Before she started dating Bianca Butti, Amber Heard was open about dating people of different genders. In 2010 Heard was in the middle of a high-profile 4-year relationship with artist Tasya Van Re. At GLAAD's 25th anniversary event, Heard explained, "I don't label myself one way or another—I have had successful relationships with men and now a woman. I love who I love; it's the person that matters.

Speaking at a South by Southwest panel entitled "Making Change On and Off the Screen," Heard recalled her experience coming out to her religious Texan family. "I'm from Austin, Texas ... And I was raised in a religious home ... I remember when I told them about my relationship, that I was in love with this woman ... I remember at the beginning of that it was just tears." However, she shared a hopeful message with the audience, saying, "Attitudes and hearts can change."

It was never in Heard's nature to stay quiet or keep her sexuality hidden. Regardless of how people reacted in her family or the industry, she wasn't going to hide. During an interview with The Economist, later quoted by E! News, Heard recalled when Ellen Degeneres asked about her sexuality, "I just answered honestly ... My poor publicist. Then I realized the gravity of what I had done and why so many people—studio execs, agents, advisors—did not want this coming before my name."