Chyler Leigh, ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ and ‘Supergirl’ Star, Comes out in Heartfelt Note

Grey’s Anatomy and Supergirl star, Chyler Leigh, came out publicly in a heartfelt statement. The actress shared her journey with her sexual identity on the Create Change website, an organization she helped to co-found. Not only that, but she also revealed that her character of Alex on Supergirl — who is a lesbian — helped encourage her to come out because it’s something she resonated with personally.

“When I was told that my character was to come out in Season 2, a flurry of thoughts and emotions flew through and around me because of the responsibility I personally felt to authentically represent Alex’s journey. What I didn’t realize was how the scene where she finally confessed her truth would leap off the pages of the script and genuinely became a variation of my own. IRL,” she wrote according to Advocate.com. “My heart felt like it was going to beat out of my chest each take we filmed, every time presenting another opportunity to get those honest words out of my mouth. Though they don’t exactly match my personal dialogue, the heart behind it surely did.”

Leigh added, “From the director, the press, the media, the cast, and the fans, I’m still told that it was the most realistic coming out scene they’d ever witnessed. And to steal from Alex’s words, that’s because there’s some truth to what she said about me.” While the 38-year-old felt some relief being able to share her truth with the world, it didn’t come without a sad story to tell. Leigh revealed that after she came out, some of those who were closest to her and fans of the CW show, started to distance themselves from her and the series.

“Here’s the kicker though. Since that episode aired, I was told from dear friends (and even avid watchers of Supergirl) that they would no longer watch the show because of the fact that Alex’s journey took a turn from their less than acceptable beliefs,” she confessed. “Soon after, they began to distance themselves and eventually my family and I were outcast, marking the loss of many folks we loved. However, after the initial sting, I don’t hold a grudge towards the negative response, because as I said, we all have had a hard time in one way or another with acceptance (whatever the subject may be) whether towards ourselves or others.”

She ended with, “It’s been a long and lonely road for both my husband and myself but I can whole-heartedly say that after all these years, he and I are still discovering the depths of ourselves and each other, but throughout our journey we’ve learned to be proud of who we are, no matter the cost.”