Ella Hunt of 'Dickinson' Comes Out as Queer

Ella Hunt has come out as queer, Out reports.

Hunt plays Sue Gilbert in the Apple TV+ series "Dickinson," which focuses on poet Emily Dickinson and her queerness. In the series, the iconoclastic poet forms a relationship with close friend Gilbert, who eventually becomes Dickinson's sister-in-law.

"I am queer and I am happy to be open about it," Hunt tweeted.

The actress' coming out happened because of view she expressed about queerness in an interview with Square Mile, subsequently challenged by a fan on social media.

In the interview, Hunt said she learned about herself and her identity after moving to New York. Maybe that combination of being away from England and working on a show about a female poet who wasn't understood in her time, such an outwardly queer show that glorifies queerdom, made it less scary to enjoy those elements in myself and explore it in a way that I might not have done if I hadn't got the show," she said.

"I love the term queer," she continued. "I don't think it is specifically about sexuality, I see it as a mindset and feeling empowered in the bizarre and the strange sides of myself. I think queer is a beautiful word in that sense. It's an attitude. That's how I identify to my friends in New York."

Afterward, on twitter, a fan wrote to Hunt, "I love you so much, and I loved your interview. However, being queer isn't an attitude. I can't just change being this way like I can my attitude, when having a bad day. I still love you tho!"

Hunt responded, "Hi love, I actually completely agree with you and when the interviewer asked me directly if I was queer I got anxious and fumbled my answer (having not openly talked about my identity for long)."

The fan apologized, and Hunt further responded, "you don't need to be sorry at all! I'm so sorry you had such a tough time growing up. I am queer and I am happy to be open about it. (I just get all kinds of nervous and fumbly in interviews sometimes)."