Reneé Rapp Breaks Down the Decision to Come Out as a Lesbian on ‘SNL'
Reneé Rapp both surprised and delighted fans during her appearance on 'Saturday Night Live' last year, when she used a sketch to reveal that she now identifies as a lesbian, as opposed to being bisexual. And according to the singer, the decision to come out that way was 'amazing.'
Stopping by 'Good Hang with Amy Poehler,' Rapp recalled that the sketch she was in — where she played herself a lip-reading intern, as part of 'court-mandated media training' — originally dubbed her 'a little bisexual intern.' Rapp had no problem with that, as she was openly bisexual at the time, and had been for awhile.
'And like, in private, I was talking with my girlfriend and a lot of my friends, for the last maybe eight months before that, of being like 'I actually don't really feel very bi at the moment, I feel very much like a lesbian,'' Rapp recalled. ''and it feels so nice, and that word feels amazing, and it feels very euphoric for me.''
So, Rapp asked the writers if it'd be possible to change the word 'bisexual' to just 'gay,' just to leave room for if she identifies differently in the future. She was told that the sketch could label her however she wanted.
'And then I was talking to Bowen [Yang] about it, and I was like 'I kind of just want to be … lesbian,'' Rapp continued. 'I was like, I'm just going to kind of do it. And I called Towa [Bird, Rapp's girlfriend], and I was like 'Babe, I think I'm just going to rip. I think it feels good.''
Rapp admitted it also felt cool to be able to come out as a lesbian on 'SNL.' But, she recognized that she might disappoint people, whether it be fans who connected with her being bisexual, or just people deciding to be angry.
'I was like, 'OK, what else do I live to do other than cause a controversy?'' Rapp joked. 'Sue me. Fine, OK.'
So, with the support of the writers and her loved ones, Rapp came out as a lesbian, and she didn't look online afterward. For her, it felt 'amazing' and 'so f—ing good.' That said, there's been one annoying side effect.
'It was really interesting, because I think a lot of the people who I grew up around, who were incredibly homophobic, are very supportive of me now that I am a public person,' she said. 'Because I think the idea of fame and wealth can sometimes trump hate if it's close in proximity, which is really f—ing frustrating.'
'Because I'm like, I know you don't like anybody else who's gay, and you don't like me either,' Rapp continued. 'You just like the idea of the closeness to something that is very shallow, so much so that you're willing to put your bigotry to the side for a second to be like 'Oh, I babysat her!''
You can watch Reneé Rapp's full appearance on 'Good Hang' in the video above.
The post Reneé Rapp Breaks Down the Decision to Come Out as a Lesbian on 'SNL' | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
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