Tag Archives: Clea DuVall

Kristen Stewart, Clea DuVall and Aubrey Plaza line up in face masks for the Happiest Season

Kristen Stewart is not one to let a face mask cramp her style. The actor attended the drive-in premiere of her new Hulu film Happiest Season this week wearing an all-black Chanel look and a Love Wins face mask.

After the red carpet, Stewart ditched the heels and skirt, changing into a pair of ripped black jeans and a green bomber jacket while speaking to the crowd with co-star Alison Brie, who opted for lightwash jeans and a wool blazer.

Happiest Season stars Stewart and Mackenzie Davis as a lesbian couple, Abby and Harper, who are dealing with the stress of a conservative family at Christmas. The young couple are in the flush of love, living together in Pittsburgh and approaching their one-year anniversary of meeting on Christmas.

That holiday cheer is all the more remarkable given Abby’s aversion to Christmas since the loss of her parents at 19. So in an impromptu bit of sentimentality, Harper invites Abby to spend the holidays with her family in the suburbs—and Abby is ready to meet that commitment with a Yuletide proposal.

There’s just one problem: Harper is not out to her family, for fear of tainting father Ted’s (Victor Garber) mayoral campaign. And while the last thing that Abby wants is to go back into the closet, she reluctantly agrees to it for the chance to see what kind of family created her favourite person.

The film was directed by Clea DuVall, and its incredible cast also includes Dan Levy, Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie, Mary Steenburgen, Jake McDorman, Victor Garber, Mila Kunis and Burl Moseley.

In October, DuVall told EW that she wrote the film from her “own place of truth,” something that Stewart said made the film that much more authentic.

“I grew up watching and loving conventional movies like this. Seeing [marginalized] people loving each other in the middle of something that’s so standardized was really exhilarating and freeing,” Stewart continued. “There’s a lack of confusion and generalization Clea brings [as a queer woman]. I want people to see that two girls in love is just so fun.”

WATCH: Kristen Stewart New LGBTQ Christmas Rom-Com ‘Happiest Season’

Happiest Season is an LGBTQ Christmas rom-com that follows Abby stars (Kristen Stewart), who is so excited to meet her girlfriend (Mackenzie Davis ) Harper’s family over the holidays and propose. However, Abby soon learns that Harper hasn’t come out to her family yet.

The first LGBTQ+-focused holiday rom-com (which was backed by a major studio) was directed by Clea DuVall and written by her and her writing partner Mary Holland. The movie co-stars Holland, Dan Levy, Victor Garber, Mary Steenburgen, Alison Brie, Aubrey Plaza, and Ana Gasteyer.

It’s a full-on same-sex romantic comedy with all of the holiday fixings. And it also features a soundtrack featuring all LGBTQ+ musicians.

Hulu bought Happiest Season from Sony in late October amid the continued shuttering of movie theaters. Now, audiences everywhere can watch the romance unfold over Thanksgiving week when it drops on Nov. 25. 

Happiest Season starts streaming on Hulu on Nov. 25

Clea DuVall On Being Out: “I’ve Always Sort Of Lived My Life And Never Made A Huge Statement About It”

A familiar face for al of us – thanks to memorable turns in 1999 cult lesbian comedy But I’m A Cheerleader, that same year’s Oscar-nominated GirlInterrupted, Lifetime’s 2014 movie Lizzie Borden Took an Ax and 2015 follow-up series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles, and, in 2016, HBO’s Veep (as the secret-service agent girlfriend of First Daughter Catherine) – openly gay actress Clea DuVall has been talking with Out Magazine about, well, being out:

I’ve always sort of lived my life and never made a huge statement about it. It’s just, like, leading by example.”

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On paparazzi photos of her kissing her girlfriend:

But I was also like, ‘Who cares?’ It’s not like I’m Reese Witherspoon. I’m just a character actor. As a kid I would have really appreciated seeing that. That would have meant a lot to me. So the people it matters to, it matters for a positive reason.”

