Ayesha Madon has no shame about her sexuality. The 26-year-old star of Netflix’s teen dramedy Heartbreak High spoke proudly about being bisexual in an interview with Gay Times. The Austrailain actress said: “I only properly admitted, out loud, that I was bisexual two or three years ago,” Madon revealed. “It feels recent.”
She added: “It’s pretty interesting watching myself be attracted to [girls]. My first kiss was with a girl. I’ve actually never spoken about my sexuality before in anything, so this is pretty new.”
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She said the kiss happened when she was 11. “I remember she was chewing gum and in order to kiss her I had to pretend that I wanted to try the gum!” Madon remembered. “We kissed and it was amazing.”
She says as times have evolved and she’s been able to see images of LGBTQ+ representation on screen and in the world, she’s become more comfortable with herself. “Sometimes I feel like I’m a fake queer person because I’m not massive on queer culture. Sometimes, I feel that liking girls is not enough,” she explained.
Gay Times writer Zoya Raza-Sheikh noted that everyone discovers their sexual orientation differently, which Madon agreed, explaining that society made her feel she had to be a certain way. “When I was growing up, I felt myself being conditioned or gaslighted into thinking that I was straight,” Madon responded. “I look back now at all these signs that I’ve had crushes on girls my whole life but in my head, I was like ‘Oh, that’s just nothing!’” she said.
Now, she’s at a point of acceptance, saying: “My pride message is, there is no right or wrong way to be a queer person.”
Heartbreak High premieres in 2022 on Netflix Austrailia. The series follows, Amerie, along with her new friends Quinni and Darren, who navigate love, sex, and heartbreak at Hartley High.
