Sophia Bush says she finally feels like she can breathe.

The One Tree Hill alum wrote a powerful essay published in Glamour Thursday in which she reveals that she now identifies as queer and confirms that shes in a romantic relationship with former U.S. soccer player Ashlyn Harris .

I think Ive always known that my sexuality exists on a spectrum, Bush wrote. Right now I think the word that best defines it is queer. I cant say it without smiling, actually. And that feels pretty great.

Bush said shes experienced so much safety, respect, and love in the queer community both as an ally and member.

I sort of hate the notion of having to come out in 2024. But Im deeply aware that we are having this conversation in a year when were seeing the most aggressive attacks on the LGBTQIA+ community in modern history, she wrote. There were more than 500 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills proposed in state legislatures in 2023 , so for that reason I want to give the act of coming out the respect and honor it deserves.