Reese Witherspoon’s daughter has opened up about her sexuality in a powerful post for Pride Month.
The Legally Blonde star, 48, has three children – with ex-husband Ryan Phillippe she shares Ava and son Deacon, while with ex Jim Toth she has a son named Tennessee.
Previously, Ava, who is now 24 years old, seemingly came out online and in a new Instagram post, she’s spoken out further about her sexual identity.
Witherspoon has always been vocal about supporting her children and their journeys of self-discovery.
She told InStyle: “Ava is so down-to-earth. She wants to do great things in the world. Ava is trying to find herself and figure out her path in life.”
Ava, who already has a successful modelling career, says her parents have always supported her.
She told E!’s Daily Pop: “My parents have always encouraged me to choose the path that’s right for me and, you know, guide me along the way to make better choices than I might make.
“I’m so grateful for that. That is such a privilege to have parents that support you in that way and want you to be who you truly are meant to be.”
In an interview with Variety, Witherspoon shared that no one spoke to her about sexuality in her teenage years.
She explained: “I didn’t understand what homosexuality was. My grandparents didn’t explain it, my parents didn’t explain it. I had to learn from somebody I met on an audition in Los Angeles.”
Ava appeared to come out on social media in 2022 when engaging with fans on a Q&A.
An Instagram user asked what her romantic interests were, to which Ava responded: “I’m attracted to… people!”
She elaborated in parentheses: “Gender is whatever.”
Ava didn’t explicitly label her sexuality, however, being attracted to a person regardless of gender aligns with the definition of pansexuality.
Pansexuality means being ‘attracted to all gender identities, or attracted to people regardless of gender’, according to GLAAD.
Ava has been forced to shut down any backlash she’s received over her identity.
She’s previously warned (via People): “I can and will block profiles commenting bigoted/hateful messages under my posts.
“My Instagram profile is not a place for cruelty/hate speech and I intend to do what I can to keep it that way. Peace and love.”
And now, in celebration of Pride Month, Ava has taken to Instagram once more and clarified her sexuality.
In the photo, Ava can be seen posing in sunglasses, a red crop top, and cargo pants – standing in front of a pond while waving a rainbow flag.
The post has been praised by followers, with Charmed actress Alyssa Milano commenting: “This picture made me smile so big. Happy Pride!”
TikTok star Dylan Mulvaney adds: “So much love for you!”
While a fan gushes: “Oh my god this is adorable. Happy Pride Month!!!”
Ava’s post reads: “Once upon a time, some gal on the internet said ‘gender is whatever’ in reference to her own sexuality.
“Many took her words out of context, but she knew what she meant. Anyways, this is her posting for the first day of Pride Month 2024.”
She also wished a ‘Happy Pride Month’ to ‘my LGBTQ+ community’ and the haters in the comments in a subsequent Instagram story.
Witherspoon showed her support by giving the post a like.
Ava was reportedly dating fellow UC Berkeley student Owen Mahoney, however, it’s unclear if they are still together.
