Actress Alia Shawkat has come out
publicly as bisexual, saying that she's speaking out in part to
counter the policies of President Donald Trump.
Shawkat is best known for playing Maeby
Fünke in the Fox/Netflix
comedy series Arrested Development. Her latest project, Paint
It Black, arrives in theaters this month.
The 28-year-old Shawkat told gay glossy
OUT that she considers herself to be bisexual. “I think
balancing my male and female energies has been a big part of me
growing as an actor,” she said.
“How do you feel in the current
climate, moving forward as a queer artist?”
“I co-wrote and star in a new film
called Duck Butter, which opens later this year,” Shawkat
answered. “I love that it was written for a man and a woman,
but we couldn’t find the right guy, so now it happens to star two
women [as lovers]. I used to be less outspoken. But as a woman, an
Arab-American, and a member of the LGBTQ community, I have to use
whatever voice I have. There’s no more delicacy in being quiet.”