Stephanie Beatriz came out as bisexual in 2016 | Photo: IMDb/Fox
Bisexuality erasure is still an issue for bisexual people in an opposite-sex relationship. Many would rather stay silent instead of speaking up about their sexuality, but this is not the case with Brooklyn 99 actress Stephanie Beatriz.
In an op-ed she wrote for GQ, the actress, who came out in 2016, opened up about her upcoming marriage to a man and how it doesn’t make her any less bisexual.
‘I’m choosing to get married because this particular person brings out the best in me. This person happens to be a man. I’m still bi,’ she says.
‘In October, I will marry a heterosexual man. We’ll make vows that I will take very seriously, […] But I’ll be bi till the day I die, baby.’
Stephanie Beatriz as Rosa Diaz | Photo: IMDb/Fox
‘Bisexuality often needs an explanation’
‘People’s sexuality is often defined by who we’re partnered with at any given moment, which can be a frustrating limitation for me,’ says Beatriz.
She also says bisexuals often need to clarify their sexual orientation constantly to others in a ‘continual series of coming-out moments’.
She herself had a few of those.
‘Maybe next it’s to your sister, who warns you in no uncertain terms not to tell your parents until you’re serious about a girl because they will flip the f*ck out. Then maybe you come out to your college friends, who will ask jokingly if you are gay or straight, this and every weekend,’ she told GQ.
These ‘tiny coming out moments’ never come to an end, she says.
‘Maybe you then muster up the intense courage it takes to come out to your parents, who calmly ignore it. And then you’ll brace yourself and come out again and again and again to every person you’ll ever date.’
The actress at Capital Pride in DC on 9 June | Photo: @iamstephbeatz Instagram
Stephanie Beatriz attended DC Pride with Queer Eye Karamo Brown
Beatriz, whose character on Brooklyn 99 Rosa Diaz is also bisexual, uses her fame to speak openly about bisexuality and inspire others.
She recently attended Capital Pride in DC, riding a float during the march of 9 June. Her future husband, actor Brad Hoss, and Karamo Brown from Queer Eye were by her side.
‘My mental saboteur screamed at me from inside my brain: “You don’t belong here! This isn’t for you! YOU’RE NOT GAY ENOUGH TO BE HERE, HOW DARE YOU?”,’ she writes.
‘The parade started and someone handed me a flag—pink, purple, and blue, the bi flag. I took my place on the float, Karamo next to me, my partner behind us. Karamo and I smiled at each other, and I raised my flag and started dancing.’
Beatriz says she was overwhelmed by the love she received from fans during the parade.
‘I kept yelling while jumping up and down. And the bi fans of the show, my God. When I tell you I have never been moved like that, it is not a lie. There were so many times I would lock eyes with someone yelling my name and we would simultaneously yell “I LOVE YOU” at each other,’ she says.
A low-key coming out
Stephanie Beatriz came out in the simplest possible way in July 2016.
Referring to fellow actress Aubrey Plaza’s statement ‘I fall in love with girls and guys. I can’t help it.’, the Brooklyn 99 actress simply tweeted ‘Yup’.
— Stephanie Beatriz (@iamstephbeatz) July 16, 2016
Fans started asking for explanations. Beatriz unequivocally tweeted ‘Yes y’all’ using emojis of a woman kissing a man and two women kissing.
yes y’all. 💏👌🏿👩❤️💋👩👌🏿
— Stephanie Beatriz (@iamstephbeatz) July 16, 2016
Beatriz’s character Rosa, a secretive, badass detective, came out as bisexual during the 99th episode in 2017.
Brooklyn 99 has an incredibly supportive fandome who campaigned for the show not to be canceled last May. After five seasons, Fox chose not to renew it for a sixth. NBC later picked up the show after a two-day Twitterstorm.
The show will return for a new season in 2019.
