We recently dubbed Amandla Stenberg one of our favorite "free ass motherf**kers" because of her ability to stay true to herself, regardless of whatever label society subscribes to.

The Hate U Give actress came out as bisexual to Teen Vogue during a Snapchat interview two years ago; however, now, after an epiphany, she's claiming a different label for herself. 

“Yep, I’m gay,” Stenberg said in a recent interview with Wonderland Magazine. 

“I had a few big gay sob moments when I realized I was gay. One might assume that they were mournful sobs, but actually quite the opposite in my lived experience. They were joyful and overwhelmed sobs,” Stenberg said. “Socialization is a bitch and a half and kept me from understanding and living my truth for a while. I was so overcome with this profound sense of relief when I realized that I’m gay —  not bi, not pan, but gay — with a romantic love for women.”

Whenever we bottle up things inside, whether it's our stress, our truth or something else, releasing it feels like a huge weight lifted. That was indeed the case for Stenberg.

“I was flooded with a sense of calm and peace because everything that I struggled with or felt discomfort around finally made sense to me,” she said. “And once those floodgates opened and years of pent up pain and shame were released, I found the freedom to live my best life waiting for me just underneath.”

????️‍????✨ OUT & PROUD. ✨????️‍???? So happy to say the words Yep, I’m Gay in official print. Interviewed for @wonderland by someone I stan infinitely – the fiercest garbagio pop queen @kingprincess69. Thank you to KP for providing me with such a safe space to come out. We talk about gay sobbing, first encounters with lesbian masturbation, queer icons, Toni Morrison, disillusionment as a critical step, the art I’ve been working on, and the films that I have coming out this year. Full interview on newsstands now and available online Monday. ????????
A post shared by amandla (@amandlastenberg) on Jun 16, 2018 at 4:44pm PDT

Stenberg also touched on the importance of representation, and how that factored into her hesitancy to fully come out until now. 

“Had I had more representations of black gay women growing up, I probably would’ve come to conclusions around my sexuality much earlier, because I would’ve had more of a conception of what was possible and okay,” Stenberg said. “Having more representations of black gay women now and seeing myself reflected in them has been a huge aid in seeing myself as whole, complete and normal.”

Word! Kudos to you, Amandla, for claiming your truth in your time! We're sure you'll serve as an inspiration for another young black queer girl searching for her truth, as well.