Thora Birch comes out as bisexual at The Abbey's 35th anniversary celebration in West Hollywood

• Thora Birch came out as bisexual at The Abbey's 35th anniversary celebration in West Hollywood on Wednesday
• She told Us Weekly the West Hollywood community "shaped so much" of who she is and her identity
• Birch called for unity, urging people to "embrace one another" and stop fighting amid current social pressures
  

Thora Birch has publicly come out as bisexual, making the revelation during a star-studded event celebrating the 35th anniversary of legendary West Hollywood hotspot The Abbey.

"As a hometown girl, I'm always here to show my support for the community, which shaped so much of who I am and my identity as well, being a bi person," the Hocus Pocus actress told Us Weekly at the celebration on Wednesday.

A call for unity

Birch used the moment to encourage togetherness within the LGBTQ+ community and beyond.

"I don't want to get too political, but find your community where you can, and stand with them, and stick with them, and share that love that you share together, and reach it toward others," she continued. "That's the only way we're going to get through all this madness is just embracing one another. We have to stop fighting."

A representative for the American Beauty actress confirmed to the outlet that Birch was raised in West Hollywood — within walking distance of The Abbey, which has been a prominent LGBTQ+ gathering place for decades and is known to have been a favourite of screen legend Elizabeth Taylor. Birch married director Michael Benton Adler in 2018.

Reflecting on child stardom

Birch, who grew up in the public eye, has recently spoken candidly about life as a child star. Whilst she said she would not change her upbringing, she acknowledged it came at a cost.

"You can't develop friendships, or a core group of friends that stay with you," she told The Independent in February. "So they were these amazing experiences, and opportunities to work with people that I had photos of on my bedroom walls. Would I trade it? No. But it has a heavy price."

Reflecting on peers, including Brittany Murphy and Brad Renfro, both of whom died in their prime, she spoke about the difficulties of navigating the transition from child star to working adult.

"You can see the toll it takes to go through that transition from child star to working adult. It's tough, and everybody reacts to it differently," she explained. 

"What helped me was maintaining a sense of humor. That was key, and also dabbling in other mediums, taking a break, getting my education, living a life outside of any sort of bubble that has a camera pointed at it.

"And I think getting knocked down a few times helped, as it always does. You need a few sunburns before you toughen your skin up."

A thriving career on both sides of the camera

Birch has continued to diversify her career in recent years. She recently starred in Kristen Stewart's directorial debut, The Chronology of Water, and plays Gifford Mayfair in AMC's Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches.

In 2022, she made her own directorial debut with Lifetime's The Gabby Petito Story. She is also set to direct the forthcoming Mr Paradise, a feature film adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel.