Paulson has long resisted static labels regarding her sexual identity, preferring to describe her attraction as fluid and partner-specific. Prior to her relationship with Taylor, her dating history encompassed relationships with both men and women. In her twenties, she was engaged to actor Tracy Letts, a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright. That engagement ended amicably, with Paulson later remarking that she simply was not ready to settle down at that stage of her life.
Her most famous prior relationship occurred between 2004 and 2009, when she dated Tony-winning actor Cherry Jones. That five-year romance carried a 18-year age difference, giving Paulson early experience with the public scrutiny that accompanies generational gaps. When Paulson kissed Jones at the 2005 Tony Awards, it was considered a groundbreaking moment of open queer affection in mainstream entertainment media.
Paulson often notes that her romantic decisions are guided by character rather than gender or age brackets. When critics early in her relationship with Taylor suggested that dating an older woman was an unconventional career move, Paulson brushed the criticism aside. She remarked that what is truly unconventional is allowing other people's anxieties to dictate who you choose to love.
