When 12-year-old Evan Rachel Wood's longtime crush — a girl — finally kissed her, she wasn't happy. Instead, she was mortified.
Evan Rachel Wood's acting credits include "True Blood," "Once and Again," and "Thirteen." Photo by Neilson Barnard/Getty Images for Amnesty International.
Wood, now an actress and outspoken activist, said she immediately ran away. She felt anxious and weighed down by her feelings of confusion. It wasn't because she didn't like the girl — she'd had a crush on her for a while — but she, like many tweens, was afraid of being different.
She tried to turn to her mom for support but was too overcome with shame to tell her. She didn't try again for another 10 years.
Wood said those feelings of shame characterize a large part of her journey as a young bisexual woman and were detrimental to her mental health.
In a conversation on Twitter, Wood said the confusion around her sexual identity led to a lot of self-loathing and depression.
Wood's experience isn't unique. Bisexual women have been found to have lower levels of social support, and reports show that bisexual adults are two times more likely to be depressed.
When she did come out in her early 20s, the stigma surrounding bisexuality made things difficult.
She thought that coming out would solve a lot of her problems. And while she's glad she made the decision, she encountered a lot of bi-phobia and misinformation. People just didn't understand her sexual orientation.
"When I got into my early 20s I came to terms with things, put on a brave face and set out to explore this side of myself," Wood explained to me over Twitter. "I identified as bisexual, came out to both my parents and it seemed everything should fall into place. But it didn't."
Wood says she's a lot happier now that she's out and proud. But she knows coming out isn't an easy decision.
"I am out. It took guts. It took years of soul searching and self exploration. It took not always getting it right in relationships," said Wood. "But I know who I am and I am so much happier and I want other people to know that it's not a phase."
Wood was inspired to tweet last week after reading the Human Rights Campaign's latest report, "Health Disparities Among Bisexual People," which explores the effects of the discrimination many bisexual people face. Namely, that many people don't think bisexuality exists as its own orientation. But it does, and bisexual people have their own needs that must be addressed.
Now, Wood is using her experience and platform to battle misconceptions and normalize the bisexual identity.
And these are the truths Wood wants everyone to know about being bisexual:
1. Bisexual people are, statistically, the biggest subgroup in the LGBTQ community.
We often only hear "gay or lesbian" when talking about the LGBTQ community. In fact, the B in LGBTQ is the most common identity in the community (and the T and Q often get left off altogether, although there's been increased awareness around trans issues lately). Studies have shown that nearly half of people who identity as lesbian, gay, or bisexual fall into the latter category.
2. Being bisexual is its own separate identity. It isn't indecision or a refusal to "take a side."
Bisexuality isn't "just a phase" — it's a lifelong orientation for many people, including Wood. She knew her entire life that she was bisexual, she said, explaining that for as long as she can remember, "as far back as 5 years old," she's been attracted to men and women.
3. When a bisexual person is in a relationship with someone of a different gender, that doesn't mean they stopped being bisexual.
Once upon a time, Wood was married to a man, and she even has a child with him, but that doesn't make her straight. And it wouldn't make her a lesbian if she were in a relationship with a woman. Sexual orientation is about what gender(s) you're attracted to, not who you happen to be with at any particular moment in time.
4. Most importantly: We have nothing to lose by accepting bisexual people for who they are. But we have so much to gain.
Wood's story and the HRC report show that accepting bisexual people and not doubting their identity can help them live happier and healthier lives. Of course we want everyone to get the acceptance and love they deserve, and that means it's time for us to start recognizing bisexual individuals.
Wood knows the pain of not being accepted for who she is, and she doesn't want anyone else to have to suffer in silence like she did.
So how do we do that? Wood says it's simple: Just listen and accept people for who they are.
In conclusion, take it away, Beyoncé:
Preach, Bey.
Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."