Diora Baird in an interview with The Advocate earlier this year, speaking for the first time about her sexual orientation and her relationship with comedian Mav Viola.
The Wedding Crashers actress has now given an in-depth account of how she came to terms with her sexuality, saying she first dated a woman when she was 22 but that it “fizzled pretty fast”.
“Shortly after, I found myself on the cover of the biggest men’s magazine in the world,” she tells The Advocate in a .
“I went on to spend the next decade performing for men in every aspect of my life. I had succumbed to the notion that this was just the way it was.”
The 34-year-old notes that she went through a stage where she thought she may be asexual but soon realised that wasn’t the case.
“I spent my nights binge-watching The L Word and every lesbian film I could find, before ultimately braving the lesbian scene and going out to a gay bar. I’m sure I knew deep down inside that I was going to love women, and that terrified me.”
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She says she awaiting an epiphany to clarify who she really was but that instead, “I just felt like me”.
“Being with women felt as normal as going to Starbucks. I felt comfortable.”
Baird says there’s always been the possibility that she might lose fans after coming out as a lesbian but that it ultimately shouldn’t be an issue.
“I’d like to think that I have more to offer,” she says.
“Just because I want to marry a woman, instead of a man, doesn’t mean I can’t act like a heterosexual. I’ve been acting straight my entire life, so I think I could pull it off.”
Baird has a 4-year-old son from a previous relationship and spoke about how she introduced Viola into his life.
"I have never felt that I am doing something wrong by dating a woman, so I talked to my son about mama wanting to have a girlfriend from the beginning.
"He was only 3 at the time, but he ... helped me get ready for the date.
"After a few weeks, I introduced Otis to Mav and then it all clicked. This was my family. Mav was the missing piece. Seeing them together is what life is all about and we are so lucky to have her."
