Latest news with #Them
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Bella Ramsey praises online games for opportunity to explore gender identity
Bella Ramsey explored their gender identity through online gaming. The 21-year-old star – who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – appreciated the anonymity of the virtual world because it was a "free and open space" for them to pose as different characters. They told Them magazine: 'When you get to choose a girl character or a boy character, I would pick the boy one because I could. 'Gaming is such an amazing place to explore. I think there is often a narrative of it not being a safe space, and in some cases, yes, but in so many others, it is such a free and open space.' And children's game 'Club Penguin' - where every avatar was an identically-sized penguin distinguishable by username and colour choices - was pivotal for Bella. They said: 'Club Penguin is where I explored my gender identity. 'My penguin was called Tomboy Bella and was red. I did karate on the freaking Karate Hill. I was loving life in 'Club Penguin' world. You can be whoever you want behind that avatar.' Bella never had any desire to be a wild or rebellious teenager, but has enjoyed living out that experience as Ellie in 'The Last Of Us'. They said: 'I was looking up and seeing teenagers be so mean to their parents. I made a very conscious decision when I was 11 or 12, I wasn't going to do that. 'I got to do that through Ellie." The former 'Game of Thrones' star is excited for the career challenges ahead, and is particularly keen to get the opportunity for a trans or non-binary role. They said: 'I've never played a nonbinary person in anything or a trans person. Getting to do that would feel very special. 'I want to be challenged, continually challenged.' Bella admitted recently that they have "never really enjoyed" being in the spotlight. They told Interview magazine: "It's always felt quite trivial, and I've never really enjoyed it, but I can just accept I'm going to go and do it, it'll be what it will be, and then it will be done. I was so terrified of signing on to 'The Last of Us' and the idea of reaching a level of fame that doesn't go away, not being able to backtrack from that. "But I realise now that actually, you reach this level of fame that stays for a few months while the show's coming out, and then it does sort of die off. If you don't do anything to maintain that level of fame, the world moves on, which I'm so grateful for."
Perth Now
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Bella Ramsey praises online games for opportunity to explore gender identity
Bella Ramsey explored their gender identity through online gaming. The 21-year-old star – who identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns – appreciated the anonymity of the virtual world because it was a "free and open space" for them to pose as different characters. They told Them magazine: 'When you get to choose a girl character or a boy character, I would pick the boy one because I could. 'Gaming is such an amazing place to explore. I think there is often a narrative of it not being a safe space, and in some cases, yes, but in so many others, it is such a free and open space.' And children's game 'Club Penguin' - where every avatar was an identically-sized penguin distinguishable by username and colour choices - was pivotal for Bella. They said: 'Club Penguin is where I explored my gender identity. 'My penguin was called Tomboy Bella and was red. I did karate on the freaking Karate Hill. I was loving life in 'Club Penguin' world. You can be whoever you want behind that avatar.' Bella never had any desire to be a wild or rebellious teenager, but has enjoyed living out that experience as Ellie in 'The Last Of Us'. They said: 'I was looking up and seeing teenagers be so mean to their parents. I made a very conscious decision when I was 11 or 12, I wasn't going to do that. 'I got to do that through Ellie." The former 'Game of Thrones' star is excited for the career challenges ahead, and is particularly keen to get the opportunity for a trans or non-binary role. They said: 'I've never played a nonbinary person in anything or a trans person. Getting to do that would feel very special. 'I want to be challenged, continually challenged.' Bella admitted recently that they have "never really enjoyed" being in the spotlight. They told Interview magazine: "It's always felt quite trivial, and I've never really enjoyed it, but I can just accept I'm going to go and do it, it'll be what it will be, and then it will be done. I was so terrified of signing on to 'The Last of Us' and the idea of reaching a level of fame that doesn't go away, not being able to backtrack from that. "But I realise now that actually, you reach this level of fame that stays for a few months while the show's coming out, and then it does sort of die off. If you don't do anything to maintain that level of fame, the world moves on, which I'm so grateful for."
