We hope that the decision for young people to come out as not heterosexual has become a tiny bit easier in the year 2015 than it was in generations past. But when you're a 16-year-old whose parents have been longtime tabloid fodder, and whose own acting career is just about to bloom, that decision may come with its own complications. Or, maybe it doesn't. Today, Lily-Rose Depp may or may not have come out to the world via Instagram.
The photo appeared as part of photographer iO Tillett Wright's Self Evident Project, which, according to the site, "exists to spread awareness and understanding about a broader spectrum of human sexuality." As Wright told R29 via email, "The stipulation for having your portrait taken for the project is that you feel you are somewhere on the spectrum." The artist continued, "I'm not going to comment on where Lily-Rose falls, as that's her private business, but I did take her portrait for the project. I'm sure she will make her own commentary on sexuality and acceptance when she's ready to."
While the Instagram post reads that Lily-Rose "falls somewhere on the vast spectrum," Facebook and Tumblr posts with the same photo leave those words out. In the meantime, the Yoga Hosers star appears very clearly, adorably, and literally onboard with Wright. On the Self Evident Project's website, Depp's stepmother, Amber Heard, is one of the celebrities endorsing the project in a video explaining its purpose. Gaby Hoffmann, Kylie Minogue, Penn Badgley, Sia, and Steve Buscemi are among the other stars who appear in the video.
According to the site, the Self Evident Project is all about making it NBD for young people to come out, wherever they fall in the LGBTQ spectrum. The idea is for Wright to take portraits of people across the country who identify as "anything other than 100% straight," and eventually show 10,000 such portraits in an installation on the Washington Mall. In the Instagram photo, Depp is wearing one of the T-shirts being sold to raise funds for the project while spreading the message of acceptance at the same time.