The Los Angeles–based DuVall made her onscreen debut in 1996’s Little Witches. She went on to appear in genre films likeThe Astronaut’s Wife and Ghosts From Mars, intense dramas 21 Grams, Zodiac, The Laramie Project, and Argo, and TV series Heroes, American Horror Story: Asylum, and Better Call Saul. While DuVall has taken on many queer roles over her career, she only opened up about her own lesbian identity (and having a girlfriend) while doing press for The Intervention’s release.

DuVall has now stepped behind the camera as writer/director of Sundance crowd-pleaser The Intervention, a The Big Chill-inspired dramedy. In the film, DuVall and Cheerleader co-star Natasha Lyonne reunite as girlfriends who, along with a fellow group of paired-off friends, stage an intervention for a dysfunctional couple that goes deliciously awry.

Taylor Schilling, Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Lea DeLaria & Lena Dunham Unveil ‘Revolution’ Video Supporting Hillary Clinton

Grassroots organization Humanity for Hillary created the #ThisIsWhatMyRevoultionLooksLike clip to promote electing more women into public office.

Natasha Lyonne, Taylor Schilling, Clea DuVall, Uzo Aduba, Lea DeLaria, Lena Dunham, Rosie Perez and Sally Kohn, and a host of other actors filmed the video supporting Hillary Clinton and highlighting the need to elect more women to public office.

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The video never mentions the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee by name, but talks about the importance of voting and having the government more closely resemble the gender breakdown of America.

The actors, poets and artists describe what their revolution looks like, emphasizing equal pay, paid family leave, protecting the right to choose and having more women in leadership roles. “Join our revolution,” implores Aduba.

In a statement, the video creator and  co-founder Humanity for Hillary, Laura Dawn explained

As a 13-year veteran and passionate member of the progressive movement, I was aghast to see decades-old false attacks on Hillary Clinton echoed by young progressives. I researched every single attack on the former Secretary and emerged more confident than ever that she absolutely deserves to be the first woman president of this country. I believe that Hillary Clinton will be a fantastic president, and electing her is a paradigm shifting act that will foster new levels of women running for office and winning.”

Dunham added

I participated in this video because this is the most essential election of our lifetime, and I believe that electing more women is a true revolutionary action. If you believe in equality for women, LGTBQ, people of color and immigrants then there is only one choice this November — Hillary Clinton.”


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Watch The New Tegan and Sara Video For ‘BWU’ Directed By Clea DuVall

Tegan and Sara have released the next video from their recent album Love You to Death.

BWU video, directed by badass Clea DuVall, finds Sara bummed after asking her girlfriend to marry her (proposing with an empty ring box, no less), only to be turned down.
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In a statement released to Entertainment Weekly, Quin discussed the message behind the song.

The activist in me fought passionately for marriage equality because of what it signified socially, and for the countless legal benefits and protections that had been withheld from so many devoted same sex couples in history. I was happy when the Supreme Court ruling legalized same sex marriage in the USA, but I was also relieved that I could finally ”come out“ as a person who actively dislikes the institution. Specifically the assumption that by not participating in the ritual you are a deviant or unlikely to share the same common values as someone who does.”

DuVall—whose feature directorial debut, The Intervention, comes out in August – told EW;

I liked the idea of having no one really understand how lonely it can be when you have different ideas about what you want your life to be.”

DuVall also directed the band’s “Boyfriend.” According to EW, the sisters have a video-per-song strategy for their most recent release, Love You To Death.

12 More Queer Female Sex Scenes We’re Thankful For

Queer representation in films – it’s something we talk about a lot here, but we’re still amazed every time we come across an instance of “good” representation. Truthfully, it’s hard to judge what counts as “good” representation, because in every community there are going to be sub-communities of different opinions – and that’s part of what makes humanity so great.

