Hayley Kiyoko overwhelmed with support after coming out

Hayley Kiyoko was inundated with support after she came out as a lesbian.
During a panel at the Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Pride Summit on Thursday (8Aug19), the 28-year-old singer discussed how putting a label on her sexuality has helped so many others who were struggling with their identity.
“I didn’t want a label at all, but once I released my music, there was this out pour of support for the fact that I did like girls,” the I Wish hitmaker shared. “I learned that by embracing my label as a lesbian, I was helping normalise that for so many other people.”
Kiyoko also admitted that sometimes, being an advocate for LGBTQ rights and equality can become too much.
“Sometimes you get overwhelmed: I’m not doing enough, I’m not saying enough. I just focus on keeping people alive. If you can inspire hope and give light when people are in that darkness, they will help you make this world a better place,” she added.
The singer also opened up about her appearance in Taylor Swift’s empowering video for You Need to Calm Down, in which Kiyoko stars alongside LGBTQ icons including Ellen DeGeneres and Queer Eye’s Fab Five.
She shoots a bow and arrow in an archery display for her brief role in the video and denied that she knew it would be a reference to Swift’s next single, The Archer.
“She told me it was going to be a very important Easter egg, but I also didn’t know any of the information. So, people were attacking me, like ‘give us the information’!” Kiyoko laughed. “I was like, ‘I don’t have the information. You need to calm down!'”
“We shot the video and we hadn’t even heard the song. It’s very tight-lipped, but I respect that, and I appreciate that,” she added.