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"You Are The Reason That People In Our Community Don't Feel Safe": Reneé Rapp Went Off At People Getting Upset That She Identifies As A Lesbian Now Instead Of Bi
Reneé Rapp is firing back at those who criticized her sexual identity journey, after confirming she's a lesbian. When she came out as bisexual in 2020, Reneé received both praise and ridicule. Many fans celebrated her as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, while others questioned if she was queerbaiting. Despite it all, she's always openly and proudly shared her love for women. Fast forward to January 2024, the "Tummy Hurts" singer made her Saturday Night Live debut, where she served as the show's musical guest, and even made a guest appearance in a sketch called "Entertainment Tonight Lip-Readers." In the skit, Reneé was introduced as the "little lesbian intern." Coming out as a lesbian on SNL was a last-minute decision for her. In an interview with Them, she revealed the script originally said "little bisexual intern," but she asked the writers to make the change, despite being nervous about how viewers would react. 'They were so sweet," Reneé told Them. "And obviously, they were going to be so sweet. But to me, I was thinking about being so afraid to publicly change my identity. I didn't want anybody to be upset with me," she said of the experience. Reneé, who'd essentially been unofficially crowned as a bi-icon on the internet, was hesitant about switching the label publicly, fearful doing so would "make bisexual people feel shitty," and that referring to herself as "gay" would prompt backlash from fellow queer people who felt like she was inappropriately using the label. "I felt so wrapped up and scared." That same year, Reneé went public with her relationship with fellow singer Towa Bird. They walked the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty red carpet together in March 2024. But that same fear Reneé had about people responding negatively to her lesbian identity back in 2024 became a reality in 2025. The former Sex Lives of College Girls star took to Instagram Live to vent her frustrations regarding some of the backlash she's received. Related: "It Was Not Right": Shailene Woodley Broke Her Silence About The Aaron Rodgers Breakup "Did you not fucking hear me when I just said I'm a lesbian? When I said I'm a big, bad, fucking lesbian?" Renee asked on Instagram Live, per Reddit. "Did you not just fucking hear me? Did you decide to stop listening in that moment? Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up." "Here's why I'm fucking pissed: You are the reason that people in our community don't feel safe coming out and changing and evolving. That is the reason why. We got a lot of other people who are fucking us up, but I'm saying in our community, if you don't allow people to change and to evolve and grow and grow into themselves — I'm so sorry, I grew up in the South me stop myself because I will start crying. I grew up in the South, where you don't do that." Related: Sophie Turner Opened Up About Her "Incredibly Sad" Split From Joe Jonas Reneé then admitted that she felt like she "had to be bisexual" because it was more digestible and acceptable for others if she still assumed a "closeness" to heterosexuality and men. "I felt like for so long I had to be bisexual because I had to assume closeness to a sexuality that could lead to being with a man," she continued. "That is something that I struggled with for such a fucking long time. So for you to get in your fucking comments and in my fucking comments and say that it's not fair that I decided to start identifying as a lesbian because you didn't like the fucking way I went about you! Fuck you!" "I'm glad that you felt comfortable in your sexuality your entire life. I'm glad that you felt like that, truly. I'm so glad. I wish that I had that when I was growing up, but I didn't. It pisses me the fuck off, because that is why people don't feel the validity to change and to grow and to grow into themselves. Everybody grows up in a different way. Everybody comes out in a different way. We hit, like, a second puberty. If you're gay, sometimes you find your people later on in your life, and you grow into yourself. Allow people the space to grow and change and to move forward and to identify how they want." "I have so many of my friends who later on in life, have come into their gender, have come into their sexuality, have changed their sexuality — God forbid I decided that I was a lesbian. God for fucking bid! There's a lot of stuff you can play with me on. Don't play in my face about that. Don't fucking play in my face about that." Reneé went on to reveal that when she has kids, she won't tolerate anyone being an "asshole" to her children if they were figuring out their sexuality as well. There was no hint of humor in her voice either — she was not playing. "Do not make people in our own community feel unsafe to be themselves," Reneé added. "We are too close to pride month for you to piss me off like that. I'm not playing about that. That is one comment that irks me to my core. It makes me feel sad and it makes me feel insecure, because that's something that I had to deal with for