Young Sheldon star Raegan Revord is speaking out on representation.
The 17-year-old actor has shared with Entertainment Tonight that they identify as nonbinary, explaining how important it was when they were growing up to see other queer stars in the spotlight.
“It’s so cool because growing up, whenever I would see a celebrity or whoever come out as nonbinary or queer, I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is so cool, I see myself in you,'” they told the publication.
They said their decision to confirm their identity publicly is rooted in a need for more representation in the spotlight, hoping their story can inspire others.
“It’s so crazy to have that experience where I’m now that person and there might be a kid somewhere who’s like, ‘Oh my god, I see myself in you’,” they continued.
“And that’s such an insane thing ’cause I was in that kid’s shoes at some point in my life.”
Back in January, the star – who played Missy Cooper on Young Sheldon – revealed they had been streaming on online gaming site Twitch anonymously for over two years.
Under the pseudonym SettingSunset, Revord had already been using they/them pronouns for quite some time, now also choosing to do so under their real name.
The young star is passionate about queer representation in the media, releasing a queer love story as their debut novel on September 2.
Rules for Fake Girlfriends tells the story of a college student tangled up in a fake dating scheme, with Revord telling People that they were inspired by other queer love stories such as Heartstopper.
“I love how innocent the love story was,” they shared.
“Heartstopper was such an accurate representation of found family friend groups, queer youth, and I think it’s so important to have that.
“I loved the story and I always wanted to write something that was like that.”
