Actress Mae Whitman comes out as pansexual

One of the stars of the popular NBC shows “Parenthood” and “Good Girls” just shared a major bit of news about her life that she hopes will help others who feel unseen.

Mae Whitman, who’s been a Hollywood regular since she was a little girl with roles in major movies like “Independence Day” and “Hope Floats,” came out as pansexual in a recent social media post related to one of her current roles.

Pansexuality is similar to bisexuality although it specifies that the person is attracted to people of all genders. Whitman, who is now 33, subtly made the announcement on Twitter on Aug. 16, as she was talking about her pride in being part of Disney Channel’s animated TV series, “The Owl House.”

The show, which sees Whitman voicing supporting character Amity Blight, has been praised for its representation of LGBTQ+ characters and has earned a prestigious Peabody Award. The show has especially been notable for its portrayal of the main character, Luz Noceda, who is bisexual.

In her tweet, Whitman wrote that she is “so proud to be even a small part” of the series because of that representation. “Being pansexual myself, I wish I had such incredible characters like Amity and Luz in my life when I was growing up,” she added with an image of the two characters.

The tweet has been liked more than 36,000 times already and prompted Whitman to be even more clear on her definition of pansexuality in another tweet. “For me it means I know I can fall in love with people of all genders,” she wrote. “This is the word that fits me best.”

She also shared a link to a Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) page about the positive representation of bisexuality, which has been hard to come by in popular media over the past few decades. According to GLAAD, bisexuals have often been portrayed in the media as being indecisive and promiscuous, which are harmful, inaccurate stereotypes that have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

Hopefully shows like “The Owl House” and stars like Whitman can go a long way in changing those patterns.