such a long time in my life, and so many people do." "Just please, for the love of God, let people be. I get it, this is our identity, right? It is a sacred space. It is special. It is exclusive in so many ways, but you gotta let people be. You gotta let people be. You got to." Honestly, good for her. Sexuality isn't always as black and white as people may think. Allowing people to discover themselves in all facets of life is a part of growing. To hear more from Reneé, you can watch her full response here. Also in Celebrity: "I Can't Emphasize Enough How Filthy Some Of These People Are": 39 Hollywood Secrets People Have Learned From Working With Celebs Also in Celebrity: If You Think You're Smarter Than The Average Celebrity, Prove It By Correctly Answering These Questions They Got Wrong On "Jeopardy" Also in Celebrity: 28 Celebs Who Never Seem To Get Canceled Despite Some Pretty Awful Behavior
Buzz Feed
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
Reneé Rapp Addresses Criticism Of Coming Out As Lesbian
Reneé Rapp is firing back at those who criticized her sexual identity journey, after confirming she's a lesbian. When she came out as bisexual in 2020, Reneé received both praise and ridicule. Many fans celebrated her as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, while others questioned if she was queerbaiting. Despite it all, she's always openly and proudly shared her love for women. Fast forward to January 2024, the "Tummy Hurts" singer made her Saturday Night Live debut, where she served as the show's musical guest, and even made a guest appearance in a sketch called "Entertainment Tonight Lip-Readers." In the skit, Reneé was introduced as the "little lesbian intern." Coming out as a lesbian on SNL was a last-minute decision for her. In an interview with Them, she revealed the script originally said "little bisexual intern," but she asked the writers to make the change, despite being nervous about how viewers would react. 'They were so sweet," Reneé told Them. "And obviously, they were going to be so sweet. But to me, I was thinking about being so afraid to publicly change my identity. I didn't want anybody to be upset with me," she said of the experience. Reneé, who'd essentially been unofficially crowned as a bi-icon on the internet, was hesitant about switching the label publicly, fearful doing so would "make bisexual people feel shitty," and that referring to herself as "gay" would prompt backlash from fellow queer people who felt like she was inappropriately using the label. "I felt so wrapped up and scared." That same year, Reneé went public with her relationship with fellow singer Towa Bird. They walked the Vanity Fair Oscars afterparty red carpet together in March 2024. But that same fear Reneé had about people responding negatively to her lesbian identity back in 2024 became a reality in 2025. The former Sex Lives of College Girls star took to Instagram Live to vent her frustrations regarding some of the backlash she's received. "Did you not fucking hear me when I just said I'm a lesbian? When I said I'm a big, bad, fucking lesbian?" Renee asked on Instagram Live, per Reddit. "Did you not just fucking hear me? Did you decide to stop listening in that moment? Shut the fuck up. Shut the fuck up." "Here's why I'm fucking pissed: You are the reason that people in our community don't feel safe coming out and changing and evolving. That is the reason why. We got a lot of other people who are fucking us up, but I'm saying in our community, if you don't allow people to change and to evolve and grow and grow into themselves — I'm so sorry, I grew up in the South me stop myself because I will start crying. I grew up in the South, where you don't do that." Reneé then admitted that she felt like she "had to be bisexual" because it was more digestible and acceptable for others if she still assumed a "closeness" to heterosexuality and men. "I felt like for so long I had to be bisexual because I had to assume closeness to a sexuality that could lead to being with a man," she continued. "That is something that I struggled with for such a fucking long time. So for you to get in your fucking comments and in my fucking comments and say that it's not fair that I decided to start identifying as a lesbian because you didn't like the fucking way I went about you! Fuck you!" "I'm glad that you felt comfortable in your sexuality your entire life. I'm glad that you felt like that, truly. I'm so glad. I wish that I had that when I was growing up, but I didn't. It pisses me the fuck off, because that is why people don't feel the validity to change and to grow and to grow into themselves. Everybody grows up in a different way. Everybody comes out in a different way. We hit, like, a second puberty. If you're gay, sometimes you find your people later on in your life, and you grow into yourself. Allow people the space to grow and change and to move forward and to identify how they want." "I have so many of my friends who later on in life, have come into their gender, have come into their sexuality, have changed their sexuality — God forbid I decided that I was a lesbian. God for fucking bid! There's a lot of stuff you can play with me on. Don't play in my face about that. Don't fucking