Daily Times

LOS ANGELES: Kristen Stewart is known for being a woman of few words, so when she does speak up we tend to listen.

It’s been almost a year since the actress said she wouldn’t feel genuine making a big point of announcing, “I’m coming out!” and calling it a day. Fast-forward to the new issue of Elle U.K. and Stewart is holding fast to that principal, eschewing labels and instead just comfortably talking about her relationship with her longtime girlfriend, Alicia Cargile. “When I was dating a guy I was hiding everything that I did because everything personal felt like it was immediately trivialized, so I didn’t like it,” Stewart said, referring to her ex, Robert Pattinson. “We were turned into these characters and placed into this ridiculous comic book, and I was like, ‘That’s mine. You’re making my relationship something that it’s not.’ I didn’t like that. But then it changed when I started dating a girl. I was like, actually, to hide this provides the implication that I’m not down with it or I’m ashamed of it, so I had to alter how I approached being in public. It opened my life up and I’m so much happier.”

It wasn’t exactly a surprise, the Café Society star and Cargile having been photographed dozens of times out and about. Stewart just never felt compelled to share her personal business.

The 26-year-old previously made it clear that she doesn’t think there’s any wrong way to express one’s self, telling Nylon last summer, “I think in three or four years, there are going to be a whole lot more people who don’t think it’s necessary to figure out if you’re gay or straight. It’s like, just do your thing.”

But Stewart, who also talked to Elle about the anxiety that previously prevented her from enjoying life, is last in line to judge when anyone does make more of a pronouncement about his or her sexuality.

Many celebrities still choose to go that route and, happily, are largely received by a flood of support from their peers, fans and beyond when they do. There’s always a faction of critics, but there are increasingly few things you can say that aren’t met with at least some negativity on social media. At least those who would spout anti-gay and hateful messages are slowly but surely being marginalized.