In her Variety Power of Women interview, the singer, who previously dated The Neighbourhood frontman Jesse Rutherford—had said, “I have deep connections with women in my life, the friends in my life, the family in my life. I’m physically attracted to them. But I’m also so intimidated by them and their beauty and their presence.”
Billie continued, “I love them as people. I’m attracted to them as people. I’m attracted to them for real.”
She also said she’d “never felt like a woman” or feminine herself, although she identifies as “she/her.”
Days after the interview was published, Billie reflected on her feelings about her gender identity while giving a tearful speech at Variety‘s Power of Women event in Los Angeles.
“It’s really hard to be a woman out here guys,” she said at the Nov. 16 gala. “I have never felt truly like a woman. And I’ve spent a lot of my life not feeling like I fit in to being a woman.”
She continued, “For a couple years, because of that insecurity, I became almost like very ‘pick me’ about it and I’d be like, ‘Well, I’m not like other girls ’cause I don’t do this and this, and I’ve grown to be very resentful of that period of time because I’m so much more interested in being like other girls, because other girls are f–king tight and I love women.”
See photos of Billie and more celebs at Variety‘s Hitmaker event below:
