Maria Bello posts picture of girlfriend Clare Munn and ex, declares orientation as "whatever," instead of a label

Maria Bello recently posted a picture of her girlfriend Clare Munn, and her ex Dan McDermott. In the New York Times article "Coming Out as a Modern Family," on Friday, November 29th, Bello didn't exactly come out as gay.

In the piece, the singer and actress shares a conversation with her son, Jackson Blue McDermott, where she let him know some of the "adult stuff" she's been thinking lately. "Like how sometimes you can be friends with someone, and then it turns romantic, and then you're friends again. Like with Dad and me," Bello told her son Jackson. "Or romantic like Bryn and me were, and then he and I became friends."

After the article ran Bello received an outpouring of support for opening up about a personal part of her life, which is not so black and white as it appears to be with other people in the media's eyes. Julie Bowen of ABC's Modern Family tweeted to her:

Yep, MF in title got my attention but Mario Bello's big brain and bigger heart wowed me in this wonderful article https://t.co/BLgrpHDWNp

— Julie Bowen (@itsJulieBowen) December 1, 2013

To which Bello responded, "Thank you Julie. We love watching you in our house."

Bello's current significant other is Clare Munn, in the Instagram picture she posted. Munn is the Founder and CEO of social impact media company called The Communication Group. She also has spoken publicly for many groups including Aol TEDWomen.  

Bello's ex Dan McDermott is also in the photograph. He is a writer/producer and the father to Jackson Blue, also depicted. 

"It's hard for me even to define the term 'partner,'" Bello writes in the NYT article. Toward the end, she doesn't label herself as gay, lesbian or bisexual.

"So I would like to consider myself a 'whatever,' as Jackson said," Bello writes. "Whomever I love, however I love them, whether they sleep in my bed or not, or whether I do homework with them or share a child with them, 'love is love.' And I love our modern family," Bello ends the article.  

She is currently filming, McFarland, and you know her from Coyote Ugly, Thank You for Smoking and appearing on television as well.