Miriam Margolyes Says She's 'Never Had Any Shame About Being Gay': 'It Gives Us an Edge'

“We’re good artists, we’re good musicians. And I like being gay," the "Harry Potter" actress, 82, said in a new cover story for British "Vogue"

Miriam Margolyes is celebrating her Pride.

In a new cover story for British Vogue's Pride July issue, the 82-year-old Harry Potter actress opened up about coming out as a lesbian in 1966 and being part of the LGBTQ community.

“I think gay people are very lucky, because we are not conventional, we are a group slightly apart," she told the magazine. "It gives us an edge. We’re good artists, we’re good musicians."

"And I like being gay. I wouldn’t want to be straight for anything," Margolyes added.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Related: 'Harry Potter' 's Miriam Margolyes Attends Her First Pride Celebration at Age 81: 'I'm Proud'

The BAFTA Award winner also told British Vogue that she "never had any shame about being gay or anything really."

"I knew it wasn’t criminal because it was me. I couldn’t be criminal," Margolyes explained.

She also loved her parents despite her belief that neither ever accepted her sexuality, with her mother even forcing her to swear on the Torah that she would never have sex with a woman again, according to the magazine.

"It hurt them and I don’t want to hurt people," Margolyes said, with British Vogue noting that she regrets having come out to them at all.

Related: Everything You Need to Know About Pride Month

Margolyes and her partner, Heather Sutherland, have been together for 54 years after first meeting while Margolyes was trying to break into the larger acting scene following her college graduation.

As for Pride marches, the actress — who attended her first-ever Pride parade last year — told the magazine she appreciates seeing “uninhibited young enjoying themselves."

When it comes to her own civil partnership with Sutherland, Margolyes said, “Gay people have the luck to be able to fashion the relationship they want. It’s much more flexible for us."

“I think we have more freedom than [straight people] do. Particularly gay boys, they’re always f---ing everything. It’s amazing. I don’t know how they get away with it," she quipped.

See Margolyes' full feature in the July issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands June 20.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.