Kirsten Stewart had a big night on Saturday. She hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time, called out President Donald Trump for tweeting about her past relationship with Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson, and officially came out of the closet during her opening monologue by describing herself as “so gay, dude,” with the sentiment directed at the 45th president himself.
Of course, the social media response was swift—and welcoming.
https://twitter.com/kayedonohoo/status/828122249542656000
https://twitter.com/lleuadau/status/828121697664524288
https://twitter.com/GayMoonQueen/status/828107099292983297
https://twitter.com/brie_june/status/823068617872805889
https://twitter.com/KHarterr/status/827902675979235328
https://twitter.com/still_bambi/status/828117937311526913
Stewart’s sexuality hasn’t exactly been a secret, but this was the first time she publicly used the word “gay” to describe her sexual orientation. Tabloids, and Kirsten herself, have discussed her relationships with women, but her actual queer identity was a bit of an elephant in the room.
While celebrities and public figures don’t have any obligation to come out about their sexual orientation or gender identity, doing so does help normalize LGBTQ people for the general public. It can be particularly helpful to queer youth to see role models and people they identify with own their queer sexuality.
You can watch Kristen’s entire monologue below.
