'My sexuality is not a phase. I am who I am', Cara Delevingne has told The New York Times in an article out this Sunday. It was in response to the backlash US Vogue received when, in a cover interview with Cara in the July issue, the author wrote: 'Her parents seem to think girls are just a phase for Cara, and they may be correct.'
While Cara told The New York Times that she saw 'nothing malicious' in the profile, the LGBT community certainly did, and launched a petition calling on Vogue to apologise for suggesting bisexuality is a phase. It received over 15,000 signatures.
There really is nothing more annoying than being made to feel your non-hetero-sexuality is something that will clear up, like it’s a bad case of the mumps or a gnarly skin condition.
When I came out at 16, I remember being told it was a probably a phase by lots of grown-ups. Seventeen years later, my phase is still going strong, but having people doubt my commitment to not particularly wanting to have sex with men thanks very much, has been a bugbear throughout my young adult life.
Thankfully now I’m in my thirties and have even bought a house with a female woman person, the doubters are few and far between – though I’m sure there are those who think I just still haven’t met the right guy.
Jane Czyzselska, editor of Diva magazine, told ELLE: 'Being bisexual is as legitimate an identity as being lesbian, gay or heterosexual. To describe non-normative sexualities as a phase merely reminds us that we live in a society that, regardless of the legal and social advances achieved, still privileges heterosexuality.'
Too right!
So I would like to give Cara Delevingne a totally platonic squeeze (St Vincent, we’re cool yeah?) for owning her identity so publically.
Let’s phase out phase shaming – starting now.
