One year ago, Miley Cyrus came out to the public as pansexual to ELLE UK. "That just means everyone," she told ELLE U.S. in this year's October issue when asked to define what the term means to her. "It doesn't stop at girl, boy, or if someone's in a transition. I don't see people ever for who they were before who they are right now. I think of who I was before who I am right now; that's a transition in itself. Everyone is constantly transitioning."

In a new interview with Variety, Cyrus explained the moment she realized that was her sexuality. "I think when I figured out what it [pansexual] was," she started. "I went to the LGBTQ center here in L.A., and I started hearing these stories. I saw one human in particular who didn't identify as male or female. Looking at them, they were both: beautiful and sexy and tough but vulnerable and feminine but masculine. And I related to that person more than I related to anyone in my life. Even though I may seem very different, people may not see me as neutral as I feel. But I feel very neutral. I think that was the first gender-neutral person I'd ever met. Once I understood my gender more, which was unassigned, then I understood my sexuality more. I was like, 'Oh—that's why I don't feel straight and I don't feel gay. It's because I'm not.'"

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"I never related to loving being a girl," she continued. "And then, being a boy didn't sound fun to me. I think the LGBTQ alphabet could continue forever. But there's a "P" that should happen, for 'pansexual'."

She started exploring her gender identity in elementary school: "My whole life, I didn't understand my own gender and my own sexuality. I always hated the word 'bisexual,' because that's even putting me in a box. I don't ever think about someone being a boy or someone being a girl," she said. "Also, my nipple pasties and shit never felt sexualized to me. My eyes started opening in the fifth or sixth grade. My first relationship in my life was with a chick."

She did tell her parents then, but it took time for them to process it. "I grew up in a very religious Southern family. The universe has always given me the power to know I'll be okay. Even at that time, when my parents didn't understand, I just felt that one day they are going to understand."

Today, being a member of and fighter for the LGBTQ community with her Happy Hippie foundation has given Cyrus her driving cause. "My empowerment comes from feeling like I have a purpose now. On my tombstone, I didn't want the 'Wrecking Ball' lyrics," she said. "I wanted it to be something greater. I'm the only fucking Disney star who would say I'm pro lesbian and gay, before it was okay to say that."

And that didn't cause any trouble for her "because a lot of the dudes that work for Disney are gay, so they were very happy to have someone on their side."

Cyrus also took a moment during her interview to send a political message to all her disgruntled former Berne Sander supporters who won't vote for Hillary Clinton: "That's fucking crazy and you're out of your mind. It's literally pissing me off more than anything. If you could ever consider Donald Trump, you never understood Bernie in the first place."