Sex scenes, however, are a little easier to quantify. Are the women sexy? Are the women having “real” lesbian sex, instead of the male fantasy version? Well… That’s pretty much it. A good sex scene looks like inspiration for your own bedroom routine, or maybe it looks artistic and beautiful (in a more-than-skin-deep sort of way). Maybe we’re just drawn to the idea of writhing female bodies…

Whatever it is, we’ve decided to put together another list of female sex scenes that we loved. Are there more that we’re still missing? Feel free to let us know in the comments!


Helen Shaver and Patricia Charbonneu in Desert Hearts (1985)

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I’ll admit: I love artsy sex scenes. I also love happy endings, where the queer characters don’t end up dead or in a relationship with a man. Desert Hearts has both of these things, and that makes it especially great – especially since this movie came out in the 80s! (I’m recently discovering that there are more queer 80s movies than I thought there were, and that makes me so happy.) Shaver and Charbonneu play Cay and Viv, who actually have lovely, artistic, beautiful, and believable sex, and it stands as one of the most pivotal lesbian films of all time.


Maria de Medeiros and Uma Thurman in Henry and June (1990)

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Long before Pulp Fiction threw both actresses into the front lines of cinema, Medeiros and Thurman played the bisexual characters Anaïs and June in Henry and June. Okay, so it wasn’t that long before, but since I was only five months old when this movie came out, it seems like so much earlier. For those who love costume dramas (read: garters) and lesbian subplots, it’s so great to see these two women hooking up in such a taboo way. Sure, both women were married to men at the time, which is a stereotype we’d like to get away from, but hey… This one is based on a true story.


Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall in But I’m a Cheerleader! (1999)

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This is another one of my personal favorites – Natasha Lyonne as Megan is a completely believable representation of those of us who started off completely uncomfortable with our “not-normal sexuality”, but later came to terms and fully embraced every ounce of gay we could muster up. (That one can’t be just me.) Unlike the normal boarding school cliché, Lyonne and DuVall play lesbians forced to attend a conversion therapy camp – something that hits close to home for so many of us. Graham (played by DuVall) is the perfect bad girl to complement Lyonne’s good girl Megan. And then, they break the #1 rule of straight camp: Beautiful, passionate, homosexual sex.


Michelle Williams and Chloe Sevigny in If These Walls Could Talk 2 (2000)

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Those who are familiar with the first If These Walls Could Talk will undoubtedly be familiar with the second, and its glorious lesbian storylines. I know, not everyone was a fan of this movie, but the dapper (and gorgeous!) butch Amy (played by Sevigny) manages to seduce the young college student Linda (played by Williams)… After quite a bit of trying. Surely, there’s something special at play here, and while they weren’t the only lesbian couple in the movie (far from it!), their sex scene felt so real and so passionate that it’s hard to find another we like as much as this one.


Piper Perabo and Jessica Paré in Lost and Delirious (2001)

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However you might feel about the movie itself (because apparently there are a lot of people who really hated this movie), there’s no denying the fact that these two share a great on-screen chemistry and fully embody the scary, romantic, super awkward moments involved with your first (lesbian) love – including, of course, sharing a love scene. Plus, it takes place at a boarding school, which embodies something I think is most lesbians’ fantasy: The idea of going to an all-girl school, with Piper Perabo… No? Just me?


Naomi Watts and Laura Harring in Mulholland Drive (2001)

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I’m a huge fan of Naomi Watts, so the idea that she could, theoretically, play a lesbian/bisexual character makes me really excited – especially when there’s sex involved. Okay, so this one isn’t technically a sex scene. It’s a foreplay scene that’s wrapped up with some wit, some raw honesty, and a whole bunch of sensuality – it actually makes up for the fact that there was no actual “sex” here. And besides, there’s nothing wrong with foreplay – we should really be featuring more foreplay in our movies, so I’m just going to leave this one on the list.