play in my face about that." Reneé went on to reveal that when she has kids, she won't tolerate anyone being an "asshole" to her children if they were figuring out their sexuality as well. There was no hint of humor in her voice either — she was not playing. "Do not make people in our own community feel unsafe to be themselves," Reneé added. "We are too close to pride month for you to piss me off like that. I'm not playing about that. That is one comment that irks me to my core. It makes me feel sad and it makes me feel insecure, because that's something that I had to deal with for such a long time in my life, and so many people do." "Just please, for the love of God, let people be. I get it, this is our identity, right? It is a sacred space. It is special. It is exclusive in so many ways, but you gotta let people be. You gotta let people be. You got to." Honestly, good for her. Sexuality isn't always as black and white as people may think. Allowing people to discover themselves in all facets of life is a part of growing. To hear more from Reneé, you can watch her full response here.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert De Niro's 9-Word Response to His Daughter's Transition Is the Parenting Lesson We All Need
In a world where transgender youth often struggle for acceptance, Oscar-winning actor Robert De Niro demonstrated what unconditional parental love looks like with his straightforward, heartfelt support for his 29-year-old daughter Airyn, who recently came out as transgender. After Airyn was essentially forced to come out following paparazzi photos published by the Daily Mail with an insensitive headline referring to her as De Niro's "nepo baby son" showing off a "shock transformation," she chose to share her story on her own terms in an interview with Them magazine. De Niro's response, shared in a statement to Variety, was refreshingly simple yet profound: "I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is. I love all my children." Related: Is Your Child Transgender? Signs, Behaviors & Parenting Tips As a mother of daughters, these words resonated deeply with me. The legendary actor's matter-of-fact acceptance cuts through the noise and controversy often surrounding transgender issues to focus on what truly matters—loving our children for who they are. All parents should pay attention; this is what parental unconditional love looks like. De Niro's "what's the big deal" attitude particularly struck a chord with parents across social media platforms, who praised his straightforward support. Comments celebrated his approach as a model of good parenting, emphasizing that while parents don't have to understand everything their children do, unconditional love and support should remain constant. For Airyn, this family acceptance has been crucial. In her interview with Them, she revealed that growing up with contradictory messages about her identity—"too big, not skinny enough. Not Black enough, not white enough. Too feminine, not masculine enough"—was challenging. However, her family's support helped her navigate these difficulties. Related: Raising a Transgender Child: Things I Learned to Help My Child Transition Though De Niro has long been known for his outspoken progressive stances on social issues, his unequivocal support for Airyn comes at a particularly significant time. With transgender rights under intense political scrutiny and legislative challenges in many states, celebrity parents supporting trans children can help normalize acceptance in the broader culture. Airyn, who has begun hormone therapy as part of her transition, expressed hope that her visibility might inspire others: "I'd want to hopefully be an inspiration for at least one other person like me who is Black, who is queer, who's not a size extra small," she told Them magazine. Her focus on mental health advocacy for people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals highlights how parental support can empower transgender individuals to channel their experiences into helping others facing similar challenges. Related: Trans Daughter Records What It Sounds Like When a Conservative Mom Loves Her 'Anyway' While De Niro's supportive stance may not seem revolutionary to some, it remains noteworthy in a climate where many transgender youth face rejection from family members. According to research from the Trevor Project, transgender and nonbinary youth who report having their pronouns respected by all or most people in their lives attempted suicide at half the rate of those who did not have their pronouns respected. For parents navigating a child's gender identity journey, De Niro's example offers a simple template: love, accept, support. As he so eloquently demonstrated, sometimes the most powerful parenting moments don't require lengthy explanations or qualifications—just unconditional love expressed without hesitation. In a time when complex discussions about gender identity can leave parents feeling uncertain about how to respond, De Niro's straightforward acceptance serves as a reminder that at its core, good parenting often comes down to one simple principle: love your children for who they truly are. Up Next: Related: Trans Dad Shares Why Daughter Supported His Transition
