Lauren Jauregui thinks homophobic attitudes were "deeply ingrained" into her mentality as a child.
The 24-year-old pop star – who identifies as pansexual – feels she was "indoctrinated" with prejudicial views of homosexual people during her childhood.
She explained: "I feel like for a lot of us there’s this little tyrant in our bodies that white supremacy put there.
"I personally was indoctrinated with Catholicism, too. I went to a private Catholic school so I had homophobia deeply ingrained into my system.
"To the point where I was 100 percent in love with my best friend for seven years without telling her s**t."
Lauren admitted homosexuality was ridiculed by the girls in her "social realm" during her younger years.
And the former Fifth Harmony star conceded she’s still dealing with some "internalised issues".
Speaking to Paper magazine, she recalled: "We would make out. We would hook up at parties; we were in love with each other but both of us were completely unable to admit that to ourselves, much less to each other.
"It caused so much pain between us. The girls in my social realm, if they even thought you were gay (you didn’t have to prove it in any way, shape, or form), you were ridiculed beyond belief.
"I went through a lot and I still have some internalised issues that I have to get over as far as my attraction to women.
"I also have this feeling inside of me when I am attracted to a woman where I’m a little scared to hit on her because I don’t want to be too aggressive or too scary or to make her feel the way that men make me feel when I’m hit on unsolicited, you know?"