Salma Hayek and Karine Plantadit in Frida (2002)

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Personally, this one checks off several of my go-to topics. Bisexual leading character(s)? Check. Historical fiction that’s based on real characters? Check. One of my favorite artists from the past? Definitely check. And Salma Hayek, arguably one of the sexiest women to ever grace the big screen… Big check. While Frida Kahlo (played here by Hayek) was rumored to have many lovers over the course of her life, I was slightly disappointed that she never hooked up with Ashley Judd’s character, despite the obvious sexual tension present… There was only one brief (but beautiful) lesbian sex scene in the movie, with a character referred to on the IMDB page as “Paris chanteuse” – played by Plantadit.


Rachel Stirling and Anna Chancellor in Tipping the Velvet (2002)

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Queer movies are still fairly new to the visibility they so greatly deserve. But queer movies based on queer books? Even less visible. Of course, Sarah Waters’ books are part of a very small list of exceptions – and Tipping the Velvet gives an incredible look at the wonderful meshing of historical fiction with an awesome queer storyline. Oh, and there’s a dildo-sex scene that was probably the most risqué view of lesbian life to be shown on television in those days before The L Word. The movie chronicles “male impersonators” in London at the end of the 19th century, and we get to see Nan (played by Stirling) pleasuring her new sugar mama, Diana (played by Chancellor). It’s probably not the dirtiest sex scene out there, but for a TV movie in the early 2000s, this was pretty racy.


Michelle Krusiec and Lynn Chen in Saving Face (2004)

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What do you get when you mix cultural differences, romantic love stories, and the awkwardness of having your pregnant mom move in with you? Saving Face explores the intersection of these three usually-separated topics in a way that feels so real, and simultaneously so surreal. It’s not often that you really can have both, but Krusiec and Chen do such a wonderful job that you can feel the sexual tension through the screen – and you’re just as “relieved” as they are when they finally get to business.


Erin Kelly and Diane Gaidry in Loving Annabelle (2006)

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Ah, that forbidden student-teacher romance, at… Wait, is this another boarding school movie? It sure is! I’m sensing maybe I’m not the only one who’s thought about this type of fantasy. Or, maybe it’s a fantasy because of all these awesome queer movies set in boarding schools. Either way, Annabelle (played by Kelly) and her teacher Simone (played by Gaidry) are electric together – and may possibly have ignited that other fantasy of getting it on with your hot teacher. Never personally had that one, myself, but most of my teachers were old, married, and men, so maybe that’s it.


Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried in Chloe (2009)

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First of all, for those of you who haven’t seen it yet, this movie is seriously twisted, and probably one of my favorites. (It’s also the first movie I saw either of these lovely actresses play a bisexual character.) Anyway, it’s questionable as to whether Chloe (played by Seyfried) ever actually seduced Catherine’s husband, but we do know that she seduced Catherine (played by Moore) and it was completely intense. The entire movie is intense. I’m sure not everyone will like the portrayal of a bisexual character as a raging psychopath, but to me, it feels real. Not because bisexuals are psychopaths, of course, but because sometimes, the crazies are the ones you’d least expect.


Heather Graham and Diane Farr in About Cherry (2012)

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For those who really aren’t into that floaty, artistic, gorgeously romantic sex stuff, About Cherry offers a different side of things – the dirty, gritty, opposite-side-of-passion that exists between Graham’s Margaret and her estranged wife Jillian (played by Farr). As much as I’ve loved Ashley Hinshaw (who plays the titular character) and wish she would have gotten some girl-on-girl action in this movie, sadly, she doesn’t – but it’s still nice to see lesbians getting freaky without it being over-feminized. Plus, who doesn’t love Heather Graham playing a queer character? I can’t get enough!

Daily Juice: Azealia Banks Beef With Beyonce ‘Lemonade’, And Tegan & Sara Release New Video

Bisexual singer Azealia Banks has beef with Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ – tweeting it’s bad for feminism and black women.

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Tegan and Sara have released their new video for “Boyfriend,” directed by Clea DuVall.

