“Scream” Actress Bex Taylor-Klaus Comes Out: “We Need To Stand Up And Say… I’m Not Afraid”

"I am who I am and you can’t take that away from me.”

From: NewNowNext

Scream actress Bex Taylor-Klaus came out as a lesbian Wednesday night to fans via Twitter’s live-streaming video platform YouNow.

The 22-year-old Atlanta native announced her sexuality in a simple tweet before starting the live stream.

hello my name is bex and yes the rumors are true I am v gay

Live on YouNow in 10 minutes

— Bex Taylor-Klaus (@IBexWeBex) November 17, 2016

Taylor-Klaus’ first major role was as Bullet, a butch lesbian runaway on the third season of The Killing in 2013.

She would go on to play genderqueer basketball player Lex for six episodes on House of Lies before landing the lead role of bisexual teenager Audrey Jensen on MTV’s Scream.

Throughout her career, Bex has been somewhat of a lesbian heartthrob, though she maintained she 

was straight until her live Q&A Wednesday night.

In the stream, she took questions from several fans. Though most of the interactions consisted of simple “I love you!” and “Oh my God!” statements, one fan did ask if she was scared to come out now in light of the recent Presidential election.

“Terrified, absolutely terrified,” the actress admitted. “Part of why I’m coming out is because there’s so much hate and fear in and around the LGBT community right now and it’s important for us not to halt progress out of fear.”

“Yes, it’s a scary time,” she continued, “but we need to stand up and say, even if you are afraid, I’m not afraid, or even if I am afraid, I’m strong. I am who I am and you can’t take that away from me.”

As hate crime numbers continue to soar in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory last week, it’s more important now than ever for LGBT public figures to stand up and proudly assume their identities.

Congratulations Bex and thanks for being a great role model!