Queer pop culture fans deeply value authenticity in queer art, especially when that art is created by queer celebrities. That can be hard to find, but Humberly González is one performer who believes in and exemplifies that authenticity. As a queer Venezuelan-Canadian actress, her career emergence over the last half-decade has been rife with loveable sapphic characters.
In fact, González considers her first break to be a recurring role as a queer love interest in the CW drama In the Dark (2019-2020). Her next career milestone came in the form of playing queer singer Brooklyn 2—a leading role among an ensemble cast for Hulu’s 2020 show Utopia Falls. Although the show was short-lived, González quickly returned to screens via a recurring role as a queer love interest (Sophie Sanchez) in the Netflix hit Ginny & Georgia. “When I started playing queer roles, I wasn’t even out. So, for me, it was a testament to the way that I do love authentically in my own life,” says González.
Today, González is proudly out and gifting more authentic representation with her debut Hallmark holiday film, Friends & Family Christmas. González and fellow out queer actress Ali Liebert (“One of Us is Lying”) star as career-focused women in New York City who begin fake-dating to appease their parents.
The film, which premiered on December 17, marks Hallmark’s first lesbian holiday movie, and progress for representation of González’s other identities—e.g., Latinx, a woman of color. Hallmark hand-picked González for the film, and she embraces the responsibility of providing such representation. “I hope people will feel seen, and that they will relate to it,” says the actress. “There’s a lot of firsts, and I think little me would be very proud.”
González excitedly adds that the movie delivers an especially unique form of representation: A queer love story that isn’t centered on struggles of acceptance or coming out (as with Hulu’s controversial 2020 holiday rom-com The Happiest Season). “[This] is more about just loving and existing as queer people in the world,” says González. “I’m so proud to be a part of that, because I never had that representation growing up.”
Image courtesy of Hallmark
To that point, González knew from an early age that she wasn’t straight. However, she struggled to embrace her queerness, partly due to not knowing what label felt right. Portraying In the Dark’s self-assured bisexual character Vanessa healed a lot of personal trauma and struggle over deciding on a label. “I realized that I could just exist,” says González. “So slowly, I started to become braver and to just own who I am.”
Her Utopia Falls role furthered that mentality, thanks partly to the fan love she received. However, ahead of the release of Ginny & Georgia, González did feel anxious that her character’s sexual identity might cause audiences to question or invalidate whatever identity she eventually publicly shared, if she didn’t put herself in one particular box. But ultimately, after the show’s debut and her own coming out, she again received love. She even found positivity in the backlash. “It made me realize that it was so much more important for me to exist as I am than not,” says González. “My own fears were a shared experience and…it made me feel less alone.”
González is happy to continue providing representation. She hopes her work helps people understand that she’s more than one thing. She’s not just queer, Latina, or a woman of color. González also wants people to see that queer and heterosexual stories share a universal humanity, such that there’s no distinction. “Queer people can exist in any story,” she says. “And I think the more queer people are represented authentically in the industry, we will have more [universally-embraced queer-centric stories].”
Considering her professional track record, González is certainly doing her part to make that dream as real as she is.
Three Questions With Humberly Gonzàlez
Favorite queer/queer coded film? Whatching the moving Thirteen when I was younger… I feel like that was a moment for me.
Favorite queer celebrity? Ariana DeBose and Lauren Jauregui
Favorite rom-com moment: The meet cute, for sure.