The Abs Fab trailer has finally dropped, seeing the duo kill off Kate Moss

Ellen DeGeneres celebrates first transgender man to compete on an NCAA Division 1 Men’s Team

Leandra Joubert has become the first openly gay woman to make the top 100 selection in the annual Mrs South Africa pageant.

Isle of Man finally passes same-sex marriage – meaning Northern Ireland is the last place in the United Kingdom without marriage equality.

Top 7 Sad Queer Movies That Will Mess Up Your Whole Week

I have a confession to make: I am a sucker for emotional cinema. No matter how heartless I try to pretend I am, the sappy movies make me tear up every time. (I have an aunt who calls this phenomenon “TV eyes” – it helps us keep our hard exterior appearance.)

If you love the movies that bring you to tears, or you consider yourself an emotional stronghold and want to prove it, we’ve found the 7 saddest lesbian movies out there – how many have you seen, and how many actually brought you to tears?

(In order of release – not necessarily indicative of cry-worthy-ness.)


The Children’s Hour (1961)

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I’m not sure if this movie exactly counts as a lesbian film, since it centers around a rumor about sexuality, rather than actual sexuality. But, since this movie came out in the early ‘60s and features such huge icons as Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Maclane… We’ll forgive that.

This story centers around a headmistress and a teacher at a boarding school. Everything is all hunky dory for the two BFF’s (actual gal pals, not like the “gal pals” we hear about these days)… Until a student starts spreading rumors about the two women being romantically involved, and students start withdrawing from the school. Yikes!

Mostly, this movie is sad because back in the ‘60s, this was as close as they had to a real lesbian movie. I’m so glad Hollywood has picked up the slack lately, but this movie is pretty much a downer anyway.


Gia (1998)

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For all you Angelina Jolie fans out there, this is the one movie where we got to see her as a sexy, emotional creature… Oh wait, that’s true of a lot of her movies. Still, Gia represented an important (and mostly true!) story of the supermodel, Gia Carangi, as she struggled with her career, her mental health, and her own sexuality. Oh, and not to give anything away if you haven’t seen it yet, but she also has AIDS.

Of course, there is the appeal of seeing Angelina Jolie topless, which is one of the big draws of many Angelina Jolie movies in the first place. But once you add in the powerful message behind it and the fact that this is actually based on a true story, it gets heart-wrenching and super painful.

If you start the movie when she’s topless, and then stop it before she gets onto the plane, this movie isn’t so sad – but if you’re into the whole picture, this movie will undoubtedly wreak havoc on your soul.


Boys Don’t Cry (1999)

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Okay, if we didn’t have Boys Don’t Cry on our list, I would be seriously upset at myself. Truly, this is one of those movies that most people will either love or hate – and most of us love it. Hilary Swank plays a transman in the midst of homophobia, transphobia, and general ignorance in Nebraska. Did I mention this one’s based on a true story, too?

The scenes in this movie are created specifically to rip your heart into a million shreds, halfway patch these shreds back together, and then rip them to pieces all over again. Seriously – it’s that good. If you haven’t seen it, I don’t want to spoil it, but it’s going to make you cry – guaranteed.


Lost & Delirious (2001)

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Let me start by saying that I absolutely adore Piper Perabo, and I probably always will. Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way… Technically, the characters in this movie don’t identify as lesbians – but as two young women who are just madly in love with each other. I think it’s beautiful that they don’t have to put a label on it.

That being said, this movie is pretty sad. Partially because the potential of the cast wasn’t fully realized, and partially because someone dies. (Not going to say who, but… You know… Any time you have lesbian romance in a movie and someone dies, it sucks pretty hard.)

I have a soft spot for anything one of my celebrity crushes is in, so I’m tempted to ignore the critic reviews that say this movie was total garbage. All in all, it tells a tale that many of us have been a part of us at one point or another, and the relatability is enough to break your heart, right? Take a look and form your own opinion about this one.


