Cara Delevingne hit the headlines last month after a profile on the model published in American Vogue suggested that her bisexuality was nothing more than a phase. “Cara says she felt confused by her sexuality as a child, and the possibility of being gay frightened her,” stated the article. “Her parents seem to think girls are just a phase for Cara, and they may be correct.”

This comment sparked a fierce backlash in the press, along with a petition, which recieved 13,121 signatures, calling for the publication to publicly apologise to the LGBT community. Now, in an interview with The New York Times, Delevingne herself has responded to the comment. While she expresses the firm belief that the writer of the article, Rob Haskell, was not being malicious, she confirms, “My sexuality is not a phase. I am who I am.”

Haskell’s insinuation however, is merely reflective of a broader problem of biphobia in our society – the belief that bi women are invariably straight (just experience a phase) and that bi men are invariably gay (just kidding themselves).

Delevingne is proving to be a very vocal advocate for LGBT rights within the public eye. As well as broadcasting affirmative messages via her Instagram, last year she supported National Coming Out Day and represented queer photo project Self Evident Truths with a t-shirt emblazoned with the slogan “Don’t be scared to be who you are.”

Watch the trailer for Cara Delevingne’s upcoming film Paper Towns: