afro americans can be against samesex marriage (its about civilrights). And then thay shut up and actually think. Even miorities discriminate and that should be highlighted more.*

    meaning when a gay person say that they dont understand why some afro american dont support samesex marriage (because the gay person thinks the issue is about civil rights, which AA had to fight for) i point out that just because youre a minoritie doesnt mean you agree with other minorities.

    Basicially what you just said, just because you are a person thats considered a minoritie doesnt mean youll agree with another minoritie or with your own community. Everyone has their own opininion and beliefs
    hope i made myself clear.

  43. werty says:

    meaning gays (minoroitie) doesnt always support bisexuals (another minoritie).
    Eh hope you get my point cause i dont know any other way to explain it.

  44. M says:

    Can’t please them all,

    I like Anna Bi or not who cares. Its great she is supporting others to be more open though.