The Laramie Project (2002)

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Another TV movie to hit our list – which is still a rarity for the queer community. The Laramie Project isn’t about lesbians, specifically, but it does touch on the murder of Matthew Sheperd – a huge event for the gay community as a whole. With a cast that includes “celebs I wish were my BFFs” such as Christina Ricci and Clea Duvall, this movie promises a stellar performance – and delivers.

Of course, a movie that surrounds the killing of one of the pioneers of LGBT+ visibility, no matter which of our fallen heroes it is, is going to be sad. The Laramie Project is no exception. In addition to the death of Matthew Sheperd, this movie also features survival, against the odds, and the paths we follow to grow as humans.

(Oh, and as a bonus, they also perform a version of “Angels in America”… How meta!)


Angels in America (2003)

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Okay, so this one isn’t exactly a movie, but a TV mini-series. Still, this offers an inner look to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s as it pertains to characters who you’re probably going to love right off the bat just because of the actors who play them. (I’m talking Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, and Mary Louise Parker here.) There are also plenty of intersecting sections of the “at-risk community” shown here, and it will rip your heart out – just like any other movie, TV show, or other type of content that deals with the AIDS crisis.

I have yet to watch this one myself, but after looking into it, I’ll definitely have to add it to my own list.


Monster (2003)

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Okay, here’s another mostly-true story that happens to be one of my favorites. Monster tells the tale of Aileen Wuornos (Charlize Theron in a hardly-recognizable get-up) and her girlfriend, Selby (Christina Ricci) through their unconventional and highly criminal relationship.

The scary thing about this movie is that it really was a true story – one that’s been referenced in over two dozen different movies and TV shows – oh, and Charlize Theron won an Oscar for this movie. It’s not too often that Oscars are won by true crime stories, but this movie shows power.

The real Aileen Wuornos was America’s first female serial killer – something that’s not exactly a source of pride for most of us, but personally, it helped me be thankful that I’ve never gone down that path – although parts of it were quite relatable to me. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for? This movie is a true classic.

Spotlight | Clea DuVall – too gay to be true

Since the late ’90s Clea DuVall has been one of Hollywood’s best known gay icons. This is mostly owing to her vast array of LGBTQ characters – so vast it’s hard to keep count. Let’s try.

All her queer acts

Here are the best known LGBTQ roles DuVall has played during her years in show business. She is indeed specialized in queer characters!

  1. Science fiction horror film The Faculty (1998) had DuVall as Stokes, a straight girl pretending to be gay.
  2. But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) was one of the most iconic teen comedies in the ’90s. Here, DuVall did a memorable role as a lesbian college girl Graham who falls in love while at a conversion therapy camp.
  3. In the HBO series Carnivàle (2003-2005) DuVall stepped into the shoes of a young tarot-card-reading girl Sofie with apparent queer tendencies.
  4. In another TV series Saving Grace (2007-2010) she pops up in the episode Looks Like a Lesbian Attack to Me. She plays a lesbian cop Mara, who finds her brother murdered.
  5. In American Horror Story: Asylum (2012-2013) DuVall had one of her most disturbing roles so far as she transformed into Wendy, a lesbian woman who snitches on her lover to save her own skin.

So, is Clea DuVall gay?

The list above begs the question: Is DuVall gay also in real life?

Long story short, we don’t know the answer, and it’s not our place to guess either. Some gossip magazines disagree with us, of course, and have tried to prove DuVall’s into girls. For example, Daily Mail’s creepy photographer apparently hid in the bushes to catch DuVall smooching with another girl in a sunny park – or as Daily Mail put it in the most childish manner conceivable: ”Clea DuVall shares lesbian kisses with female friend during day of passion.”

Urgh. Such a fine piece of journalism.

Whatever DuVall’s sexual preference is shouldn’t matter to us, as it is each celebrity’s personal choice how much they want to keep private and what they want to share. What does matter is that through her work DuVall has helped remove the stigma that homosexual roles still carried in the ’90s. Thank you Ms. DuVall!