Tatum O’Neal Gets Candid About ‘Dating Mostly Women Recently’

The Oscar winner says she does not identify as either gay or straight

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Tatum O’Neal, an actress who won an Oscar at just 10 years old, has decided to speak out publicly about a recent string of same-sex relationships.

“I like women,” O’Neal told People in a new interview featured in this week’s issue. “I definitely have been dating mostly women recently.”

But the mother-of-three, 51, would rather not subscribe to a label of being gay or straight. “I’m not one or the other,” she said.

O’Neal, the daughter of actor Ryan O’Neal, won a Best Actress in a Supporting Role Academy Award in 1974 for her performance in “Paper Moon.” The actress also known for starring in “The Bad News Bears” and “Little Darlings” divorced tennis champ John McEnroe, the father of her children, in 1992.

“I think women are the most amazing creatures on earth,” O’Neal continued. “They’re gentle, and also more intelligent than the men that I’ve met recently. I don’t have a steady right now, but I look forward to it.”

O’Neal is the latest actress to be so open about her sexuality as gay marriage gains momentum in a number of states across the country. In late 2013, Maria Bello revealed a same-sex relationship in a New York Times essay arguing for a broader definition of sexuality and love than what currently passes for social norms.

Earlier this month, pop star and actress Miley Cyrus also revealed relationships with “boyfriends or girlfriends,” but doesn’t feel the need to place her sexuality in a box labeled gay, straight or bisexual.

“I’m not hiding my sexuality. For me, I don’t want to label myself as anything,” Cyrus said. “We love putting people in categories, but what I like sexually isn’t going to label me as a person.”

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