Stacy London didn’t “say gay” for ages, but now she calls herself a late-in-life lesbian.
The What Not to Wear alum has been with her partner Cat Yezbak since 2018, publicly revealing their relationship via Instagram on New Year’s Eve 2019.
“So I used to date men. Now I date her,” she wrote.
London, 55, spoke with Us Weekly exclusively this week at the American Ballet Theatre presents Woolf Works premiere at The Metropolitan Opera in New York City. London opened up about her sexuality and how she is finally able to be unapologetic about who she is.
“I came out at 48. I love the fact that people can say the words pansexual, bisexual and have it be a spectrum,” she said. “In the ’50s and ’60s, there was none of that. When I was growing up, there were none of those words that made people feel seen.”
She credited those who came after her for helping her generation find a way to be more open.
“You have Gen Z breaking all the systemic rules and me, Gen X, breathing a sigh of relief that we thought we had to be straight and perfect,” she explained. “It was only, ‘Be like a duck, calm where everyone can see and then flail underneath.’ Now I feel like we can own our identities in a universal way without fear and without shame.”
Since she came out, London hasn’t hid her relationship with Yezbek from the public. The two were spotted on a double date with actress Sophia Bush and soccer star Ashlyn Harris last September. Earlier this month, London and Yezbek appeared together at a Gotham FC match — the NWSL club where Harris spent the end of her career.
“There’s a lot of people in this country who don’t understand that we are most bound by fear and shame when making all of our decisions, and if you take those out of the equation, there’s a lot of love there,” London added.
Asked how she defines herself now, London revealed that it’s been an evolution. Regardless, she believes sexuality is a spectrum, and somewhere along the way, she occupied her own space on it.
“I feel like I want to say lesbian because there aren’t enough of us,” she said. “It’s not just about one type of lesbian culture. I want people to see the spectrum, and so I identify as such.”
With London and Yezbek now together for around six years, it begs the question: Is there a wedding in the future?
“Maybe!” London said. “We have talked about it, we’ll see.”
With reporting by Travis Cronin
