Los Angeles, Mar 12 (IANS): Actress Amber Heard says it was hard to come out as bisexual to her parents as they couldn't process it.

Heard has been quite open about being bisexual in the past, but during her panel at the South By Southwest (SXSW) Festival, she revealed how hard coming out was, reports dailymail.co.uk.

Heard, 32, was part of the SXSW featured session "Making Change On and Off the Screen" on Saturday.

"They didn't know how to process it because, for them, it was being thrown into a binary system of processing it, negative or positive," Heard said.

"I am from Austin, Texas. My dad is out of central casting Texan. Good Southern man, and I was raised in a religious home," Heard began.

"And being an outspoken lesbian, atheist, vegetarian, I remember when I told them about my relationship, that I was in love with this woman, and at the beginning of that it was just tears, tears," she added.

She said that she "refused" to admit the difficulties with her family were affecting her, and she "didn't display any negativity", but over five years, she watched their behaviour change.

"Five years later, I was getting an award, and I asked my parents to drive out to Dallas," Heard said.

"My parents in five years, look at the journey. Attitudes and hearts can change," Heard said.

Heard first came out at GLAAD's 25th Anniversary event in 2010, while she was in the midst of a relationship with Tasya Van Ree.

"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," she said at the time.

She was dating Von Ree from 2008 to 2012, before dating and moving in with actor Johny Depp, who she met in 2011 while filming "The Rum Diary".