After first coming out as queer on June 3 of this year, Michaela Kennedy Cuomo, daughter of Kerry Kennedy and New York Govenor Andrew Cuomo, further revealed that she identifies as demisexual in an Instagram Live conversation with activist and author Donato Tramuto on June 30.
While demisexual -- only feeling sexual attraction when one has an emotional bond -- may be how Cuomo now describes herself, it was a journey getting there, as she recounted. "When I was in elementary school, I feared that I was lesbian. When I was in middle school, I came out to my family and close friends as bisexual. When I was in high school, I discovered pansexuality and thought, 'That's the flag for me'," Cuomo said. "I've recently learned more about demisexuality and have believed that that identity resonates with me most," she then explained.
Cuomo added that she's been hesitant when it comes to speaking out about her evolution because of a fear it would be seen as "attention-seeking." Tramuto, however, praised Cuomo for the "inspiring" way in which she used her social media platform to potentially help others who identify with her story.
"I've definitely always dreamed of a world in which nobody will have to come out, because everybody's sexuality will be assumed fluid and none of our business," Cuomo said, while recognizing that this isn't the case today. "But in a world that force-feeds cisgender heterosexuality, coming out of the closet is a lifelong process of unpacking internalized social constructions and stigmas."
