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Supergirl star Chyler Leigh has come out in an emotional new online post sharing her how the coming out story of her Supergirl character, Alex Danvers, had a significant impact on her own journey. Leigh’s post, titled “Wear Your Pride”, was shared on the site Create Change, a site that serves as a source of “encouragement & inspiration to be the change you want to see in the world.” The site was founded by Leigh along with her husband Nathan West and Angelo Lagdameo.
In the moving post, Leigh talked about how she didn’t initially realize how much of an impact Alex’s journey would have on her and how she would end up relating to it personally. It’s important to note that while Leigh’s post speaks about her personal journey, the actress has not applied a specific label to her identity.
“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 felt to authentically represent Alex’s journey,” Leigh wrote. “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 become a variation of my own. IRL. 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. 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. The scene is in Season 2, Episode 6 if you wanna see for yourself.”
Leigh went on to discuss how Alex’s coming out episode has led her family to lose people they’ve loved, but that she and her husband have learned “to be proud of who we are, no matter the cost.”
“Here’s the kicker though,” she continues. “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. 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.”
“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.”
What do you think about Leigh’s emotional post? Let us know in the comments below.
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