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Embrace for the LGBTQIA community in film and television has lately been at an all-time high. The entertainment industry wasn’t always a gay-friendly place to be though, and there’s still some today that would rather go back to how things were.

Although she plays a literal Black queen on Netflix’s popular Shonda Rhimes series Bridgerton, out and proud actress Golda Rosheuvel says she was once told by a fellow lesbian in the film industry that she would have to hide her sexuality in order to be successful in Hollywood.

 

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Speaking with Variety’s weekly podcast, Just For Variety, Rosheuvel explained how a conversation with an unnamed female director about being openly gay took a turn when it was suggested that she not claim her gayness, being told, “It was an absolute no.” The actress who broke ground as Queen Charlotte, Black monarch of a fictional Regency-era London, told the podcast, “I would rather lose a job than not be true to who I am. I’d rather not work in an industry that doesn’t accept me. It just wasn’t how I was raised.”

The request proved to be even more puzzling given the fact that she’s been in a public relationship with playwright Shireen Mula for the better part of a decade.

 

 

She highlighted how much it means to be seen as her true self in the public eye as well as in her personal life, stating, “My sexuality is really important to me, in terms of existing, in terms of being around the campfire and knowing that I’m important,” going on to add, “I’m as important as anyone on the planet.”

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This isn’t the first time Rosheuvel has mentioned the uncomfortable conversation she had with the lesbian director that told her to stay closeted. While accepting the Equality Award at this year’s Human Rights Campaign Gala in NYC over the weekend, she referred to it as “bad advice,” further telling the audience, “Our stories need to be told so we can all be included in the landscape of storytelling and imagination. You are empowered when you see yourself represented.”

We’re sure the community she proudly represents appreciates having someone on the front lines fighting for their right to be seen. You can see Golda Rosheuvel in the new season of Bridgerton, available to stream now on Netflix, in addition to its upcoming prequel series based on the rise of her fan-favorite character Queen Charlotte.

 

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‘Bridgerton’ Star Reveals She Was Told To Not Come Out By Unnamed Lesbian Director  was originally published on blackamericaweb.com