Kyra Kennedy

Tell us about yourself! What do you do for a living? What are your interests? What are your pronouns?

HELLOOOOO! My name is Kyra Kennedy. I’m an actress/musician. I love my guitar, my cat, my friends, ramen, and my 90-day fiance (in no particular order) and my pronouns are she/her.

About how old were you when you came out? How was the climate you grew up in?

I was the ripe age of 28 when I came out as bi. I grew up in the heart of the Bible Belt so the conversation around sexuality and the spectrum of it was pretty non-existent other than “Don’t have sex unless you’re married and marriage is only between a man and a woman.” I was super lucky to have very supportive and open parents who took the shame away from having sex, sexuality, etc… but I went to a Christian school and was VERY active in youth group so that really shaped my mindset and relationship around sex and sexuality. It’s a lot of undoing and unlearning but thankfully there are a plethora of resources for us former purity culture kids. 

Did you make career choices that allowed you to feel comfortable being open about your sexuality? (Are you out or feel comfortable being out at your workplace?)

I do feel comfortable! The minute I realized it and had the vocabulary for how I was feeling – it was a HUGE lightbulb moment. Everything started to make sense. (Why I felt so excited and seen when getting called in for Medium Alison, etc… and why it STUNG when I didn’t book.) And so many memories came flooding back that started to make complete sense. It was like the final plug was put in.

If you could tell your younger self something about yourself that you are proud of today, what would it be?

I think what I’m most proud of that I would love to tell bb Kyra is that I have a unique ability to make people feel comfortable. Despite the pain and hardship I’ve gone through in my life, I like that I’ve grown in strength but also kindness. (cue Lana’s they mistook my kindness for weakness…)

Have you tried to surround yourself with like-minded peers/colleagues? If so, how? 

I have! I don’t think it was a super-conscious decision. I’m, again, lucky to be in an industry that is very open, out, and supportive. I’m also learning new things every day. This past year has been like going through puberty again.

Who were your role models growing up? What tv shows/movies allowed you to feel seen?

My parents, of course. Amanda Bynes. Heath Ledger. Steve Carell. Amy Poehler. The Kids Are Alright and in a VERY weird way, Pretty Little Liars. 

Complete the sentence, if I knew Lady Gaga back when I was first figuring myself out, I would tell them thank you and also marry me?

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