The 'Orange Is the New Black' actress recalls her difficult school years after she went public with her sexuality, claiming she was bullied and tormented by her peers.
- June 12, 2021
AceShowbiz - Ruby Rose felt "crucified" at school because of her sexuality.
The "Orange Is the New Black" star "came out" as a lesbian when she was just 12 years old, but admits if she'd realised how homophobic people could be, she wouldn't have been so open so early in her life.
"I only knew that to be my truth," she told the Beauty of Pride digital issue of Britain's Glamour magazine. "I didn't know how to live without being open and honest about my identity, but I think I was also very young and maybe if I was a little bit older and I realised how homophobic people are, I might not have come out so young."
"I got bullied for it. I got tormented. I felt like I got crucified at school. And it was tough being the only gay person in that school."
The "Meg" star insists many people dismissed her coming out as just a "phase."
"In some ways it was good because people thought it was a phase," she says. "It's like, 'You're 12, it's a phase,' and it didn't get taken as seriously. And then, by the time everyone realised what that really meant - what being gay meant and what being with women meant, they'd gotten used to the fact that that's what I am."
Ruby's own experiences at school taught her the importance of seeing same-sex relationships depicted on screen.
She said, "I was getting ready to graduate, and then The L Word came out, and suddenly everyone at school was gay. It just goes to show how important it is to have a representation in the media. Because before The L Word, I didn't know there was anyone else that felt like me and looked like me and had the same feelings. It made life liveable for me."
