Shannon Purser from “Stranger Things” opened up about “anxiety” over her sexuality

Shannon Purser — aka Barb from Stranger Things — was indisputably one of the biggest breakout stars of 2016. For whatever reason, her portrayal of the bookish best friend, wise beyond her years, spoke to our very souls (because let’s be real, so very many of us were Barbs in high school). And now, Purser has just opened up about her sexuality — specifically, what she wished she’d known sooner.

In a series of tweets, Purser noted that, "Getting comfortable with your sexuality is a process. It's going to be ok. I wish I'd known that sooner."

While she does not specifically note whether she considers herself a member of the LGBTQ+ community, her words will undoubtedly resonate with so many fans — regardless of their sexual orientation. Here are the tweets in full: false false false false

And fans are resonating with her message of love: false

https://twitter.com/udfredirect/status/851934506483408897

In a past interview with Paper, Purser spoke specifically about her character’s strong following within the LGBT community:

“As a person, I’ve always been really passionate about being really inclusive and letting people know that they are loved. And I think there really is an inherent feeling of isolation in the LGBT community [...] I’m so thankful that LGBT people have related to the character. If I can help anybody with my character, or feel loved or less alone, that is the best feeling.

false

We are loving Purser’s message of love and acceptance — because frankly, the world needs as much of this as it can get right now. We are also so glad that she is using her public platform to make others feel less alone. “You’re going to be ok. No, you’re going to be great,” is such a simple, yet such an important thing to hear — especially when someone may be feeling scared or isolated.

You can currently watch Purser on The CW’s Riverdale Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET.